This week went a little better. Using the technique of taking 5 diaphragmatic breaths when faced with stress seemed to help a bit. The actual physical feeling of the stress was a trigger for me to stop, focus on the breath, and to recenter myself. It actually did relieve my physical pain from the stress for a short while. I also bought a new meditation video this week. Previously, I had been using the same tape to meditate. I think that my mind became too familiar with it, so it lost some its effectiveness. This new tape was great, and I seemed to focus on it more. I have also been trying, with juggling, to take a deep breath before I start. This does not make me juggle better, it allows me to be more relaxed when dropping a ball instead of getting frustrated.
So, I've managed my goal fairly well this week. I may not have met the twenty-minutes of rigorous activity every day, but at least five of the last days included twenty to thirty minutes of exercise... some brisk walks and Wii Zumba Party--which is awkward in my living room, but a definite work out. Hopefully this upcoming week, I can improve on that a bit... maybe each day, or longer on days where I can find more time.
It's been kind of hard, since I've also been trying to cut down on sugar and caffeine, which leaves me fairly drained of energy by the end of the day and more than willing to curl up and die in my bed. I've been working on not saving my exercise until the end of the school day, which is when I usually think I have time for it. Instead, I've been trying to work it in to my morning routine... also not all that easy. That seems to be the major issue:finding the proper time to exercise with the peak amount of energy.
So, with that out of the way, I feel here is the best place to discuss something else that I've noticed. I don't tend to utilize a lot of the Orlick tips and advice from class when it comes to my external activity... but, I've noticed especially the autogenic training, deep breathing, and focus and distraction control are aspects that I utilize in just trying to survive my day.
Last weekend especially I was going through a bought of really negative self-talk... sometimes I'm under the impression that I'm pretty fricking awesome, and this week it just wasn't going for me. This tends to get in the way of my interacting with people and my ability to properly get things done. I've been incorporating a lot of the techniques from class into helping me deal with that. It's not always easy to just tell myself to STOP and think differently, but the calming and focusing from the breathing definitely helps me towards getting on a good track of thought.
When I read for class, I have a tendency to just whip through page after page and not realize that I'm not actually getting any of the information. When I was studying for the H&S Exam, I actively controlled my breathing and kept telling myself to focus... it actually slowed me down and helped me to block out invading thoughts. The day of the exam, I told myself to relax all morning, and actively worked at not getting panicky or riled up... which I always do come test time. I felt really confident taking the exam; every time I had the invading "well, what if I didn't do this thoroughly enough..." I told myself not to worry about it.
I got the grade back this week and I did flippin' awesome. Perfect? No. Really well? Darn tootin'!
So, that's my really long story... Life is stressful, and I'm amazed at how much better I've been at handling it lately. Here's hoping it keeps up.
This week has been pretty good. I have been able to maintain my posture better when walking and standing much better than before. When standing, if I notice that I have shifted my weight to one foot or the other I will immediately correct myself and distribute weight evenly. When walking, I have been making sure to keep my head up because that encourages my back to straighten and for me to walk with good posture. When I'm sitting on the couch I have been putting a big, fluffy pillow behind my lower back in order to keep my back straight, since I have the tendency to slouch when I'm on the couch. Since I'm in my car a lot and I do a lot of driving, I have started to adjust my rear-view mirror slightly higher than normal. This forces me to sit up straight in the car because if I don't I am unable to see into the mirror. I also try to keep my hands in my lap when sitting in class because when my hands and elbows are on the desk in front of me, I tend to lean forward. These tricks have really helped me keep my posture up throughout the days.
This week has brought the continued challenge of the marathon taper. Its a good challenge, as I have the most difficulty with the "head stuff" when it comes to running. As I'm trying to understand this concept of tapering miles and trimming down the difficult workouts in order to recover for a long distance race, I'm faced with the usual doubt that slowing down will affect how I run on race day. what I find now is that I have too much time to think. Distraction is what Orlick would call it, negative thoughts rain down. So I have been doing a lot of self talk. When ever I am doing something physical, it might even be something as simple as carrying laundry up the stairs I tell myself I feel strong and this is easy with no effort at all. I had my last hard interval workout on Wednesday and it went really well. Not too long ago I would have put soo much pressure on myself to perform that I would virtually sabotage the workout. Things have improved from my effort of postive self talk, and simply telling myself to stop, whatever it is that I'm doing at a particular moment that is making my goal difficult to attain. At the beginning of that last hard workout, I had my doubts that I could accomplish it. Bad way to start a workout. Told myself to stop and just go. Then told myself I could stop at the first mile at that pace, but then told myself to stop again and just go. This went on for the entire workout till I was finished. Made it and I know the next time I have to do a similar workout, I'll be able to push harder. Till next week.
