How is life working out for you right now?
Are you stuck in a living situation at the moment which within reason is difficult to change?
So for me it is a case of my 94 year old dad has been living with me for over 2 years. I love him unconditionally but living with a parent who also needs care and attention can limit your life.
For you, it may be you are a parent and you cannot move from your home because your child goes to school nearby or everything is just too expensive right now.
You might have just left education and you are having to stay living with your parents. You desperately want to get your own place but, right now, it seems impossible.
There are so many of us, especially enhanced by the COVID lockdown era, who feel trapped.
Worst still, that feeling of being trapped can start to impact on your health.
In my case my triglyceride levels have spiked. Even though I felt I have been managing, and I have, subconsiously my body needs a break.
And that is the key word: "BREAK" "HOLIDAY" "REST" ----- "CHANGE!"
Change starts now...
In getting my blood test results and realising I need to change or I could die early, I realised that "change" had to happen and with immediate effect.
Looking up what will help reduce my triglyceride levels I was reminded about the obvious. I must exercise and eat well etc.
The interesting thing is (hey I write this self improvement blog) I was aware of managing stress, I knew that I needed to exercise... so what has gone wrong? And most importantly, what can this moment teach others about feeling great in their existing surroundings.
What has gone wrong is I have become complacent. I do exercise but after examining how I was excercising I was cutting corners.
For example, I have been walking my dog for years. However I realised that I never get a sweat up when walking. I leisurely walk, looking at the views and throwing a toy and just trying to chill. I was not walking fast.
For 3 days in a row now, I have been parking in the same spot but instead of wandering aimlessly I have been striding quickly to a destination I know will take me a good 30 minutes walk there and back to the car. In doing this I have unlocked the dopamine in my brain and boosted my body and mind in ways I had forgotten. I feel like Popeye having eaten a can of spinach.
This experience has opened my eyes to the obvious fact. Even if you are living in a situation that is hard to change, you can change how you do the same things facing you each day:
You can change how you vaccum the floor. Instead of just blindly vaccuming. Invent some stretching exerices which will tone your body. That way whilst your place is getting cleaner you are getting leaner (See what I did there).
You can change how you watch TV. Do you watch too much TV? How about listening to an audiobook instead which will teach you something which could help get you out of the situation you are in, or how to cope with it. Or maybe listen to fiction, a biography, anything that changes your chemistry from sitting in the same place watching a programme. Or do yoga whilst watching TV, do weights.... the point is to change something about the things you do.
You can change how you make your bed. If you are fed up with having to make your bed each day, and washing a duvet and then trying to put the darn thing back into the cover, why not rethink things, just get a big sleeping bag which you can wash. No cover, easy to lay on a bed and look tidy.
You get it!
I think you get it.But so you don't get complacent and forget this path, here is a game you can start your day with.
Ask whomever lives with you, each breakfast, "How can we change and improve what we will do today, so we feel better for that change?".
It is a powerful question. And it is a question that has led some people to invent things that improve our lives. Look at how Spanx was invented, for example.
SPANX founder Sara Blakely was getting ready for a party when she realized she didn’t have the right undergarment to provide a smooth look under white pants. Armed with scissors and sheer genius, she cut the feet off her control top pantyhose and the SPANX revolution began!
Seriously, this is not just a blog path you read and think that was nice. This is a path that is telling you something that WILL (IN CAPITALS) improve your current situation.
So I challenge you. Change and improve each little thing you do today. Start now. Could you hold your mobile differently whilst reading this path, perhaps buy a more comfortable cover? Could you adjust your seating position to help your posture?
See how better not doing he same things makes you feel and leads to improvement. I am excited for you. Get changing...
IMAGE
Christian Jacques Bennett
Please comment below on what you think about this path...
IMAGE
Tags:
Alternative Living
Blog
Fun & Happiness
Mental Health
Psychology & Mindset
Q&As
Self Improvement
Tips & Advice
