Lou_be_Lou

So, Sarakingdom pointed out that if I'm trying to decrease stress, then a camoflaged (ok, that is spelt wrong, but I cannae be bothered fixin' it) 10 point challenge isnae the way to go. I did say bad words when she pointed this out. Much as I hate to admit it she is right. So, revised challenge: turn up, do it, do it again. Build those habits. 1) Turn up (and turn up again tomorrow) - I just need to keep some momentum going here, having started moving again, I want to keep moving. Kinds of exercise that are included: kickboxing and jujitsu training, running, yoga, swimming, diy kickboxing training (including playing with my heavy bag). Definitely not all of these in one week - pick and mix from the list according to other commitments. Minimum spend = three chunks of exercise per week. Anything above that = bonus. Going all out and neglecting to have any rest days = nil poi! 2) Self care morning back exercises at least 4 x per week - they only take about 12 minutes and make such a difference to how I feel. GMB stress busting routine - I'm just starting to play with this, and so far I like it, 2 or more times a week, and see how it goes. Play that bass - to paraphrase Treva-sings, I feel far more human with this than without. 3) Nac Mac Feegle inspired: Eat the ship fud (aka veges) and drinkin (herb tea). All good.

Good luck with your work trip - hopefully you will get some down time. Right now it sounds like any down time is a win.

DOMS are your friends........

ye see, Not-As-Big-As-Medium-Sized-Tank-But-Bigger-Than-Wee-Tank-Tank, some o us cannae quite remember us quite as many words as that in a one-er. An we dinnae ken ye cousin. Apologies, like, moderately big wee man, but ye cannae blame us for not knowing the remembering.

I like this lifting advice a lot. Makes me want to go to the gym. Fabulous!

Yay for 5 minutes of meditation and recognising that recovery is important! Welcome to the monastery.

Kishi speaks words of wisdom. Also: Absolutely!!!!!!! I wish we all had folk looking out for us and caring for us and stopping us from burning out. And yes while some folk are lucky enough to have someone standing by and saying "its time for a break", they are the lucky ones. So yes, look out for yourself and take good care because you matter. Sounds like you are in an incredibly tough place in your life. Self care will make a difference. All the tiny changes you can make will make a difference. And one day you'll have gotten through the system enough that you can walk away from some of the rubbish that gets thrown at you. For now, survival. Self care and survival. And suturing as a breathing exercise. Meantime, yay for music as self care - have you found anywhere to play? Asked while appreciating that you've probably had about 5 minutes in which you weren't working and were awake. I utterly agree re your comment: "I'm much more manageable as a human if I practice.". Just yes, yes, yes and yes. I get very obnoxious very quickly if I don't play. The other side of it (agreeing also with your " my instrument is my best friend to whom I can tell all my stories and secrets and not feel self centered about it.") is that in many way it is my voice. Through playing I say so many things which I will never manage to verbalise. Hang on in there. One act of self care at a time.

Yay. Welcome to the monks! But come on, cheating on the holds on your physio. You know better than that. I like the idea of working on kicks while you rehab your shoulder. Sounds like fun.

I'm still in shock seeing your kitten play with a comb! How does a feline not associate a comb with torture? Bizarre. Only possibly explanation is that it isn't actually a cat - its some computer scientist's automation pretending to be a cat. No other possible explanation. Good luck with the weather. Muffins, charged technology, luck, kitten. It'll be fine! Good luck all the same.

Ah no, so my plan to hide the complications of the challenge have completely failed! DUH! The good news is that I had a technique and bag session at home this morning - first diy kickboxing for a long time. I had forgotten (true story), just how much fun sessions like this are. I loved it. And I love my heavy bag. Must play more with the heavy bag (self sabotage avoidance, I'm going to buy bag gloves so I don't do my classic of using the heavy bag, then forgetting gloves for training, historically, this is a thing). Hmmmmmm, I'm spotting a theme, self sabotage may simply be absent mindedness...... I know about this, I did once manage to lose my car for 3 days, turned out I had walked past it multiple times each day...... Dearie dearie me. Generally if I can make things very routine, then I'm less likely to forget them. I'm also feeling good after doing evening and morning self care gentle exercises as well. Later today you'll be hearing back from me with the revised cunning plan. Hmmmmmmm. Still contemplating the improved quality of life thing, and I think decreasing my stress would be amazing. That one certainly needs a cunning plan. Some of it has started, stupid things, like hanging my dressing gown up on a coat hanger (vs drapped on end of bed) actually makes me less stressy every time i'm in the bed room. But yep, if little things like that are making a difference then i'm closer to a bad stress threshold than I'ld like. And I like exercise as a stress insulation/buster. Thats even before heavy bag plus creative visualisation....