This week was a step in the right direction for me I think. I set concrete exercises for days of the week. And then I am marking on my calendar whether or not I did the exercise that day. So now I will be able to look over multiple days and weeks as a whole and see if I am getting better at being more committed to my work and more consistent with actually exercising. The small changes I made, like using the stairs, are still holding strong, and I am glad that I have added those in to my basic day.
For the upcoming weeks I am hoping to just stay committed to this new setup of exercising. It is set to be minimal on days when I am busy and bigger on days I am not. And I know I can make the time for what I have set out.
Now this, I am happy to report, was a very good week ☺ Though I’ve still been hacking about the house, it is now a clean apartment thanks a rekindled sense of initiative (and finally some energy to get off the couch and away from the vaporub). I’ve also been able to continue not only improving my diet, but balancing it as well, and even enjoying it! So I celebrated the small achievement with a delicious lobster dinner I got to plan and didn’t even have to cook! (Baby steps, after all...) Right before I got the USM plague last week, I did manage to stick to the exercise plan, though it did force me to skip a few days of absolutely anything...at..all... which was actually quite miserable. So to keep myself busy, I juggled – and I knooow we’re not supposed to mention juggling here, but I made couch time productive and made myself some custom (albeit unsightly) set of custom juggling “balls” to practice with, which are heavier and larger – aaand the experience also allowed me to practice envisioning success (i.e. prolonged juggling), and it WORKED! I realized I really hadn’t been seeing it in my mind (or atleast not believing it) whilst I was juggling or perhaps just hadn’t been focused enough to notice..? Truth be told, I really hadn’t completely embraced how much of an effect it could have on my psyche while juggling, but now I can truly say ‘I get it’ – sooo anyhow, as it was an enlightening experience, I figured it was worth mentioning, now back to the health stuff ;) Once I could move about and breathe at the same time, I returned to my stretching routine, and finally got back into the cardio swing of things by mid-week. Indeed, this week I noticed that, after the initial reaction I’ve grown accustomed to, it seemed my heart rate steadied more readily than before. I’ve also continued to enjoy the benefits of practicing diaphragmatic breathing at numerous intervals throughout each day and am able to maintain the condition for longer spans of time. Obviously there’s still a ways to go, but I feel like I’m finally gaining some ground. Over and out, folks ☺
This week progressed by pretty well. I have finally managed to make the time necessary to sit down and work on some additional exercises. In fact, I started the week out by reading ahead the assigned chapters and making notes as I went. Then when I found the time to work on the problematic exercises I had a much better understanding the material. Given this, I felt that I consolidated much more of the skill knowledge than would have otherwise been feasible. Succinctly, this week was a success in terms of both accomplishments towards the goal, and of time management and focus. Ideally, in the week to follow, I hope to be able to maintain such habits and stick to my tentative schedule.
I've been having trouble sticking to the goal I set for my self last week of writing in my journal every morning for 15 minutes. I guess I need to reevaluate this goal. My mornings seem to be so hectic, and I am decidedly not at my best at this time a day (I'm kind of miserable in the mornings). I've decided that trying to do the journal writing at night is a better idea. I'm not going to set a specific time, just going to try and do it after dinner at some point. I've realized something about myself during this process....I have a hard time committing to things, which is ironic because I chose commitment from the wheel of success. I really have good intentions, but when it comes to following through with things that I have told myself I want to do, I generally don't. This is sad because there are so many things that I want to learn in life to enrich myself; but if I can't even commit to 15 minutes of journal writing a day, then I will never be able to follow through with all of the other things I want to do.
This past week has been slow and unproductive. I have not been able to do much in the way of bola spinning or juggling as i am recovering from a sickness. Meditation did help to calm my muscles of the neck and chest which helped me breath easier. Today i juggled for the first time during the week and used the diaphragmatic breaths the same as for when my chest felt tight and i noticed a major difference in the placement and flow of my hands. This past distraction has helped me to reset my schedual and my body. I was spinning and juggling so much I habituated to the motions, and was noticing that the movements felt stale. After starting up again the movements were more detailed and precise with better speed and momentum control. I have better scheduled my training times so the movements don't seem stale or lackluster. Proper rest is important for proper progress.
