Today I am going for the dopamine!
Actions for today (from yesterday):
- Look up new meditation app (“if you like Headspace”)
- Plan to purchase a Fitbit again – after I’ve paid the rent
- See if I can book another round of nutritionist/kinesiology support and treatment with the amazing Maria Bez at Nourish again (last time was 2016 I think – life changing – it’s just I slipped back to my old ways in the last 18m)
- Make colour code for MEDS daily chart – and then design a new daily checklist for here
- Decide on which protocol to follow (of the books cited yesterday – or other)
- Research: how do you get referred for methyl B12 injections (if appropriate) in the UK?
- Set this coming week as a prep week and write and list of things to do / prepare
So…. I gave myself a lot to do yesterday, and there’s a week’s worth of (business) work to be squeezed in to today. It’s mid-day already. Advice?
Start the day. Return to this later. All is well.
— So I started my day and had brunch with the radio on… There’s so much pain out there… I could cry…
- 12 million people on the brink of famine in Yemen following 3 year civil war
- Syria has used chemical weapons against its own people, its confirmed
- Loneliness in the UK reaches epidemic proportions
- Home Front (BBC Radio 4, follows WW1 day by day exactly 100 years on) – war sending people insane
- Suicide as the leading cause of death for men under 50 (exceeding car crashes, heart, cancer…)
Oh God, please reconnect me to my self. Give me the strength to recommit myself daily to doing my small (yet important) bit for peace and dialogue. This is why I need to get healthy again. The world needs us to be brain- and body-fit to be able to hold space for unity consciousness.
Let’s practice your Daily ‘Power Up Rituals’ Routine…
The what…? Ok… Sure. Let’s… (Ha.. “Daily PURR“… Very good.)
So, start with Meditation? I need a new app… {Researches ‘like Headspace’}
Ok, I’ve found one which comes highly recommended and is free. Insight Timer seems to be a repository for lots of people’s meditation resources, and also a community of meditators. Cool. I’m going to start with the ‘Learn to Meditate Course’. It seems to be 10 mins of breathing. Adios.
~~~ It was an excellent starter meditation which I might use in training. I think I’m ready for a bit longer next time. Anyway, I liked the reminder to focus on ‘feeling the breath to pull ourselves into presence’ and to relax the whole body’s nervous system. (I used the ‘5 in, 9 out’ technique last night during acute anxiety at about 2.30am)
Next I’ll get the mat out and do a 10 qigong routine. What’s the thought for the day, dear higher self of my heart?
~~~I’m a bit distracted…. but thought I’d quickly google ‘methylation UK’: https://mthfr-genetics.co.uk/nutraceuticals.html#/products/dna-test-and-genetic-variant-report.html There are these guys who do DNA tests for £179 – from this you work out what steps to take. Food for thought. Maybe I need to talk to Maria Bez about this… Man, I’m exhausted and wired. Need to work, and get some relief. It’s 1pm…. What’s the thought for the day, dear higher self of my heart?
It’s time to settle in again. You will feel much better for clearing your list. Get up, get dressed, power up… and do your stuff. Later you can return to the ‘power up’ list of actions for today, listed above. Ok? Remember yesterday you left everything ready on your desk? Hm? Yeah. Get to it. Go now. You will feel so much better for action, achievement, reward. Get the dopamine.
Ok! Today I am going for the dopamine! Sense of achievement and reward. Excellent brain work. On with the Daily PURR (Power Up Rituals Routine). Diet – done. Meditation – done. Now Exercise (qigong, maybe a quick trot outside?, shower and dress… Then: power through the day.
~~~ Holy heck… sorry to be back again… but I have found something so special in Insight Timer! It’s like coming home: a) the community of beautiful souls b) the generosity of sharing of resources c) the opportunity to feedback and review people’s lovely meditations, music, talks (“help them build an audience”). It reminds me of the world of spirituality, sharing and peace I grew up in, in Edinburgh, in my 20s…
Today I am going for the dopamine!
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Meditation:
New app: Insight Timer – starting off with the beginners course. 10 mins of breathing. https://insighttimer.com/
Exercise:
Freestyle stretches / yoga / qigong on the mat, to a beautiful 7 minute song on Insight Timer. The body knows what it needs, and I’ve studied enough to have a whole repertoire of moves… So nice to be in the moment and flow with the body and the sound. My first time using the mat in a while – really helpful.
And the same again before bed (13 mins of Insight Timer music) – so good to stretch out. Really relaxing and rest-inducing.
Diet:
Coffee with cream.
Brunch: 2 sausages, bit of rice, sauerkraut, tea, two pieces of 100% choc
Evening: Veg (Stir fried onion, chilli, cabbage) and tin of sardines. And sauerkraut. 2 cans of lager. ? 5th of a tub of ice cream. ?
Sleep:
Screens off: 9.10 (except for using Insight Timer)
Lights out: 10.25pm! Yes!
Wake up the next day: Hm… 5am with a cold/throat/temp… but sort of sleep again, 6am til 7.30ish.
Total sleep: a solid (if broken) 8 hours = Brilliant.
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