Originally posted on Facebook HERE
In general, I think I’m very appreciative and grateful for everything I have in life. I’m relatively healthy, I love my job, my wife and I don’t really ever want for anything, we have a great dog, an awesome house, friends, family, and all is well. So why do I still find myself at times just brutally looking at everything and not being happy with any of it? Fat, dumb and lazy days. Those days when you wake up with a less than stellar image of yourself. Yesterday started off that way for me. Nothing I was doing was good enough. Haven’t been working out enough, haven’t been getting enough done at work, looked back on the past week and only remembered all the “stupid” things I said and did. Frustrated with not being as good of a bass player as I think I should be. Just – one of those days. One thing for sure – I didn’t get much sleep the night before. Went to bed way too late. That can set up a day like that. Grogginess usually isn’t the best way to approach anything. So, what was one of the first things I did? Yoga. Saturdays I do a one hour yoga session with a personal instructor. It was never more important for me to keep that appointment as it was yesterday. I was what I would say “pretty upfront” with my instructor about where my head was at when I went in. And by the end? My mind was in a different place. I just needed to get moving to come back to the bright side again. I’m obsessive/compulsive – well documented here in prior posts. I have to be very careful not to let that negative mindset creep in. That’s what leads to behavior that will destroy everything. And for whatever reason – if I don’t set up positive obsessions – like “run every day”, “do yoga every day”, etc… my mind will default to the negative. The ego takes over. And there are warning signs… most notably days where you wake up feeling fat, dumb and lazy (or whatever the negative emotions are for you). I need to do something positive every day just to keep from sliding back. They say you’re either climbing or sliding in life. Stop and you start sliding, so in order to move forward you need positive things to latch onto every day. Sometimes it’s as easy as taking a walk, doing some yoga, going for a run, getting together with a friend or friends, playing music, painting, writing… or all of the above. Put space in every day for things that you love. Make a playlist of songs that make you feel good. Music can change emotions very quickly. Use that to your advantage. We all have days where we aren’t our favorite person. We aren’t here to berate ourselves, so find things to do that can pull you out of a funk – music, walks, scents, activities, people… and use these days to create a better, more positive tomorrow. Yesterday was a fantastic day for us and if I wasn’t writing about it today there was not much about how it started out that I’d even remember. I knew going in that yoga was going to be a good thing for me. And it was. Find your game changers and use them wisely. It’s a beautiful day today, and always – if you think it is.
