Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - 30-day first-aid trial of food and fun

smallstar · 11-12-2006, 05:54 PM

Cheers,

I'm going to start a new 30-day trial, effective immediately. I'm in a situation where I need to a quick solution:

I lost my job two months ago, and immediately did what I usually do in such situations: got depressed. Despite my practically non-existent efforts, I got a new job after three weeks. The new job is more interesting, has better salary and benefits, but lacks a similar lively social environment. Unfortunately, for the entire month, I have been suffering from a common cold which has disrupted my work, and I'm afraid that I'll get fired if I can't get myself together soon.

Some relevant facts:
* I am a computer person, and can be considered a 'nerd' into some extent.
* I have always 'calculated my value' from my capabilities, actions, skills or property rather than my emotions or well-being. The same applies to other people (with less extent, however). My hobbies also have a habit of becoming compulsions, where action begins to count more than doing. I have identified this as my current main problem.
* I currently eat too little, and no breakfast. I have almost nonexistent appetite when I am alone, even if I like food and eat normally when in company. I don't want to go to a restaurant for 20€ when alone, even if I will gladly do so in company.
* I lost about 50% of my social contacts when losing my job (none of which can be replaced at the new job), and am currently excluded from about 10% of the rest as I'm currently unable to continue my sports hobby as long as I'm still in a half-sick condition. My fianceé lives out of town, we meet in weekends only, and usually we don't spend our time meeting new people or trying new hobbies.

Needed actions:
* Food. Eating breakfast (this will be hard.) Spending 15-30 minutes each day to cook dinner for myself instead of buying something from the shop (I can cook). Daring to go to the restaurant alone on dinner time.
* Fun. Trying a new hobby every day. Anything I have not done during the past one year counts. Movies, TV, books, computer-related stuff, or new RPG systems do not count. Going out for a coffee/etc. with entirely new people, or with people I have not met during the one year, counts.
* Relaxation. Spending 30 minutes a day relaxing, visualizing, etc. enjoying of something when not actively doing anything or even thinking of actively doing something (this would be good for the general health, but is actually very hard for me).

Decided actions:
These actions are way too many. I'll only trip on my own feet if I'll try all of them. Currently I'm thinking of the breakfast (at least a cup of cereals and a loaf of bread every morning, this also involves setting the alarm clock at 6.45 instead of 7.00), and the new hobby a day thing. I will allow one failure each 5 days without feeling bad about it and/or interrupting the program, so this means 24 breakfasts and 24 new hobbies during the 30 days.

Am I trying the wrong things, too little or too much? Please comment soon, so that I could benefit and probably adjust the program, as I intend to start ASAP (actually, the first day to be tomorrow, Mon Nov 13.) Thank you in advance, and I'll post the details for anyone interested.

--SS (Mood meter: -3 in scale of -5 to 5)

11-12-2006, 05:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
smallstar Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 146	30-day first-aid trial of food and fun Cheers, I'm going to start a new 30-day trial, effective immediately. I'm in a situation where I need to a quick solution: I lost my job two months ago, and immediately did what I usually do in such situations: got depressed. Despite my practically non-existent efforts, I got a new job after three weeks. The new job is more interesting, has better salary and benefits, but lacks a similar lively social environment. Unfortunately, for the entire month, I have been suffering from a common cold which has disrupted my work, and I'm afraid that I'll get fired if I can't get myself together soon. Some relevant facts: * I am a computer person, and can be considered a 'nerd' into some extent. * I have always 'calculated my value' from my capabilities, actions, skills or property rather than my emotions or well-being. The same applies to other people (with less extent, however). My hobbies also have a habit of becoming compulsions, where action begins to count more than doing. I have identified this as my current main problem. * I currently eat too little, and no breakfast. I have almost nonexistent appetite when I am alone, even if I like food and eat normally when in company. I don't want to go to a restaurant for 20€ when alone, even if I will gladly do so in company. * I lost about 50% of my social contacts when losing my job (none of which can be replaced at the new job), and am currently excluded from about 10% of the rest as I'm currently unable to continue my sports hobby as long as I'm still in a half-sick condition. My fianceé lives out of town, we meet in weekends only, and usually we don't spend our time meeting new people or trying new hobbies. Needed actions: * Food. Eating breakfast (this will be hard.) Spending 15-30 minutes each day to cook dinner for myself instead of buying something from the shop (I can cook). Daring to go to the restaurant alone on dinner time. * Fun. Trying a new hobby every day. Anything I have not done during the past one year counts. Movies, TV, books, computer-related stuff, or new RPG systems do not count. Going out for a coffee/etc. with entirely new people, or with people I have not met during the one year, counts. * Relaxation. Spending 30 minutes a day relaxing, visualizing, etc. enjoying of something when not actively doing anything or even thinking of actively doing something (this would be good for the general health, but is actually very hard for me). Decided actions: These actions are way too many. I'll only trip on my own feet if I'll try all of them. Currently I'm thinking of the breakfast (at least a cup of cereals and a loaf of bread every morning, this also involves setting the alarm clock at 6.45 instead of 7.00), and the new hobby a day thing. I will allow one failure each 5 days without feeling bad about it and/or interrupting the program, so this means 24 breakfasts and 24 new hobbies during the 30 days. Am I trying the wrong things, too little or too much? Please comment soon, so that I could benefit and probably adjust the program, as I intend to start ASAP (actually, the first day to be tomorrow, Mon Nov 13.) Thank you in advance, and I'll post the details for anyone interested. --SS (Mood meter: -3 in scale of -5 to 5)