A Plan for Well Being. Part 2.
I decided to write a list. I'm male, I love lists. In fact I could write a list of all the reasons I love lists but that only leads to smaller sub lists and eventually madness. This is a list of the things that make me happy. Those aspects of life that create a smile, a warm fuzzy feeling, a genuine laugh or just make everything seem worthwhile. I need this list to create a barometer against which I can judge other aspects of my life. This is a continuation of my well being theme as a thought occurred to me late last night.
Currently the wonderful wife is ill with a very nasty virus. As previously said this isn't a new phenomenon (not the wonderful wife being ill, she's a trooper) as my experiences in the playground tell me illness seems to be around a lot recently. So as I had a little extra head space time I started to create a list, no general purpose for it but I'm male, it's a list, enough said. While doodling away a little hypothesis began to grow, how much does our physical well being depend upon our mental well being?
Now I'm no doctor so I won't even start a meaningful meandering into mental health issues, but how often do we suffer from colds and sniffles, aches and pains and general feelings of crapness when we are happy? When we are in a place where warm fuzziness rules and a smile is just there, how many hours are spent in bed feeling ill? So a list began to form, one that would create a backdrop to my happiness barometer, and a weird thing happened. Just writing a happiness list made me begin to feel happy. Just the memories made me smile, actually writing them down made me laugh and you know what, the back hurt a little less, the dishwasher was emptied without me realising I was doing it and the kids bickering seemed a little quieter.
This isn't a cure all, just an observation, but just the process, the actual thought process of what happiness is to me, had a positive effect on my general well being. This positivity is a wonderful thing. It is in itself a virus, it spreads with no rhyme or reason and equally stops without explanation, it has the ability to infect and effect others around you with unknown consequences. My period of positive list writing led to a very enjoyable, if a little loud, period of watching a TV programme with the whole family, the type of TV programme that even payment wouldn't normally make me watch. But on my list are my kids, and happy kids make a big impact on my well being, so I strapped in and went along for the ride and had a great time. I know have an addition to my list, an unexpected yet joyful addition, that seem to prove the hypothesis.
So my first of what a presume to be many conclusions to well being is quite simple. Yes, we all have bad days, yes sometimes it feels too much and yes nothing is this simple, but as little things mount up to make us feel bad and our well being suffers, so little things can mount up and make us feel better. I discovered just ten seconds remembering things that make me happy led to an extended period of feeling good and that, after all, is the ultimate goal. So grab a pen and write, you never know, it may work for you to. Until next time......
Currently the wonderful wife is ill with a very nasty virus. As previously said this isn't a new phenomenon (not the wonderful wife being ill, she's a trooper) as my experiences in the playground tell me illness seems to be around a lot recently. So as I had a little extra head space time I started to create a list, no general purpose for it but I'm male, it's a list, enough said. While doodling away a little hypothesis began to grow, how much does our physical well being depend upon our mental well being?
Now I'm no doctor so I won't even start a meaningful meandering into mental health issues, but how often do we suffer from colds and sniffles, aches and pains and general feelings of crapness when we are happy? When we are in a place where warm fuzziness rules and a smile is just there, how many hours are spent in bed feeling ill? So a list began to form, one that would create a backdrop to my happiness barometer, and a weird thing happened. Just writing a happiness list made me begin to feel happy. Just the memories made me smile, actually writing them down made me laugh and you know what, the back hurt a little less, the dishwasher was emptied without me realising I was doing it and the kids bickering seemed a little quieter.
This isn't a cure all, just an observation, but just the process, the actual thought process of what happiness is to me, had a positive effect on my general well being. This positivity is a wonderful thing. It is in itself a virus, it spreads with no rhyme or reason and equally stops without explanation, it has the ability to infect and effect others around you with unknown consequences. My period of positive list writing led to a very enjoyable, if a little loud, period of watching a TV programme with the whole family, the type of TV programme that even payment wouldn't normally make me watch. But on my list are my kids, and happy kids make a big impact on my well being, so I strapped in and went along for the ride and had a great time. I know have an addition to my list, an unexpected yet joyful addition, that seem to prove the hypothesis.
So my first of what a presume to be many conclusions to well being is quite simple. Yes, we all have bad days, yes sometimes it feels too much and yes nothing is this simple, but as little things mount up to make us feel bad and our well being suffers, so little things can mount up and make us feel better. I discovered just ten seconds remembering things that make me happy led to an extended period of feeling good and that, after all, is the ultimate goal. So grab a pen and write, you never know, it may work for you to. Until next time......
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