I stole this tip from Steal Like an Artist! The idea is that we spend way too much time on our computers and not enough time using all our senses–besides sight and hearing, there’s taste, smell, and touch.
So, for today, do something with your hands! Here are some ideas:
Easy:
- Use your hands in the kitchen–wash dishes or prepare food by hand
- Write something using pen and paper (bonus if you doodle!)
- Sort through your coins to see if there are any minted in a year that’s meaningful to you
Moderate:
- Mend something. That’s right–find something around your home, in the car, or a piece of clothing that needs repair and use your hands to fix it! Sew a button, change your windshield wipers, air up your tires, tighten a loose screw–anything that you can diagnose and fix yourself!
Ambitious:
- Plan a do-it-yourself project–build, paint, plaster, tile, etc. Lots of inspiration online–younghouselove.com has many, many DIY projects with detailed steps and lots of pics! Want to plant a container garden? Click here! Want to stain a concrete floor? Click here! But don’t get lost on the internet–remember, the idea is to Use Your Hands!
I’m writing this post a week after Daylight Savings ended (that means “Fall back,” or “It now gets dark at 6:00 pm”), and I am acutely aware of how sunlight, or lack thereof, affects mood, sleep patterns, and energy level, not to mention Vitamin D which is apparently epidemically low in the general population these days.
Whatever time of year you’re reading this Daily Shoring tip, make a note of your exposure to sunlight and whether you need to make adjustments. Are you getting at least 10 minutes of direct sunlight a day? Also, cue yourself (Improve Your Memory, Part 2) to reexamine your patterns as the seasons change and make the appropriate adjustments. For example, once Daylight Savings ends, you may need to get outside during lunchtime to get a few minutes of sunlight. Check with your doctor about how to balance the need for sunscreen and skin exposure to sunlight for Vitamin D. Here are some interesting links:
What’s a “filler task?” Something you do, or think about, when you feel yourself spiraling down.
Remember the Daily Shoring tip to Stop Worrying? And the suggestion that you have something else to focus on when you start to worry? Well, today is the day to refine that concept. Let’s break it down:
Filler Task Alternative Thoughts:
Psychologists call these “alternative thoughts” because you train yourself to use these thoughts to replace unproductive anxious and distressing thoughts.
Hopefully, you’ve been working on this since reading the Stop Worrying tip. Your alternative thought(s) are ideally things you can focus on any time, such as when driving, as these “down times” are often the times thoughts start going in the wrong direction. Here are some ideas:
- Plan a trip or outing
- Think about birthday or holiday plans
- Imagine and start planning a creative project–artwork, home improvement, cooking, baking, woodworking, etc.
- Call a friend (okay, not while driving, but reaching out is especially good if you’re going through a difficult time)
- Read, or if that’s not convenient, listen to an audible book (if you have a smart phone, you can download books easily via audible.com–a great distraction, especially when driving!)
- Listen to music (if this distracts, but not anything that will stir up sad emotions or memories)
Filler Task Activities: Activities are for the times you’re feeling antsy or depressed and need to do something but you can’t think of what or are totally unmotivated.
Come up with some ideas now, because when you’re not in a great state of mind you will never think, “Oh, that sounds like a great idea!” You need to have things to do on your list that you know will, at a minimum, distract you, and maybe even make you feel better. Even if you don’t feel like doing anything, try to do something anyway. What to do? Have I mentioned that it’s good for your mind to move your body? :) Here are some suggestions.
If during these activities you find that your mind still wanders back to distressing thoughts, then combine the filler task activity with an alternative thought.
- Go for a walk
- Exercise, of any kind–again, even a few minutes of jumping jacks or stretching will really help
- Play with a pet
- Take yourself out for coffee or a meal, even if it’s just to be around other people
- Go to a bookstore, or a music store if you can find one!
- Yard work, wash the car, clean a few windows, household chores, clean out a drawer (okay, admittedly not fun, but gets you moving and you’ll feel good about accomplishing something). You may find it helpful to use the pomodoro technique to get started.
Less desirable because you’re not moving, but better than dwelling on distressing thoughts:
- Play a video game or something on your smartphone (Remember SuperBetter from Build Mental Resilience?)
What distraction serves as your filler task? Please share!
If you read yesterday’s post, Allow Yourself Time to Think, then hopefully you also read Jane McGonigal’s essay on Building Resilience by Wasting Time! (If not, please read it now!) Ms. McGonigal discusses some of the activities that helped her recover from a traumatic brain injury and yesterday I focused on one aspect–allowing yourself to time to think.
Ms. McGonigal’s recovery also included building mental resilience by strengthening your willpower, discipline, and perseverance.
If you’re up for a challenge, check out Ms. McGonigal’s online game superbetter.com. She designed the game specifically to build resilience, and even if you just go through the initial tutorial, you’ll learn a lot about resilience and simple activities for building resilience. There’s also a SuperBetter app for iPhones & iPads (free!)–I encourage you to check it out!
You may also want to check out brainconnection.com–this is another site with games to sharpen your mental skills in areas such as “Attention,” “Brain Speed,” & “Memory.” This site has a monthly fee ($10/month) but you can try a free trial, and the Brain Resources page has a lot of interesting information about the brain (for free!).
If you prefer something easier or lower tech for building mental resilience, here are a few suggestions:
- Work a crossword puzzle (builds fluency) Click here for an online crossword puzzle!
- Listen to a song and write down all the words (builds attentional focus)
- Work on a jigsaw puzzle (builds visual spatial skills)
- For the next 60 seconds, say (out loud) all the animals that start with the letter C you can think of (builds fluency)
We all need time to think, reflect, reminisce, and plan. But what’s the difference between “wasting time” and allowing yourself “time to think?” To answer this question, you need to learn to pay attention to your internal state–what “nonproductive” activities make you feel happy? What activities tend to spur creative thought and inspiration? These are the things that facilitate thinking and creativity as opposed to merely wasting time.
Click here to read Building Resilience By Wasting Time, a great essay by Jane McGonigal, author and game designer.
Do you tend to feel anxious and edgy when you’re not productive? Chances are your mind is not calming down enough to allow you to engage in reflection. Please take another look at Learn to Relax! If you’re struggling with depression and can’t get your mind off your troubles, take another look at Stop Worrying.
For today, read the Building Resilience article and try an activity for 10 minutes and see how you feel–more relaxed, positive, and creative? If you’re feeling motivated, block off time each day this week for “thinking.” Try a few different activities to see which ones bring about a more positive mood.
What helps you think, reflect, plan, and create?
