I am going to try a new stunt. I am going to try and trick myself into doing all the things I know are good for me. I am going to take a gradual,measured approach in the hope that this will make my new life improvements stick. i read somewhere that you have to do something every day for a month for it to become habit. So I am going to try something new for October. I am going to remember to take my anti-depressant meds as soon as I wake up every day. Because I forget a lot. And that is not good for me or my kids or anyone around me. I am going to make a big, bright sign for next to my bed and leave my pills and a water botlle there. And hopefully after a month it will just be habit and I won't even have to try anymore. Future challenges will include:
I will "Findy Thirty" minutes of physical activity every day- playing with the kids, walking, dancing etc.
I will drink 8 glasses of water every day- I read somewhere that being even 5% dehydrated causes your cognition to fall by over 20%!
I will do 4 pleasures every day.
any other suggestions would be appreciated. If this works I'll be perfect by this time next year!
Those are great goals! I always have the best intentions but seem to slide pretty quickly. I guess you just have to keep re-committing. I find that I remember to take my medication if I take it at the same time every day while doing something I do every day at about the same time, like brushing my teeth before bed. I have a hard time remembering to take a pill in the day, but I have a pretty set night time routine that helps me to remember.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip TGW- I have heard that somewhere before to link it to something you do every day anyway- I tend to get out of bed so I'll stick to doing it then. Your night time routine reminded me of another thing to go on my list- cleanse and moisturise my face every day! (I know, I can hear you cringeing- no, I hardly ever do that!)
ReplyDeleteA habit that I started about 5 years ago now is drinking a warm-hot glass of water (I just get it from the hot tap) with half a lemon squeezed into it first thing after getting out of bed. Almost immediately I feel more awake and a few minutes later my crankiness has worn off (I can be a real grouch in the mornings!) and it's a great liver detox. At first it was kind of hard to do and to remember to keep stocked up on lemons but now I wake up craving it. Highly recommend. Oh, and then you've got your first glass of water for the day already sorted. Carry a water bottle w/ you too to help ward off dehydration (note: helps if you drink from it). And since we live in beautiful Australia, make sure you soak up some of that 4-5pm sun, it's the best!!! Bring the kids to the Steiner playground after school, heaps of parents stay back till 4 or even 4:30/5pm every school day... beautiful grassy lawn for parents to chat, great playthings for kids :)
ReplyDeleteHi Maureen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hot water lemon tip - that will go on the list for sure! A friend of mine many years ago used to drink it instead of tea/coffee, and if you didn't have lemon, she would just drink hot water! Sounds like a delicious way to start a winter morning especially. I think I need to get a lemon tree. If I plant it now it might have some lemons by the time I get down the list that far.
The point of doing them one at a time is so that they stick- I have tried going on 'health kicks' like this before but changing almost every aspect of your life all at once is overwhelming and impossible to maintain. The tortoise will be my new mascot for this stage in my life, a slow and steady thing.
Thanks for the invite to the stiener playground after school- r u sure it would be ok for an outsider? I would have to make sure you were going to be there first. To hold my hand and protect me from the other parents :)