One struggle I experienced this week was taking a very long nap to counter my sleep loss. I know that long naps are counterproductive and damage sleep rhythm. It interferes with the time one goes to sleep that day, wakes up the next day, and can continue to interfere in this way in subsequent days. I am aware that I cannot nap for longer than thirty minutes. I rarely take naps, however, so this should no longer be an issue hindering my goal. I have also been monitoring napping behavior in the records of my sleep schedule, so I have tangible form of discipline in a way. One thing that has helped me wake up in the mornings, by comparison, is to keep my phone/alarm clock away from the bedside. Therefore, I am unable to snooze the alarm. I am required to physically rise from bed, which makes it easier to wake up. Overall, I have experienced a constructive week of moving toward my goal.
I have been focusing much of my attention on my ability to achieve mindfulness, and how I see myself achieving that goal. Every time I talk about my goals in class, I feel like they’re unobtainable. I don’t know how to word how I feel about it. I have to say, after doing the exercises that we did in class last week, I’ve realized that I should put restrictions on what I think I can do. I need to look at what I want to accomplish on a much smaller scale. I’ve been looking at the worksheet that was passed out during class last week. I spent time going over it and setting more realistic goals. With my new goals I will be able to work my way up to where I want to be. I can do this because I’ve made a goal that is quantifiable. And if I don’t meet a goal for a day, then I can see that I need to show improvements. I’ve also changed my ultimate goal of: becoming excellent with a mindful mindset. To, becoming better at practicing mindfulness. My past goal was way to difficult to achieve. It was so difficult because, living a mindful life is a lifelong goal. And this goal takes a longtime to achieve. So I decided to focus more on spending a certain amount of time doing mindful activities each day. I’m happy with my new goals that I have set out for myself. I can now practice and hold myself to a routine and I can keep track of my progress more easily.
It has been a while since I posted on the blog instead of bringing in a written assignment. High tide is rolling in about now (9pm), so I'm thinking of going out and fishing on this cold Autumn night. As for the results... I achieved 2 of my short term goals this week. I went out fishing on Saturday, and once more on Monday. Saturday I got a couple of bites, but no results. Reason being the same as the first time I went out fishing earlier last week. If a cruise liner leaves port, there will be no bites for at least an hour. Furthermore I found out that I was going about fishing at the pier the hard way. To explain. I have been using shiny metal jigs that attract the fish, but at the same time using artificial lure with special coating as bait on the end of the jig. A jig is just a piece of metal that has enough shine on it to attract fish (in case you didn't know). The right answer came in the form of a bum... I was out this Monday, fishing with a bright orange jig that is shaped like a small fish, and shrimp on the hook to increase the appeal. A bum that was fishing on the end of the pier came up to me, and offered to sell his bucket of fish (that he caught) for 5 dollars. He had a sizable catch. I told him "No man, but I'll take a mackerel fillet off ya for bait for a buck." I knew I needed mackerel to catch mackerel, and I was having no luck in catching my own bait as of yet. He agreed. After seeing what I was fishing with, he said "Hold on a sec. You need some smaller hooks, and some split shot (small lead sinkers). Bout 3 split shot cause its windy. You gotta slice that mackerel into slits. Slits, ya hear ?" I was not going to argue with a man who caught far more fish than me, and has probably been at it for years longer than I can imagine. I did not however, have the right tackle. Surprisingly, the bum pulled out his tiny tackle box with some rusted hooks and old moldy split shot sinkers, and offered me one hook and 3 sinkers, expecting nothing in return. I gave him a cigarette for his kindmess, and attempted to fish the was prescribed to me. For roughly an hour I got only one bite. I was very impatient. Casting every 3-10 minutes or so, jumping from one side of the pier to the other. I was moving my bait too much, and had it too deep. Lastly I decided to mimic an old japanese guy who was sitting on the pier, pulling one mackerel after another. I sat down on my cooler, put the hook in the water, not too far away, and just focused on the end of the rod.
There have already been countless applications of psychology of optimal performance thus far, but here is where it gets straight sports psychology. I zoned out for about 15 minutes or so, fighting my impatience at not getting any bites, and sadly, no catch. After a little while I started to feel my hand extending into the rod. I could feel the exact pressure of the line as it sat in the water. I could feel the wind tugging on my line from the east. It was a very focused meditative state. I could feel my emotions going haywire with anticipation, self doubt, negative self talk, and disappointment at not getting anything so far. My shiny orange jig got stuck on something and I had to ditch it in the water while I was buying the bait from the bum. That thing cost me 7 bucks. Regardless, I thought, it wasn't important. I just need to focus, and re-commit myself.
