Defining

Why did I book in to get my tires swapped at 7am tomorrow?!

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Apr 3 - We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle. - Marilyn Monroe

11 hours ago, Harriet said:

What if I commit to the hypothesis that the brain determines activity levels (in the absence of strong external pressure) based on its perceptions of energy availability and that I therefore need to work on the roots of the problem? What would my approach be? Hmmmm.

The brain (and body) evolved to conserve energy whenever possible. So I'm not sure that's where I'd be taking my cues from.

Some new, non-diet-related, ideas you could play with:
- going outside for a walk first thing in the morning, to get some sunlight in your eyes; an afternoon walk in the sun is also awesome!

- cool your palms gently between sets during workouts

- watch at least one fun/happy/positive movie or tv episode a week; bonus points where the emotional climax includes someone receiving gratitude

- try to reframe how you see stress, because sometimes it can actually improve your capabilities in order to overcome what's in front of you

- revisit basic sleep hygiene (keeping a regular schedule, keeping a dark room, time away from screens especially before bed, lower temperature to sleep, chamomile before bed, etc.)

- set timers for several times a day to stop and focus on your breath for 60seconds

If you MUST play with diet, then focusing on gut health is potentially a good option; eating lots of fermented foods makes a pretty big difference. That means refrigerated/live stuff like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, miso, kimchi, tempeh, etc. 

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before, but do you have a professional ear to listen to you/bounce ideas off of? 

Lessons from the week: 
- I love my dogs, and will not take for granted how well behaved they are

- being in a different space helps to break a lot of cyclical stress-thoughts around work/home

- every time I had to do something for work, I was simultaneously petulant/resistant to dealing with people and reminded that the work itself is technically manageable; unappealing, frustrating, but not necessarily worse than any other job

- eating poorly actually makes me feel like shit (not new info, but the reminder is kinda useful)

I am quietly debating if there's a simple store-front/retail/similar business option that might be another for me. Maybe I'd just be happier with a smaller scale of daily life, if it means being able to 'see' the products of my work and not feeling like I'm just laying tracks in front of a runaway train. Conversely, a physical business model is less scalable (ie. retirement options and 'making a difference'), and much riskier in many ways in terms of investment/liquidity of time, assets, and liabilities.

Dammit, this stuff is no fun to figure out!

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Apr 2 - Courage, dear heart. - C.S. Lewis

On 3/31/2022 at 12:05 AM, SakuraKitsune said:

I possibly phrased wrong- I actually love my food plans most days; I’ve been doing keto long enough I know my favourite good meals and snacks and even change up on the spot due to certain cravings with ease. “Treat meals” (I need to call these something else as we don’t have “cheat days”, but I don’t know what to call them yet; off-plan meals perhaps…?) just have no nutritional value but they are that addictive blend of fat and sugar that makes the brain go O.O That’s more what I mean.

That's a relief! I was thinking 'wait, why are only SOME of the meals enjoyable?!'😬

Side note: why not just call them 'brain breaking meals'?  As long as that doesn't cause negative connotations for you though, I suppose...

On 3/27/2022 at 5:27 PM, Jupiter said:

Question, will there be more Vampire Diaries (and Klaus Mikaelson) gifs? 

We could certainly make that happen...

I'm still struggling to pull my thoughts together. One of the main things that has stood out for me, as I brainstorm the 'what happens if you DON'T do this thing' for my habit goals, is this: I don't want to look back in two years and see the same thing all over again in my posts. That's what I've seen/found in my older challenges and posts here; the same complaints, challenges, questions, etc. That's what I'm working against/away from. If that doesn't light a fire under my tail, I don't think anything will.

Um. Query: if you are 'choosing enjoyable meals' as a treat....er, what are you eating the rest of the time? Is it possible instead to try to find enjoyable meals that also nourish you?

Big fan of the 'one goal' approach!

On 3/11/2022 at 6:00 PM, Scaly Freak said:

Has either of you tried to do these floor shenanigans with a dog in the room? Does it become actively dangerous, or merely distracting?  