Aye, sometimes its just the fightin', then the drinkin' and followed by the lyin' doon. Sometimes ye cannae do them all. How aboots ye keeps the habit goin' - get that drinkin' happenin' an go a wee bit i bit easy on the rest. Ye ken? Thats a mighty fine recruiting song your gonnagle made up!

Reporting in: while I remember..... So far: Bass played - both days. Morning back care = both days. Turning up = lunchtime walk monday, jujitsu today. Veges = loads both days Feegle = classic self sabotage on monday by leaving running gear at home ...... , just finished drinkin' 'erb tea. Good start. Now I just need to do it again. Off to do GMB anti-stress thingie before bed.

All righty - thinking time is over, underpants are collected, special sheep liniment is locked in the cupboard. I think I have quite a few goals this time. So much for keeping it simple stoopid. 1) Turn up (and turn up again tomorrow) - I just need to keep some momentum going here, having started moving again, I want to keep moving. Kinds of exercise that are included: kickboxing (sub challenge - at kb I'm aiming for flow and connection between the moves, while still keeping precision and crispness, this is making training way more fun) and jujitsu training, running, walking, yoga, swimming. Definitely not all of these in one week - pick and mix from the list according to other commitments. Minimum spend = three chunks of exercise. Anything above that = bonus. Going all out and neglecting to have any rest days = nil poi! 2) Body self care - these are less optional than turning up - morning back exercises at least 4 x per week - they only take about 12 minutes and make such a difference to how I feel. GMB stress busting routine - I'm just starting to play with this, and so far I like it, 2 or more times a week, and see how it goes. 3) NAC MAC FEEGLE!!!! Wee dangerous Lou Inspired by SaraKingdom "ye've already got the fightin' an' the stealin' o' information (which isnae as much fun as coos, I admit, but is aye useful), and are two-thirds o' the way tae a Nac Mac Feegle challenge. The lyin' isnae mandatory, but the drinkin' is. Ye canna be a Feegle without the drinkin'. We're famous for it." the fightin' = once a week, at home, diy kickboxing training, to include either a lot of kicking, or intervals on the heavy bag. the stealin' o' information = noticing moments of self sabotage....... trying to minimise them..... (classic one yesterday - was booked in with a lunchtime run with friends, nope, left my running kit in its bag, on my kitchen floor - DUH) the drinkin' = herbal tea in the evening, so I avoid the special sheep liniment (not completely, just saving it for two nights a week). 4) Play that bass - needs to happen most days (where most days = 5-6 days a week). Bonus points = contacting friends about playing music, being proactive about playing the music I most enjoy, rather than stressed by playing things other folk want me to. 5) the Anti-NAC-MAC-FEEGLE = eat loads of vegetables. Just eat them. Cook them, eat them, cover them with herbs and spices, and consume. 6) New underpants collection to start: Sarakingdom asked a hard question at the start of this challenge: What one action would make a big quality of life difference for you?" I haven't spotted it yet. But it made me think about what is irritating/sub-optimal right now. And most of it is that I'm stressed. Lots of nagging undone bits and pieces, but also big ones, like my current contract only running until late october, and getting it extended to there from the end of this month seems to have involved squeezing all of the residual oil out of a rag. There may be big changes coming...... Somehow in the next 7 months this needs to feel like an exciting opportunity for new adventures. So I just want to quietly contemplate stress reduction and see what I can do to help myself. Not adding any more pressure, but just skirting gently around the edges of some fairly scary possibilities. PHEW! For simplification - most of this is still: turn up, do it, do it again. Build those habits.

Oh yes, to turnin' up agin tomorroa Liking the hittin' an' the kickin', plannin' on doin' some o that. The mandatory drinkin' hmmmmmmm, me an the special sheep liniment, we're not best friends the mo. I'm a wee bit-i-bit a feared that the feegles will disprove...... but it means more special sheep liniment for them..... thinking of the herbal tea of an evening. Will help with only indulging in the sheep liniment twice a week. Absolutely! While avoiding the challenge turning into doing all of the things..... Ha ha, yes, this, absolutel* Yes, yes, yes and yes. But wow, this is challenging headology. I still want to do all of the things all of the time. But yes, when I try to, I certainly get burned. Crispy and well done on all sides and needing to have a wee spell of bed rest to recover. That is to be avoided if at all possible.

Oh no re lungs that don't want to play nice! Sounds like getting healthy again should be near the top of your list. A bit of self care? All the more energetic goals can just backburner for a bit until you can breathe. Good goals.