Then came the bite. My heart rate rose sharply. But I took a long breath, and focused on the vibration. I could feel that it wasn't the right time. I waited for a split second that felt like eternity. Then I got up, jumped off my box, and pulled. I could feel the tension on my line, excited, I knew there was a living creature hooked on the other end. It fought and tried, flipping, twisting, turning, as I pulled it out of the water. It was my first mackerel.
I caught another only a few minutes later using the same technique. I let another fish eat my bait before that, by letting it play with it, taking my time, and not seizing the moment.
Essencial for fishing: Focus Focus Focus ! Mental Readiness is essencial for anticipating the challenges during the event. Patience and nerves of steel. A sharp sense of self awareness. Determination and commitment to achieve the goal of catching a fish. Good breathing. During the cast, while setting the line at depth, and during the bites. This will sound funny, but also, making yourself one with the line.
This week has gone pretty well for me. I've been trying an alternative to smoking, the little snus packets. Now I know they are just as terrible as cigarettes, but here is my reasoning: there is absolutely no goddamn way that I could ever become addicted to something like putting tobacco in my lip. Tried it when I lived in Texas. The texans can keep it. It's disgusting. Now if I don't have the option to smoke, and my only option for getting a nicotine fix is that, then I either do it and further disgust myself (with my own addiction), or I simply fight back the urge. Also, it's not nearly as convenient as smoking. It takes a lot longer, and you've gotta spit or else you puke. So there's my self-inflicted aversion therapy. I must say, it's going quite well. Just writing that grossed me out. As far as the drinking goes, (I know it wasn't my original thing I wanted to work on, but what the hell... A vice is a vice...I'll take on two at once...) this week wasn't that great. Had a couple buddies from the corps come up from Boston, and we threw down like it was still our job. After two all nighters, they gave me the I'm-too-old-for-this-shit excuse, and left. I was ready for two more. Not necessarily a good thing. I have no off switch. So for the next few days I just lay low and hung out with the lady. Amazing how much of a difference that makes. Surround yourself with old drinking buddies and it hits the fan... As soon as the lady comes around I am a perfect gentleman in complete control of my faculties. I want that self control even when she's not around....
This past week I've done fairly well with waking up and getting started with my day at a reasonable hour (still single digits on the hour)... except for today. Last night I got into this neurotic folding laundry zombie mode (AGAIN) and didn't stop until around 3:30am. I've been having a hard time sleeping recently anyways, but I still have been laying down with my eyes closed and trying to put myself into a sleep like state, which helps my mind and body get somewhat rejuvinated over the night, enabling me to wake up at a decent hour. When things like last night happen it throws off my entire day.. and then I get in a (not too terrible, but somewhat) bitchy mood.
Ok, back on point though, waking up early has been helping me get motivated and accomplish things throughout the day. I feel like I used my time well this week and am quite pleased with that! Yes, I could have done more, but its the little steps that get you to where you are ultimately going. At least right now I am on the right track ... if I can continue to progress this way I will absolutely reach my goal successfully.
Also, the journal is coming along nicely. It is definitely helping me remember things I need to get done, and helping me recognize things thaat I need to work on. I'm glad I decided to start it.
I had hoped to begin my exercise routine this Monday, but I got bogged down with two major exams. Thus, my sleep schedule is off due to studying late. I’m coming to realize that to succeed with this program I’ll have to change much of the way I schedule my work and study habits. I think this will actually be great for me. I am already beginning to feel more structure with school work and that is paying off with good grades.
Although I fell short of beginning on Monday, I have put quite a bit of time into learning how I’ll plan meals. I have received a few more pieces of equipment and have cleared out the room in my house that I’ll be using for the workout. I feel that I’ll be ready to begin after this weekend. I think the biggest challenge will be to prepare food each week. I know the exercise will be difficult, but I feel that I’ll be fine once I’ve gotten into a groove. I am planning to get my yearly physical with my doctor this coming week. This will help me see any changes in blood-work tests over the period of the program.
