Yeah, I know what you are thinking. You can't account for the unexpected. That is why it is "unexpected." There is no way that I could have known I was going to be sick Monday. I couldn't have known that work was going to be crazy this week. Or, that I would leave so exhausted that all I would want to do in the evening is stare mindlessly at the TV and not do my stretchy band exercises. No one told me things would crop up every time I was sat down to get my goals back in order. Or that my six year old would have trouble sleeping the last few nights. And, there is no way I could have accounted for the zombie apocalypse... OK, well, that didn't happen, but it would have been unexpected.
Basically, I set goals last Saturday, but I didn't have a plan to complete them and...
So when they unexpected started cropping up this week, I fell apart. I didn't have a plan of "how" I was going to complete the goals when I made them, just a vague idea of what I needed to do. When things didn't happen the way they were supposed to, I just kind of gave up.
I was actually feeling pretty down about it yesterday. I felt like I just needed to write off the whole week as a failure and start fresh next week and in the meantime, why not go finish off that bag of Doritos.
Have I mentioned I am an emotional eater? Eating is my solution to pretty much any emotion, especially when it's a negative emotion. As I sat at my computer contemplating what I could eat to make myself feel better, I realized I was being ridiculous. There were lots of other ways to deal with emotions other than eating and, if I started emotionally eating, there was no way I was going to achieve me goals. So, what other ways did I have to deal with emotions?... sadly, I really had to think about that.
Here's the list that I came up with:
1. Exercise - get out and move! Hard to do at work.
2. Yoga - it's stretchy and mindful and helps you redirect emotions. Can also be difficult at work though and work is where I deal with a lot of my stress.
3. Retail therapy - Not a path I wanted to start down.
4. Journaling - Now this had potential. I do love to write. And anymore, this can be done on the computer. I don't even have to carry a book with me!
I do my best thinking when I am journaling. It gives me a chance to talk myself through problems and make plans for the future. I needed something that no one would read though (what happens in my journal, stays in my journal) and I wanted to have access to it no matter what computer I am in front of. A quick google search solved my problem. There's so many options for secure on-line journals. (A couple of my favorites are 750-words and Penzu. I use a journal at LDS.org because I already had an account set up.) A couple clicks and I was off an running.
After a little bit of whining and venting, I started to talk and form plans. I looked at the goals I had set and figured out how I could actually accomplish them by the end of the week. It didn't take very long for me to be back on track. Maybe 15 minutes of writing, and I felt more in control of my life, excited about the rest of the week, and not wanting to eat my weight in donuts.
Disclaimer: Journaling once did not solve all my problems. Doubts frequently creep in and stress IS the glue that holds me together. I love that my journal now follows me from computer to computer though. A few minutes of writing and I am back on track. I can even do entries on my cellphone.
Today's Motivation:
Realizing that I don't have to give up because of the unexpected was a huge motivator the last few days. I just needed to take time and rework my plans. My goals are still there, waiting for me to catch up.
Good job!
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