Please excuse the vulgarity so early in the post, I’m not even watching the debates and they are having an effect on me! Grrr.
What I meant to say, kinda, is the things that frustrate me… You know how YOU can lovingly bash yourself, your family, spouse or bff but if anyone else does it, they’ve crossed a line? Well, it’s along those lines.
When people patronize me. It’s an especially difficult time for me as half the time I really DON’T understand what people are saying and need things spelled out, step by step. That being said, I found a video online that offers “11 Little Things You Can Do To Take Care Of Yourself“.
The first problem with this is the title. I mean, the title would be fine if they actually provided 11 ideas but they don’t. The video should be called “8 Little Things You Probably Already Thought Of But I’m On A Deadline, So Maybe If I Make A Video, That Will Be Impressive Enough To Get Me By Until My Next Assignment”.
I’ll go through the list here, tell me if I’m missing something.
- Get Enough Sleep- Every Night. Like, every night? Is that even possible? Even if it is possible for most people, it isn’t for me. I’ve been exhausted my entire life. I’ve never had a real great relationship with sleep, even with the use of rx meds. So, I’d LOVE to get enough sleep, even some nights, but that’s not a realistic goal. What else have ya got?
- Exercise- Even If It’s Just A Brisk Walk. Brisk or not, everywhere I walk is an exercise. I don’t have a mode above “easy” anymore. Having arthritis has limited the amount of activity I can do, although I was making it to the pool nearly every day- I live in MN. I can’t afford a gym membership and our apartment complex has closed the outdoor pool for the season. My current exercise plan is forgetting my anti-anxiety pill until my leg shakes so bad, something falls off the kitchen table to remind me how stressed I am. Does that count?
- Eat Real Food- You Deserve More Than Vending Machine Snacks. I also deserve a full night’s sleep, what’s your point? I’d love to eat healthy/ organic and home cooked meals… Can you help me afford groceries? Help me cook said groceries when my back gives out and I’ve only been standing in front of the stove for a couple of minutes? That’d be grrrreeeaaatttt. Thanks.
- Take A Break- From Your Phone. No. Just, no. What if I miss another eye opening video???
- Ask For Help- When You Need It. Hahahahahahahahaha. Just FYI, asking for help can actually exacerbate the stress when repeated pleas go unheeded.
- Keep A Journal- It’s A Great Way To Work Out Your Feelings. Hey, ya got one! Good for you.
- Read A Good Book- And Escape Into Fantasy For Awhile. Yep, I’ve spent the last several years in therapy learning how to KEEP from escaping reality. I’ve been practicing how to stay grounded and mindful. Yes, I understand reading a book and drinking (or whatever bad behavior people use to medicate/escape) are different things AND I’d like to point out, I’m just taking the advice you recommended in strategy number six.
- Call Your Family Or Friends- To Vent. Why bother them with a phone call when I can just post it on the World Wide Web?
I’m sure these are all good suggestions bur are there any you haven’t heard of? Can you see where maybe the author (or video person) just whipped out some stale regurgitation of anyone’s common sense list? God, I hope they didn’t get paid for that…
What’s it to me, right? I guess it’s because I give a shit about the amount of work (and passion) I put into projects (even this one, although not my most refined pieces) and for people to just … put so little thought into it? It pisses me off.
At least change the GD title to the correct number of “things”.
Striving For Sanity 