This week went a little better. Using the technique of taking 5 diaphragmatic breaths when faced with stress seemed to help a bit. The actual physical feeling of the stress was a trigger for me to stop, focus on the breath, and to recenter myself. It actually did relieve my physical pain from the stress for a short while. I also bought a new meditation video this week. Previously, I had been using the same tape to meditate. I think that my mind became too familiar with it, so it lost some its effectiveness. This new tape was great, and I seemed to focus on it more. I have also been trying, with juggling, to take a deep breath before I start. This does not make me juggle better, it allows me to be more relaxed when dropping a ball instead of getting frustrated.
ReplyDeleteSo, I've managed my goal fairly well this week. I may not have met the twenty-minutes of rigorous activity every day, but at least five of the last days included twenty to thirty minutes of exercise... some brisk walks and Wii Zumba Party--which is awkward in my living room, but a definite work out. Hopefully this upcoming week, I can improve on that a bit... maybe each day, or longer on days where I can find more time.
ReplyDeleteIt's been kind of hard, since I've also been trying to cut down on sugar and caffeine, which leaves me fairly drained of energy by the end of the day and more than willing to curl up and die in my bed. I've been working on not saving my exercise until the end of the school day, which is when I usually think I have time for it. Instead, I've been trying to work it in to my morning routine... also not all that easy. That seems to be the major issue:finding the proper time to exercise with the peak amount of energy.
So, with that out of the way, I feel here is the best place to discuss something else that I've noticed. I don't tend to utilize a lot of the Orlick tips and advice from class when it comes to my external activity... but, I've noticed especially the autogenic training, deep breathing, and focus and distraction control are aspects that I utilize in just trying to survive my day.
Last weekend especially I was going through a bought of really negative self-talk... sometimes I'm under the impression that I'm pretty fricking awesome, and this week it just wasn't going for me. This tends to get in the way of my interacting with people and my ability to properly get things done. I've been incorporating a lot of the techniques from class into helping me deal with that. It's not always easy to just tell myself to STOP and think differently, but the calming and focusing from the breathing definitely helps me towards getting on a good track of thought.
When I read for class, I have a tendency to just whip through page after page and not realize that I'm not actually getting any of the information. When I was studying for the H&S Exam, I actively controlled my breathing and kept telling myself to focus... it actually slowed me down and helped me to block out invading thoughts. The day of the exam, I told myself to relax all morning, and actively worked at not getting panicky or riled up... which I always do come test time. I felt really confident taking the exam; every time I had the invading "well, what if I didn't do this thoroughly enough..." I told myself not to worry about it.
I got the grade back this week and I did flippin' awesome. Perfect? No. Really well? Darn tootin'!
So, that's my really long story... Life is stressful, and I'm amazed at how much better I've been at handling it lately. Here's hoping it keeps up.
This week has been pretty good. I have been able to maintain my posture better when walking and standing much better than before. When standing, if I notice that I have shifted my weight to one foot or the other I will immediately correct myself and distribute weight evenly. When walking, I have been making sure to keep my head up because that encourages my back to straighten and for me to walk with good posture. When I'm sitting on the couch I have been putting a big, fluffy pillow behind my lower back in order to keep my back straight, since I have the tendency to slouch when I'm on the couch. Since I'm in my car a lot and I do a lot of driving, I have started to adjust my rear-view mirror slightly higher than normal. This forces me to sit up straight in the car because if I don't I am unable to see into the mirror. I also try to keep my hands in my lap when sitting in class because when my hands and elbows are on the desk in front of me, I tend to lean forward. These tricks have really helped me keep my posture up throughout the days.
ReplyDeleteThis week has brought the continued challenge of the marathon taper. Its a good challenge, as I have the most difficulty with the "head stuff" when it comes to running. As I'm trying to understand this concept of tapering miles and trimming down the difficult workouts in order to recover for a long distance race, I'm faced with the usual doubt that slowing down will affect how I run on race day. what I find now is that I have too much time to think. Distraction is what Orlick would call it, negative thoughts rain down. So I have been doing a lot of self talk. When ever I am doing something physical, it might even be something as simple as carrying laundry up the stairs I tell myself I feel strong and this is easy with no effort at all.
ReplyDeleteI had my last hard interval workout on Wednesday and it went really well. Not too long ago I would have put soo much pressure on myself to perform that I would virtually sabotage the workout. Things have improved from my effort of postive self talk, and simply telling myself to stop, whatever it is that I'm doing at a particular moment that is making my goal difficult to attain. At the beginning of that last hard workout, I had my doubts that I could accomplish it. Bad way to start a workout. Told myself to stop and just go. Then told myself I could stop at the first mile at that pace, but then told myself to stop again and just go. This went on for the entire workout till I was finished. Made it and I know the next time I have to do a similar workout, I'll be able to push harder.
