General Information
My Mother had great plans for me. My earliest memories of my Mom are at the old upright piano in our living room. She would play and I would sing. She always wanted me to become a musician and for her that meant learning to play the piano.
I went through several piano teachers while growing up. I learned to play with both hands, but not at the same time. My Mother had the same solution to the problem every time I came home from a lesson. It was a word that sounded like fingernails on a black board. “Practice! Practice! Practice!” I still cringe when I hear those words.
Unfortunately, I did not listen. But 50 years later, I have learned something from it. “Just because it was your mother who said it, does not make it wrong!”
When our lives are going well and we are not stressed or tired or bored, we tend to let our healthy disciplines slip a bit. We may back off the exercise or eat that extra cookie. We may push ourselves harder than necessary. But the disciplines that help us become healthy require regular practice in order to keep us healthy.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Healthy Discipline is a learned and well-practiced behavior. It may not take the intense practice that is required when we are learning a discipline or skill, but it does need to be practiced on a less frequent but routine basis.
This requires that we;
· recognize that the discipline is important,
· commit ourselves to maintaining it, and
· then actually do it.
Recognize – Commit – Do it! Sounds simple. But as you already know, it isn’t!
When all is well, make time to care for yourself. Tough times will come. By having a well-practiced routine for self-care, you will find your path back to wellness a little less steep.
“Practice! Practice! Practice!”
I went through several piano teachers while growing up. I learned to play with both hands, but not at the same time. My Mother had the same solution to the problem every time I came home from a lesson. It was a word that sounded like fingernails on a black board. “Practice! Practice! Practice!” I still cringe when I hear those words.
Unfortunately, I did not listen. But 50 years later, I have learned something from it. “Just because it was your mother who said it, does not make it wrong!”
When our lives are going well and we are not stressed or tired or bored, we tend to let our healthy disciplines slip a bit. We may back off the exercise or eat that extra cookie. We may push ourselves harder than necessary. But the disciplines that help us become healthy require regular practice in order to keep us healthy.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Healthy Discipline is a learned and well-practiced behavior. It may not take the intense practice that is required when we are learning a discipline or skill, but it does need to be practiced on a less frequent but routine basis.
This requires that we;
· recognize that the discipline is important,
· commit ourselves to maintaining it, and
· then actually do it.
Recognize – Commit – Do it! Sounds simple. But as you already know, it isn’t!
When all is well, make time to care for yourself. Tough times will come. By having a well-practiced routine for self-care, you will find your path back to wellness a little less steep.
“Practice! Practice! Practice!”
Tips – A Self-Care Calendar
A self-care calendar will help you get into the routine of whatever disciplines help you stay healthy. By placing them on the calendar, you are assuming responsibility for and regulating the frequency and duration of your self-care.
Schedule a time for your weekly or bi-weekly run/walk. Set aside time for you to read a book or spend time surfing Wikipedia. Find a place in your week for time to take that long bath or quite time in your favorite chair. Whatever discipline helps you say healthy, make an entry on your calendar.
Also, recognize that stuff happens and you may not be able to get to it at the appointed time. If you are using a digital calendar, simply drag and drop the event to a new time and place in that week. If you find yourself dragging and dropping the same even over and over, perhaps you need to e-examine that discipline. You may have lost your heart for it and need to find a new one that will serve the same purpose.
Regardless, by placing your self-care disciplines on a calendar, you are taking responsibility for your own self-care. You can keep them current and fresh. You will know when they have gone stale and can change them. You are taking control of and responsible to yourself for your health.
May you “Live long and prosper.”
Schedule a time for your weekly or bi-weekly run/walk. Set aside time for you to read a book or spend time surfing Wikipedia. Find a place in your week for time to take that long bath or quite time in your favorite chair. Whatever discipline helps you say healthy, make an entry on your calendar.
Also, recognize that stuff happens and you may not be able to get to it at the appointed time. If you are using a digital calendar, simply drag and drop the event to a new time and place in that week. If you find yourself dragging and dropping the same even over and over, perhaps you need to e-examine that discipline. You may have lost your heart for it and need to find a new one that will serve the same purpose.
Regardless, by placing your self-care disciplines on a calendar, you are taking responsibility for your own self-care. You can keep them current and fresh. You will know when they have gone stale and can change them. You are taking control of and responsible to yourself for your health.
May you “Live long and prosper.”
FYI -- Live Long and Prosper!
RSS Feed