 

EDIT: 

I have now. It was hilarious in a distracting way.

Floor stuff, like crawls, getups, 'four legged walks', etc. is AWESOME! The dogs think it's a great game too.

On 3/15/2022 at 2:44 PM, Mad Hatter said:

Currently I don't know what to think, or how to function. To challenge or not to challenge? To crazy or not to crazy...? Honestly I feel kinda alienated, hence the lack of posts. So umm yeah sorry for the downer of an update. Thanks for being here though and for checking in, I really appreciate you! ❤️

Not that I'm advocating that you need to dive back into the gremlins, but for point of comparison I've seen nearly half a dozen doctors about my shoulder and we still don't know where/what the problem is. So it's possible, if you want to explore in the future, that the first person you saw doesn't have the be-all-end-all assessment.

That being said! I am in similar straits. This challenge, I'm focusing on 'what do I want my life to NOT look like?'. Unsure if that's helpful for you right now, but it's a different strategy to consider. List what you don't want, and then figure out what you need to do avoid it. Challenge or no challenge, we're here for random fun chats, or more serious chats, or just settings those mental weasels on fire. 

I've totally heard of Brandon, but I'm in Calgary so I don't think it counts.

On 3/15/2022 at 11:35 PM, Mad Hatter said:

Hey @Defining how are you doing?

Middling to poor, but that's not new.  Thank you for checking in! I have a new challenge up, and away we go again.

Preamble wankery:

I'm dog sitting for the first week of this challenge, so if I need a 'reset', this is as good a time as any.

Wk 1: Every time I have a bad thought about work, living arrangements, other people, or myself, do 3x jumping jacks. This is not to add exercises, or for punishment. It's literally just to help track and notice how often I'm using negative internal dialogue.  Sun Salutations and eating within 1hr of waking up.

Wk 2: Resume weight workouts, protein intake, plus the same from last week  - check in daily on BUJO, do something nice for myself to end the day.  25hrs of decluttering.

Wk 3: Resume bedtime enforced 'no reading in bed' + C25k. Carry on with the rest, + 25hrs of decluttering.

Wk 4: More of the same. Sign up for a C++ intro course.

Wk 5: Carry on, TBD, may add in an attempt for something meditative.

It's gonna get crazy here.

So I fell off the surface of the planet last challenge. That's ok, no one is perfect. And it's not like I was on some kind of roll that I 'interrupted' or anything.

Some thoughts on goal settings, little drabbles from a few podcasts I've been listening to:

- try to set a goal that you can do 85% successfully

- set regular check-ins and rewards

- instead of doing a ton of 'visualising' about the good outcome you're working for, regularly remind yourself of the shitty alternative if you don't actually accomplish your goal

- use 'bad habits' as a trigger for 'better habits'

- sometimes it's easier to do something every day, in order to remove the 'judgement' or scheduling to keep things consistent otherwise

Last challenge I set myself a 25hr/week goal to declutter. And I don't think it was actually the goal that led me astray, my bro came to visit and then I had a pain flare up, and work has been stupid busy, and I've been drowning in my normal existential BS. 

Things that are barriers to me accomplishing stuff include (but are not limited to):
- not having a daily routine or weekly schedule

- not having an organised environment which promotes getting off your ass to do stuff

- feeling unsure about my work & living situation 

- lacking motivation for personal accomplishment

I've been putting some thought into 'what would you do if you won the lottery', just as a thought experiment to try to move past the work/house anxiety, and figure out wtf I would actually want to do with myself. The answer right now is: not much. So either I'm depressed (possible, but unlikely), or so highly demotivated/tired that anything sounds like too much work right now. But it did give me a few things to look at, namely having my own space, daily dog time, and having a project to work on regularly. I also still really like 'working with my hands' stuff, but I find myself trying new things and getting bored with it quickly, which is why/how I've accumulated so much hobby chaff along the way. 

None of this is new. And I feel like I've been going around in circles with this shit for years now. I'm going to give myself this next challenge, and then will bite the bullet to try online counselling to try to see if I can find some help to cut through my own BS. Which, uh, is not hugely appealing. So I guess I have some motivation to pull up my socks here?