Till next week.
This week was a step in the right direction for me I think. I set concrete exercises for days of the week. And then I am marking on my calendar whether or not I did the exercise that day. So now I will be able to look over multiple days and weeks as a whole and see if I am getting better at being more committed to my work and more consistent with actually exercising. The small changes I made, like using the stairs, are still holding strong, and I am glad that I have added those in to my basic day.
ReplyDeleteFor the upcoming weeks I am hoping to just stay committed to this new setup of exercising. It is set to be minimal on days when I am busy and bigger on days I am not. And I know I can make the time for what I have set out.
Now this, I am happy to report, was a very good week ☺ Though I’ve still been hacking about the house, it is now a clean apartment thanks a rekindled sense of initiative (and finally some energy to get off the couch and away from the vaporub). I’ve also been able to continue not only improving my diet, but balancing it as well, and even enjoying it! So I celebrated the small achievement with a delicious lobster dinner I got to plan and didn’t even have to cook! (Baby steps, after all...) Right before I got the USM plague last week, I did manage to stick to the exercise plan, though it did force me to skip a few days of absolutely anything...at..all... which was actually quite miserable. So to keep myself busy, I juggled – and I knooow we’re not supposed to mention juggling here, but I made couch time productive and made myself some custom (albeit unsightly) set of custom juggling “balls” to practice with, which are heavier and larger – aaand the experience also allowed me to practice envisioning success (i.e. prolonged juggling), and it WORKED! I realized I really hadn’t been seeing it in my mind (or atleast not believing it) whilst I was juggling or perhaps just hadn’t been focused enough to notice..? Truth be told, I really hadn’t completely embraced how much of an effect it could have on my psyche while juggling, but now I can truly say ‘I get it’ – sooo anyhow, as it was an enlightening experience, I figured it was worth mentioning, now back to the health stuff ;) Once I could move about and breathe at the same time, I returned to my stretching routine, and finally got back into the cardio swing of things by mid-week. Indeed, this week I noticed that, after the initial reaction I’ve grown accustomed to, it seemed my heart rate steadied more readily than before. I’ve also continued to enjoy the benefits of practicing diaphragmatic breathing at numerous intervals throughout each day and am able to maintain the condition for longer spans of time. Obviously there’s still a ways to go, but I feel like I’m finally gaining some ground. Over and out, folks ☺
ReplyDeleteThis week progressed by pretty well. I have finally managed to make the time necessary to sit down and work on some additional exercises. In fact, I started the week out by reading ahead the assigned chapters and making notes as I went. Then when I found the time to work on the problematic exercises I had a much better understanding the material. Given this, I felt that I consolidated much more of the skill knowledge than would have otherwise been feasible. Succinctly, this week was a success in terms of both accomplishments towards the goal, and of time management and focus. Ideally, in the week to follow, I hope to be able to maintain such habits and stick to my tentative schedule.
ReplyDeleteI've been having trouble sticking to the goal I set for my self last week of writing in my journal every morning for 15 minutes. I guess I need to reevaluate this goal. My mornings seem to be so hectic, and I am decidedly not at my best at this time a day (I'm kind of miserable in the mornings). I've decided that trying to do the journal writing at night is a better idea. I'm not going to set a specific time, just going to try and do it after dinner at some point. I've realized something about myself during this process....I have a hard time committing to things, which is ironic because I chose commitment from the wheel of success. I really have good intentions, but when it comes to following through with things that I have told myself I want to do, I generally don't. This is sad because there are so many things that I want to learn in life to enrich myself; but if I can't even commit to 15 minutes of journal writing a day, then I will never be able to follow through with all of the other things I want to do.
ReplyDeleteThis past week has been slow and unproductive. I have not been able to do much in the way of bola spinning or juggling as i am recovering from a sickness. Meditation did help to calm my muscles of the neck and chest which helped me breath easier. Today i juggled for the first time during the week and used the diaphragmatic breaths the same as for when my chest felt tight and i noticed a major difference in the placement and flow of my hands. This past distraction has helped me to reset my schedual and my body. I was spinning and juggling so much I habituated to the motions, and was noticing that the movements felt stale. After starting up again the movements were more detailed and precise with better speed and momentum control. I have better scheduled my training times so the movements don't seem stale or lackluster. Proper rest is important for proper progress.
