Anyway. The challenge. So far I've been doing it very informally - basically, just following the one key thing: putting how I live ahead of what I get done, no easy task in my hectic life, where the to do list is constant and demanding. But already I'm seeing big differences, because I'm not repeatedly pushing my little engine into the red zone.
I now start the day thinking about what would make me feel relaxed and energized in my day instead of mentally cataloging my to-do list. You could say it's a matter of focus. I still have to get the same things done. But my approach is different. I pay more attention to when I'm pushing myself over my stress threshold, and attend to it immediately. Things that nourish me are taking priority, so I'm on a much more even keel. And I'm still managing to get things done, because they seem to take less effort. Intense, demanding deadlines still have the ability to throw me (see my last post!) but my recovery was much faster and more fun.
On the challenge itself, so far the only changes I've made are :
- Switching from lattes to green tea
- Getting to the gym 2-3 times / week
- Getting outside to soak up nature for walks, skiing, anything 2-3 times / week
Surprisingly, even doing this little bit has made a huge difference. I think because it boils down to two things: Getting outside and being aware of my body moving. No one really talks about it like this, but I think getting outside is the primary way we're programmed to renew our energy and reset ourselves. There's a lot of talk about getting exercise, but I suspect that's not the key piece. I suspect the key piece is in just being exposed to the wind, the sun, earth, water, sky. Doing them both at the same time is even better. As for the green tea? I do better without milk, that's for sure, but the biggest benefit might be that it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.
One reason I've been able to do this even under the gun is that I was already prepared to go: In months (or years!) past, I'd already gotten a gym bag organized with everything I need in it, so that wasn't a step I had to deal with. I'd set up a membership and gone to the gym enough with this system that it felt natural. I'd already purchased green tea and had a strainer for it. I'd just never used it. So the startup energy to make these changes had already been expended.
The number one thing I've learned when it comes to making changes is that you have to monitor how stressful is the act of making the changes. Stress created by the change itself is the ultimate derailer. This can be as simple as the self-imposed pressure to do: get to the gym, cut back on sweets, it doesn't matter. Our minds, by nature, resist what creates stress. Taking the stess-type pressure off is critical. So starting with things I already had in place, that no longer felt foreign, was key.
So there's 2 things at play here: 1, doing the challenge and 2, more important, doing it not as a checklist, but with a whole new approach. Because it's the approach, this thing I've dubbed the art of falling backwards, that will make the real difference. And really, I've taken years to assemble myself for this...this experiment is where I put all the pieces together, and my hypothesis is that it just may change my life, for the way, way, way better. The carrot is that I don't know at this point exactly how it will be different, just that it will be good.
But I know this. Getting the same (or darn close) amount of work done, I've had way more quality time with my son, had way more enjoyable moments during the day, there's less tension around tension-causing things with my husband, and I've had a better attitude at my restaurant job. I may be taking a while to get this blog off the ground, but it's been 17 well spent days so far.
