Mindset maintenance

[Echoceanic]

Hey guys!

 

I... actually don't remember when I was here last. I think I only skipped out on one challenge?

 

But anyway, I'm back again.

 

With a simple goal.

 

See, I am a perfectionist. That is a character trait I mostly like about myself. But lately i have been falling back in my self critical mode again. Not a lot, but I did notice I say 'I haven't done much' every single time I think back about the past day/week/month, even if it's not true. A part of that is probably because most of my days are the exact same now. So that is not helping. So I am gonna make a challenge here to remind myself to:

 

1. Move. The stress of this pandemic (from sources I am pretty sure I haven't unpacked fully because I don't want to freak out too much, though that might help, I have no idea) and some stuff getting delayed - ugh - and I have been spending most of my time whether I'm working or not, in the same small square of my apartment. Move. Sit on the bed, in the living room, if you can't go outside. Do something else. This will be me pushing.
2. Remember the stuff you do do. I got my push up back. A week off doesn't invalidate the fact my 'two exercises a week' thing works out a lot better than I thought it would. I did a lot of work. Communicated. Found new stuff I like.
3. Look back and improve. Don't just think you need to fit your plan in one box.

[shaar]

HI FRIEND ❤️

 

I missed one or two too, can't remember Time is a Blur...

 

We got this!!

[doctorake]

Following!

[iatetheyeti]

Liking your mindset here. Following along

 

[Echoceanic]

On 8/1/2020 at 5:35 PM, loire said:

HI FRIEND ❤️

 

I missed one or two too, can't remember Time is a Blur...

 

We got this!!

 

Hi!

 

Yeah the months are melding together and I don't like it.

 

21 hours ago, doctorake said:

Following!

 

Hi!

 

18 hours ago, iatetheyeti said:

Liking your mindset here. Following along

 

I've been trying this new thing for the past few years where I don't hold myself to a ridiculous standard and take care of my mental state a lot more. It's still something I have to actively work to do but it's getting there.

[Echoceanic]

Update:

 

Well, I need to stop planning my dailies days ahead, because plans change and I feel like a failure. A lot boils down to 'I don't have a consistent wake up time and I have been going to bed later and later'. Can I blame the heat? I'll blame the heat.

[Mr_Willes]

 

2 hours ago, Echoceanic said:

Well, I need to stop planning my dailies days ahead, because plans change and I feel like a failure.

 

Maybe a tip, cause i did struggle with this a lot myself. But being a family man, my solution may not work for you. But maybe it will, so here goes. I just try to seize the moment. Every start of the day i try to "create" a moment throughout that day that i can dedicate to my challenge. Like a lost hour in front of the PC, update some NF. A free hour where the wife is with the kids, i'm gonna get a run in (try and stretching it to 2h, but that's not always possible). Some days i plan, everythings goes to shite. Well these days happen, and you know what, at least i tried. ANYTHING is better than just doing nothing, even a planned workout that you didn't do! You have got to keep momentum!

 

Hope this will help ya a bit. If you want i can check up a bit on ya to see how you are doing...

[Echoceanic]

1 hour ago, Mr_Willes said:

I just try to seize the moment. Every start of the day i try to "create" a moment throughout that day that i can dedicate to my challenge.

 

That a really good idea for busy people in general. With me, I tend to have incredibly fluctuating days due to the situation I am in, and my mindset tends to go in 'all or nothing mode'.  

 

1 hour ago, Mr_Willes said:

Well these days happen, and you know what, at least i tried. ANYTHING is better than just doing nothing,

 

And this is what I'm trying to internalise now.

 

Feel free to write again if you want. :)))

 

[Jupiter]

Glad you're back! Following!  

[Echoceanic]

5 hours ago, Jupiter said:

Glad you're back! Following!  

 

HI! Glad to see you too.

[Echoceanic]

Update:

 

The weather has turned on its head, and that means it is cooler now (so I can breathe) but geesh my head had decided I will now have an almost constant headache, and my stomach will complain at least once every day. Boooooo... 

[shaar]

1 hour ago, Echoceanic said:

Update:

 

The weather has turned on its head, and that means it is cooler now (so I can breathe) but geesh my head had decided I will now have an almost constant headache, and my stomach will complain at least once every day. Boooooo... 

 

We can never win, it's either hot and bullshit or cooler and our bodies are revolting against us... WHYYYY

[Echoceanic]

5 hours ago, loire said:

We can never win, it's either hot and bullshit or cooler and our bodies are revolting against us... WHYYYY

 

The weather changing on a dime always fucks me up far more than anything else in existence. It's consistent in a way none of my life will ever be, and I am annoyed about that

[Jupiter]

8 hours ago, Echoceanic said:

Update:

 

The weather has turned on its head, and that means it is cooler now (so I can breathe) but geesh my head had decided I will now have an almost constant headache, and my stomach will complain at least once every day. Boooooo... 