Conclusions: I'm not going to bother worrying about work or living arrangements right now, I'm in a stable pattern and I have time to deal with it. In the meantime, I can give myself a 'part time job' to declutter the house, and/or learn some programming stuff for shits n giggles. 
 

I was listening to a podcast about goal setting, and one of the strategies he suggested was to pick 6, and do them for 2 months; and then carry on, see which actually stick. Was an interesting thought.

YMMV based on individual genetics, hormonal responses, and personal preference which affects diet adherence. But yeah, essentially it doesn't matter.

For fat loss: https://examine.com/nutrition/low-fat-vs-low-carb-for-weight-loss/

As well as muscle gain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786199/

18 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Even if it's remote?

Pretty much, yeah. I prefer to be able to get away from 'the desk', run errands, take the dogs for a walk, etc. I don't mind being on-call for much longer than 8hrs/day, but needing to only work within certain hours is not what I'd prefer, if I can at all avoid it.

10 hours ago, juliebarkley said:

On the cyclical thoughts: if you've identified an unhelpful pattern that needs changing, and decided to work on it, even if you haven't figured out how to change it yet, isn't that progress?

Not really? Mostly because none of it is new (ie. for years), and I've been 'meaning to work on it' for a while (also for years). I will never judge how someone else processes their own goals; but for me, at this point, for this particular thing... no, it's not progress.

Brain isn't in the right headspace for a proper update, keep calm and carry on and such.

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Feb 26 - Not for ourselves alone are we born. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

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Feb 27 - If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. - Lucy Larcom

Recovery is hugely important, it deserves a named place in your schedule! 

Chamomile is always a win for night-time tea!

Scent work, snuffle mats, and place training/obedience work is always a great way to give your pup other things to do, to use up some energy.

Wait, why are you blending gravy?

I have! But it pays very poorly on an hourly basis, especially if you're not able to do stuff like medical transcribing. In a lot of ways, I'd be better off just working as a remote executive assistant in real estate (which would kind of suck), because I'm A) already qualified and B ) it would pay better. Money isn't everything, but if I can work fewer hours for the same income, I'm all over that.

That's why you use an immersion blender typically for soups n stuff.

41 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

I'm planning on using tongue and groove for the walls in my apartment. I've had so many people try to convince me to use drywall instead. But no. There will be no drywall in my apartment, especially not when I'm the one who will be installing it.

You should have drywall for the insulative and fire-proofing properties. Just put it up, fire tape it, and then use tongue and groove overtop.

I have been almost entirely avoiding the news. Do what you have to do to keep an even keel. Almost done the week!

13 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

 

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It's hard to leap into something new when you have something that is familiar, even if it's not a comfortable familiar. I think this is exactly what Steve's "20 seconds of courage" is designed for. Take a deep breath and do it! If it scares you a little, that's probably a good thing. You don't want to start a new career path that already bores you. I'm also leaning hard into the phrase "for the foreseeable future" because I tend to think that any decision I make I have to stick with forever, but circumstances change, and you can always change your mind. So if you submit an application to a job, you don't have to take it if they offer it. If you take a class in a new field, you don't have to commit to that being your career for the rest of your life. I am a huge sucker for the sunken cost fallacy, but exploring different options really isn't a waste of anything, even if you decide not to pursue it further.

 

Thank you! I'm not really stuck on the 'what should I do' part, TBH. It's more like 'what CAN I do which will permit the lifestyle I care about?'. It doesn't even need to be the 'one true alternative' right now, but I won't survive going in to a regular 9-5 gig.

I've spammed out my CV to a few random spots, if nothing else it'll give me a better idea of how competitive stuff is right now.

Now to go decide what to have for dinner. I've been living on frozen 'protein bowls' and smoothies for the last week, since I can't be bothered to deal with thinking about food right now.

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Feb 25 - The most effective way to do it, is to do it. - Amelia Earhart

I hate drywall with a fiery passion. I wish more people were willing to just put it up and panel over it, rather than worrying about mudding et al.