A Day at a Time – Taking in the Good – 2/4/20

A Day at a Time – A Daily Blog of Life in Lockdown

I was completely fooled by an April’s Fool WhatsApp message doing the rounds yesterday, Boris to ban alcohol from Monday 12.00 am! I found myself feeling weirdly relieved ……. I think a bit like having no chocolate in the cupboard. It does tell me something though, and in this spirit of controlling what I can, I should stop drinking or maybe that is the problem, I can’t! Phew, that’s that one dealt with!

Woke up at 7.00 am and went downstairs for coffee, hanging out with the dogs and waking up to the day. My newfound fab routine of exercise and/or Qi Gong starting at 8.00. However, I ended up in a lengthy text message communication with a friend and before the thumb callous got any worse, we decided to talk. Hour gone! Then onto a call with the lovely and wonderful Executive Director of Yes to Life. Before I knew it, I was reading other emails and replying, but then I remembered my priority of the day is to feel great and boost my immune system. Thank you, memory! I practiced Qi Gong for over an hour and happily feel great again. It is so easy to get drawn into doing and the day and I know this, but it still gets me!

Lots of bits and pieces of work today and I didn’t get out for a walk until about 4.00 pm. My mind was busy, and I had to physically stop in the fields, close my eyes and feel my feet on the ground and simply listen to sounds. Bird song, distant rumble of machinery, silence so peaceful. This brings me back into the present, as opposed to being lost in thought and thereby missing the experience of the walk. I open my eyes and take in everything through my senses; sights, sounds, touch of air on skin and I walk on open to it all. So much to appreciate today – beautiful sunshine and blue sky, lots of bird song, the white blossom of blackthorn, the stillness of the trees, the warmth of the sun on my face……. taking it all in and noticing how my body relaxes and expands and how I find myself smiling.

Hint: Resource yourself
• do what makes you feel good first
• appreciate pleasant moments or positive experiences during the day.

Practice:

Have the intention, as you go about your day, to notice the pleasant, uplifting or beautiful. When you do, take a moment to fully appreciate it and to notice how it feels in your body, become aware of your physical sensations, how you are feeling, what thoughts are around and any impulses you may feel. In this way, you deepen the experience and the gratitude you may feel, and you start to change the natural tendency for paying more attention to what is threatening or negative in our lives.

Attention is like Teflon for pleasant experiences, but like Velcro for unpleasant experiences.