 

I'm sorry about the headache/stomachache, hope you feel better soon. 

[Echoceanic]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:32 PM, Jupiter said:

I'm sorry about the headache/stomachache, hope you feel better soon. 

 

Thanks. I'm better today, though I'm hoping I won't feel sick again when the heat wave gets here.

 

Update:

I am gonna be doing a new project - sewing. Doing it on my own (with running commentary from someone with more experience, but no help hopefully) too see if I can actually complete a project from beginning to end for once. Kinda exciting. 

So that was today. Because I have been doing stuff, now i feel a bit better and a lot more eager to do more, so I might finish all of the stuff I need (it's three things, and maybe exercise).

[Jupiter]

3 hours ago, Echoceanic said:

Update:

I am gonna be doing a new project - sewing. Doing it on my own (with running commentary from someone with more experience, but no help hopefully) too see if I can actually complete a project from beginning to end for once. Kinda exciting. 

So that was today. Because I have been doing stuff, now i feel a bit better and a lot more eager to do more, so I might finish all of the stuff I need (it's three things, and maybe exercise).

 

Nice, you'll have to show us your progress.  

[Echoceanic]

15 hours ago, Jupiter said:

Nice, you'll have to show us your progress.  

 

I'll update, though I might not remember to take photos - didn't yesterday when I copied the pattern on a blank piece of paper and cut if out. 

[Mr_Willes]

We needs you back here, i told you i would check in, and than i had vacation and NF got sidelined, but i'm back now, please come back too...

 

[Echoceanic]

On 8/26/2020 at 12:17 PM, Mr_Willes said:

We needs you back here, i told you i would check in, and than i had vacation and NF got sidelined, but i'm back now, please come back too...

 

 

So yeah. I vanished for a while there. I didn't have much to say and I kept postponing posting here and whoops, it's almost the last week.

 

But I do have something to post now.

 

So, I am in a good place mentally. I have my ups and downs like any person, but the downs don't involve me slamming head first into a pit of despair anymore. My base emotions when it comes to my life have gone up from ambivalence to cautious optimism, which is a great thing.

So, it means my issue with starting things is not as directly correlated to my mood as I thought.

See, I do a lot. I have a lot to accomplish. That is really nothing new or amazing, and from what I can see, pretty standard for people here.

For me it's easy to stay in motion once I start a thing - I am capable of spending a few hours on a thing, and have to consciously stop myself from, for example, trying to edit an entire book in a day. But starting? That is really really hard.

And I'm talking about starting anything that is not a habit (it is easier to get up and do the dishes before bed because it's at a set time and it's a daily thing). But getting up once I am awake, opening a file and writing, grabbing anything to finish is really really hard. The energy I have to implement to push to start something is far more than what I think is normal. 

Part of this might be habit, because I spent a lot of time pushing through to get anything done so now that I don't encounter the same resistance my mind might be confused, part might be because I am frustrated with the lack of progress on some things, but yeah. I am still looking for a solution to this.

[Echoceanic]

On 8/10/2020 at 10:15 PM, Jupiter said:

Nice, you'll have to show us your progress.  

 

Oh and the pattern is cut and I am at the stage where you put the pieces together by hand and try it on (if you need to change something, removing thread you sewed by hand is far easier than removing ti if you sewed it on a machine). I think the front piece will need to be taken in a little but everything else should be fine. I might finish it today, and if I remember I will take photo.

 

Edit: here it is!

Spoiler

 

[Jupiter]

6 hours ago, Echoceanic said:

 

Oh and the pattern is cut and I am at the stage where you put the pieces together by hand and try it on (if you need to change something, removing thread you sewed by hand is far easier than removing ti if you sewed it on a machine). I think the front piece will need to be taken in a little but everything else should be fine. I might finish it today, and if I remember I will take photo.

 

Edit: here it is!

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Very nice!  

[Jupiter]

7 hours ago, Echoceanic said:

But starting? That is really really hard.

 

I totally get this. It's so hard to just get started sometimes. Hope you're able to figure out a solution soon. 

[Echoceanic]

1 hour ago, Jupiter said:

I totally get this. It's so hard to just get started sometimes. Hope you're able to figure out a solution soon. 

 

And it doesn't even feel like a motivation issue at times. It's weirdly fluctuating for no reason. I need to find out why first, and then figure out tips and tricks.

[Echoceanic]

Well, this challenge was quiet.

I spent it mostly oscillating between 'i don't do anything' and 'my productivity does not define my worth, and maybe if I gave myself some slack it would be easier to do things because there would be less stress'. But in the end, I like that I caught myself sliding back in that hole.

 

I think I need to learn to have fun again, and enjoy while I'm working, and not just see my day as a to-do list.