ReplyDeleteOne struggle I experienced this week was taking a very long nap to counter my sleep loss. I know that long naps are counterproductive and damage sleep rhythm. It interferes with the time one goes to sleep that day, wakes up the next day, and can continue to interfere in this way in subsequent days. I am aware that I cannot nap for longer than thirty minutes. I rarely take naps, however, so this should no longer be an issue hindering my goal. I have also been monitoring napping behavior in the records of my sleep schedule, so I have tangible form of discipline in a way. One thing that has helped me wake up in the mornings, by comparison, is to keep my phone/alarm clock away from the bedside. Therefore, I am unable to snooze the alarm. I am required to physically rise from bed, which makes it easier to wake up. Overall, I have experienced a constructive week of moving toward my goal.
ReplyDeleteI have been focusing much of my attention on my ability to achieve mindfulness, and how I see myself achieving that goal. Every time I talk about my goals in class, I feel like they’re unobtainable. I don’t know how to word how I feel about it.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, after doing the exercises that we did in class last week, I’ve realized that I should put restrictions on what I think I can do. I need to look at what I want to accomplish on a much smaller scale. I’ve been looking at the worksheet that was passed out during class last week. I spent time going over it and setting more realistic goals. With my new goals I will be able to work my way up to where I want to be. I can do this because I’ve made a goal that is quantifiable. And if I don’t meet a goal for a day, then I can see that I need to show improvements. I’ve also changed my ultimate goal of: becoming excellent with a mindful mindset. To, becoming better at practicing mindfulness. My past goal was way to difficult to achieve. It was so difficult because, living a mindful life is a lifelong goal. And this goal takes a longtime to achieve. So I decided to focus more on spending a certain amount of time doing mindful activities each day. I’m happy with my new goals that I have set out for myself. I can now practice and hold myself to a routine and I can keep track of my progress more easily.
It has been a while since I posted on the blog instead of bringing in a written assignment. High tide is rolling in about now (9pm), so I'm thinking of going out and fishing on this cold Autumn night. As for the results... I achieved 2 of my short term goals this week. I went out fishing on Saturday, and once more on Monday. Saturday I got a couple of bites, but no results. Reason being the same as the first time I went out fishing earlier last week. If a cruise liner leaves port, there will be no bites for at least an hour. Furthermore I found out that I was going about fishing at the pier the hard way.
ReplyDeleteTo explain. I have been using shiny metal jigs that attract the fish, but at the same time using artificial lure with special coating as bait on the end of the jig. A jig is just a piece of metal that has enough shine on it to attract fish (in case you didn't know). The right answer came in the form of a bum...
I was out this Monday, fishing with a bright orange jig that is shaped like a small fish, and shrimp on the hook to increase the appeal. A bum that was fishing on the end of the pier came up to me, and offered to sell his bucket of fish (that he caught) for 5 dollars. He had a sizable catch. I told him "No man, but I'll take a mackerel fillet off ya for bait for a buck." I knew I needed mackerel to catch mackerel, and I was having no luck in catching my own bait as of yet. He agreed. After seeing what I was fishing with, he said "Hold on a sec. You need some smaller hooks, and some split shot (small lead sinkers). Bout 3 split shot cause its windy. You gotta slice that mackerel into slits. Slits, ya hear ?" I was not going to argue with a man who caught far more fish than me, and has probably been at it for years longer than I can imagine. I did not however, have the right tackle. Surprisingly, the bum pulled out his tiny tackle box with some rusted hooks and old moldy split shot sinkers, and offered me one hook and 3 sinkers, expecting nothing in return. I gave him a cigarette for his kindmess, and attempted to fish the was prescribed to me. For roughly an hour I got only one bite. I was very impatient. Casting every 3-10 minutes or so, jumping from one side of the pier to the other. I was moving my bait too much, and had it too deep. Lastly I decided to mimic an old japanese guy who was sitting on the pier, pulling one mackerel after another. I sat down on my cooler, put the hook in the water, not too far away, and just focused on the end of the rod.
