Sunday Reflections 01/03/15

Last week, I set a some goals for myself and while I didn’t reach all of those goals, I did complete some.

• Reading- I read (almost) a chapter of my current book (In a Dark, Dark Wood). I also bought a book called CALM: 50 Mindfulness and Relaxation Exercises to De-Stress and Unwind. I’ve read through a bunch of the exercises and so far, I like it! Two techniques that I think will be helpful for me to try are: A Place of Peace (creating a calming atmosphere physically and imaginatively) and Dial Down Feelings (rating your feelings from 1- barely noticeable to 8- most intense).
• Writing- I wrote three posts and two poems
• Crochet- I made a chain and one single crochet row for a scarf.
• Lesson Planning- I didn’t get as far ahead as I would have liked but I did choose all of the books for this month.

I also downloaded an app called DuoLingo and started learning some basic German. Considering my love of languages, I thought it might be fun to try learning a little about a new one.

Goals for Next Week

• Crochet: 2 more rows
• Read: a chapter of In a Dark, Dark Wood
• Try: an exercise from CALM
• Write: at least one blog post and one poem or prompt
• Meditation: Try gazing meditation

I’m going to try to get back into the habit of using a planner. How do you stay productive? What techniques do you use to unwind or combat anxiety/ depression?

Sunday Reflection 12/27

This week, my goal was to start a blog… and I did it! I figured out how to create a menu, organized it, and wrote a few posts. Not only that but I also responded to a prompt on another blog and communicated with others within that community.

Next week, I plan to spend some time each day using creativity as an outlet.

Here are some of the activities I would to get involved in this upcoming week:

• Yoga- Stretch for a few poses or a short video
• Meditation- Try gazing meditation
• Writing- Write at least one blog post and one hand written entry
• Reading- Read at least a few chapters
• Crochet- Find a scarf pattern and start it

If I’m feeling really ambitious, I’d like to get ahead with my lesson planning.

How do you stay productive? Do you set goals, make lists, use a planner? Do you have a favorite yoga sequence or type of meditation to relax and unwind?

List My Life

Picture Credit: Elephant Journal

I saw the above picture yesterday and decided to make these lists. Of course, I know my anxiety and depression have made it hard for me to resume my normal life, but these lists truly made me see how much. Seeing it written down on paper made my stomach fall with the realization that I’ve let my struggle overcome my life. In the picture below, you can see it as well.

Looking for the positives- How I have made small adjustments since restarting counseling:

• I’ve been reading more (on paper). Even though I haven’t finished a book yet (I used to read a novel within a day or two, depending on how much time I had), I’ve still made the effort to sit and hold a book and give it my attention.
• I’ve been writing more. Again, I used to write everyday and while I’m not quite there yet, I have been writing more often (as opposed to the never that lasted a couple of years). When I told my counselor I just didn’t have the will or subject matter to write about she suggested that I try timed writing prompts. I found that I wanted to keep writing even after the timer beeped.
• I’ve been switching from Netflix to Pandora. Every once in a while I find the strength to turn off my shows and put on something more therapeutic: music. I try having it on either in the background as I clean or prepare lesson plans or just sit and have the music be my main focus (maybe even sing a little).

As I sit here writing this, I remember how writing, reading, and music used to be a natural, everyday outlet for me. Now it feels forced, as though it’s a chore rather than a pleasure. But I know it will just take work to get me back to the creative person I once was and want to be again.

How I plan to make more small adjustments:

• Write or read everyday (even if only for 15 minutes)
• Keep switching to Pandora
• Go out more in nature. Take more pictures.
• Do some form of yoga each day (even if only for 15 minutes)

I challenge you to make and compare your own lists. How closely do the two compare? What adjustments might you want to make?

 

 

Staying Productive

This journey requires goals and movement. It also requires breaking this process down into manageable pieces. Each Sunday, I plan to come up with some goals for the week and perhaps strategies to help myself fulfill those goals.

How do you stay productive?