It has been a challenge fitting in the new routine again since the great week of illness and gastro. Most of the family have come down with a bad cold that is lingering this week also. Money is not where we were expecting it to be and we've been looking with alarm at our budget for next year. This past week I would have to say I've reverted almost wholly to the way I was before Bruce Springsteen. Which, by comparison to the interim period, isn't a great place, and certainly not where I want to be.
A chat this week with my concert going friend revealed that she was also losing the effect of the excitement, she's been sick too, so who knows whether it's a post-concert high wearing off or it's just about how unwell we're feeling. Regardless, between us we came up with the solution.
Get back to the basics. What made me so happy in the first place? What was I doing when I was happy? How was I thinking about things, and what things was I thinking about?
The strategy I've used for the past couple of days has four elements. Bruce, Blogging, Gratitude and Exercise. Between those three things at the forefront, other factors such as being solutions focused, improving my eating habits and sleeping seem to be falling into place as a natural consequence.
Gratitude and Exercise are known to improve life expectancy and quality. I'd love to see links you come up with about this research, but in the meantime, here is my perspective.
Gratitude
"Being grateful is also associated with improved immune system function, fewer aches and pains, and lower blood pressure"
Wise words to listen to for someone with an autoimmune disease, arthritis and high blood pressure!!!!
Although it seems like such an insignificant thing, being grateful appears to have an uplifting and soothing affect. Simply finding one thing to be glad about this morning seemed to be the salve that calmed my entire day. The more gratitude, the more excitingly happy I was. I remember when I was at the dizzy peak of my happiness post-Springsteen and I found joy in every part of the day. I was positively buzzing with gratefulness. Being thankful seems to be the first step to being very happy indeed.
Plus I think it turns around a bad attitude! I found this link about how to develop an attitude of gratitude.
I know that today I've been calmer and less bad-tempered since being sent a text first thing this morning with my friend's list of gratefulness, and replying to her with mine. I only had one thing to begin with, I sent her this "I'm grateful that hubby has taken the time to get the boy off to school today"
The rest of my day was calm.
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