PART 2 ~!!!~
ReplyDeleteThere have already been countless applications of psychology of optimal performance thus far, but here is where it gets straight sports psychology. I zoned out for about 15 minutes or so, fighting my impatience at not getting any bites, and sadly, no catch. After a little while I started to feel my hand extending into the rod. I could feel the exact pressure of the line as it sat in the water. I could feel the wind tugging on my line from the east. It was a very focused meditative state. I could feel my emotions going haywire with anticipation, self doubt, negative self talk, and disappointment at not getting anything so far. My shiny orange jig got stuck on something and I had to ditch it in the water while I was buying the bait from the bum. That thing cost me 7 bucks. Regardless, I thought, it wasn't important. I just need to focus, and re-commit myself.
Then came the bite. My heart rate rose sharply. But I took a long breath, and focused on the vibration. I could feel that it wasn't the right time. I waited for a split second that felt like eternity. Then I got up, jumped off my box, and pulled. I could feel the tension on my line, excited, I knew there was a living creature hooked on the other end. It fought and tried, flipping, twisting, turning, as I pulled it out of the water. It was my first mackerel.
I caught another only a few minutes later using the same technique. I let another fish eat my bait before that, by letting it play with it, taking my time, and not seizing the moment.
Essencial for fishing:
Focus Focus Focus !
Mental Readiness is essencial for anticipating the challenges during the event.
Patience and nerves of steel.
A sharp sense of self awareness.
Determination and commitment to achieve the goal of catching a fish.
Good breathing. During the cast, while setting the line at depth, and during the bites.
This will sound funny, but also, making yourself one with the line.
This week has gone pretty well for me. I've been trying an alternative to smoking, the little snus packets. Now I know they are just as terrible as cigarettes, but here is my reasoning: there is absolutely no goddamn way that I could ever become addicted to something like putting tobacco in my lip. Tried it when I lived in Texas. The texans can keep it. It's disgusting. Now if I don't have the option to smoke, and my only option for getting a nicotine fix is that, then I either do it and further disgust myself (with my own addiction), or I simply fight back the urge. Also, it's not nearly as convenient as smoking. It takes a lot longer, and you've gotta spit or else you puke. So there's my self-inflicted aversion therapy. I must say, it's going quite well. Just writing that grossed me out.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the drinking goes, (I know it wasn't my original thing I wanted to work on, but what the hell... A vice is a vice...I'll take on two at once...) this week wasn't that great. Had a couple buddies from the corps come up from Boston, and we threw down like it was still our job. After two all nighters, they gave me the I'm-too-old-for-this-shit excuse, and left. I was ready for two more. Not necessarily a good thing. I have no off switch. So for the next few days I just lay low and hung out with the lady. Amazing how much of a difference that makes. Surround yourself with old drinking buddies and it hits the fan... As soon as the lady comes around I am a perfect gentleman in complete control of my faculties. I want that self control even when she's not around....
This past week I've done fairly well with waking up and getting started with my day at a reasonable hour (still single digits on the hour)... except for today. Last night I got into this neurotic folding laundry zombie mode (AGAIN) and didn't stop until around 3:30am. I've been having a hard time sleeping recently anyways, but I still have been laying down with my eyes closed and trying to put myself into a sleep like state, which helps my mind and body get somewhat rejuvinated over the night, enabling me to wake up at a decent hour. When things like last night happen it throws off my entire day.. and then I get in a (not too terrible, but somewhat) bitchy mood.
ReplyDeleteOk, back on point though, waking up early has been helping me get motivated and accomplish things throughout the day. I feel like I used my time well this week and am quite pleased with that! Yes, I could have done more, but its the little steps that get you to where you are ultimately going. At least right now I am on the right track ... if I can continue to progress this way I will absolutely reach my goal successfully.
Also, the journal is coming along nicely. It is definitely helping me remember things I need to get done, and helping me recognize things thaat I need to work on. I'm glad I decided to start it.
I had hoped to begin my exercise routine this Monday, but I got bogged down with two major exams. Thus, my sleep schedule is off due to studying late. I’m coming to realize that to succeed with this program I’ll have to change much of the way I schedule my work and study habits. I think this will actually be great for me. I am already beginning to feel more structure with school work and that is paying off with good grades.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I fell short of beginning on Monday, I have put quite a bit of time into learning how I’ll plan meals. I have received a few more pieces of equipment and have cleared out the room in my house that I’ll be using for the workout. I feel that I’ll be ready to begin after this weekend. I think the biggest challenge will be to prepare food each week. I know the exercise will be difficult, but I feel that I’ll be fine once I’ve gotten into a groove. I am planning to get my yearly physical with my doctor this coming week. This will help me see any changes in blood-work tests over the period of the program.