hi!
I wrote this entry almost a month ago, but didn't have anywhere to put it. Which helps explain why I'm back on LJ. Hi, LJ!
-----
My 35th birthday was earlier this month, but I still want to stop and celebrate having been 34. 2012 in general was a great year for my mental health and outlook on life, and the first year in a while that I wasn’t relieved to see the back of. August 2012 was the beginning of a true personal renaissance. True enough that I’m willing to call it a “renaissance” no matter how embarrassed it makes me feel.
I got serious about using psychology and technology to motivate and organize myself, and my life became fuller and yet less stressful. I got serious about quantified selfing and started gathering tons of data. I got five times as serious about getting shit done at work, and had my most productive year in a very long time. I also began tracking my time and keeping a journal, which means that I can look back and actually have some idea where all the time went.
In November, I decided that I wanted to tackle a bunch of long-delayed errands and obligations and vague aspirations. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I accomplished 22 challenges, some of which had been hanging over my head for years. I’m now on round 3 of challenges and have moved on to things that I _want_ to do, as opposed to ones I’m just relieved to have out of the way.
In March I started an ambitious, ongoing dietary change experiment. Eating paleo hasn’t drastically improved my health - in fact, it’s pretty weird how small the change has been. But it’s taught me a lot about my ability to confront anxieties and behave more flexibly. I have lots more experiments I want to run, and I’m absolutely delighted to be in a place where I’m actively experimenting instead of always wondering, but never getting up the will to actually find out.
In April I decided to try to tackle my joint problems again. I went through another round of physical therapy, following my therapist’s instructions with unprecedented fidelity. Her regimen of core strengthening did absolutely nothing for my hips and knees (though it did make my abs look better). In June I had a few sessions with a deep tissue massage practitioner, and since then I’ve had almost no pain during daily activities, and I can run almost 3 miles! I don’t think the improvement is permanent, but this is the most progress I’ve made ever since these damn problems started. It’s not inconceivable that I’ll be able to fulfill my vow to run Bay to Breakers next year.
In June I went to the positive psychology conference, and it’s the first time in several years I’ve gone to a conference that was inspiring, instead of just making me feel like a loser.
So here I am! I’ve missed blogging all these years, but I think for a while my daily life was pretty depressing. Now it’s something I feel like talking about.
-----
My 35th birthday was earlier this month, but I still want to stop and celebrate having been 34. 2012 in general was a great year for my mental health and outlook on life, and the first year in a while that I wasn’t relieved to see the back of. August 2012 was the beginning of a true personal renaissance. True enough that I’m willing to call it a “renaissance” no matter how embarrassed it makes me feel.
I got serious about using psychology and technology to motivate and organize myself, and my life became fuller and yet less stressful. I got serious about quantified selfing and started gathering tons of data. I got five times as serious about getting shit done at work, and had my most productive year in a very long time. I also began tracking my time and keeping a journal, which means that I can look back and actually have some idea where all the time went.
In November, I decided that I wanted to tackle a bunch of long-delayed errands and obligations and vague aspirations. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I accomplished 22 challenges, some of which had been hanging over my head for years. I’m now on round 3 of challenges and have moved on to things that I _want_ to do, as opposed to ones I’m just relieved to have out of the way.
In March I started an ambitious, ongoing dietary change experiment. Eating paleo hasn’t drastically improved my health - in fact, it’s pretty weird how small the change has been. But it’s taught me a lot about my ability to confront anxieties and behave more flexibly. I have lots more experiments I want to run, and I’m absolutely delighted to be in a place where I’m actively experimenting instead of always wondering, but never getting up the will to actually find out.
In April I decided to try to tackle my joint problems again. I went through another round of physical therapy, following my therapist’s instructions with unprecedented fidelity. Her regimen of core strengthening did absolutely nothing for my hips and knees (though it did make my abs look better). In June I had a few sessions with a deep tissue massage practitioner, and since then I’ve had almost no pain during daily activities, and I can run almost 3 miles! I don’t think the improvement is permanent, but this is the most progress I’ve made ever since these damn problems started. It’s not inconceivable that I’ll be able to fulfill my vow to run Bay to Breakers next year.
In June I went to the positive psychology conference, and it’s the first time in several years I’ve gone to a conference that was inspiring, instead of just making me feel like a loser.
So here I am! I’ve missed blogging all these years, but I think for a while my daily life was pretty depressing. Now it’s something I feel like talking about.