Happiness Challenge Round 2 May 7th

[Froggie]

1. Three new things you are grateful for today : the rain; my morning cup of coffee; fresh air during the rain
2. Journal about a positive experience in the last 24 hours : during my meditation I realized why narcissic people really trigger me off - started before my PTSD
3. Exercise : up and down some stairs where I live and a few Tai chi moves
4. Meditation : along with meditative music
5. A random act of kindness : stayed inside today because of all the rain, so didn't meet anyone. But did send a mail to someone if they wanted me to call them - no answer.

 

[ms spock]

1. Write down three new things you are grateful for each day.
2. Journal about a positive experience experience in the last 24 hours.
3. Exercise
4. Meditation
5. A random act of kindness

1. Yesterday I was grateful for having a friend to visit with and spend time with. I was grateful for the sunny day. I was grateful for bringing up some issues and feeling more real after that.

2. I am thinking a situation through and I questioned a bit. It might be that B and I don't make it.

3. No exercise but back is improving.

4. Short meditation in morning.

5. Moved over to make space for others to get through.

1. Today I am grateful that I ate food. I am grateful that I am hanging in there despite how bad the SI is at the moment. I feel like I will never get better and that things will always feel so bad. I am grateful that I am aware that this is a feeling.

2. I stayed at my friend's place last night. She is sick so she was kind and generous to let me stay.

3. Did three lots of short exercise today - took care of my back.

4. Attempted meditation this morning several times.

5. I organised for three strangers to go first when I could

 

[zaniara]

If you play tetris for a really long time for several days, you will, almost certainly start noticing how things could potentially "fit" together as tetris pieces - furniture, bricks, buildings, books on a shelf.

YES! And CARS too! :D (I don't play games anymore; I want to do 'better things', and I don't like the affect.. Besides I just can't take the stress in those games anymore..)

Similarly, if you close your eyes and visualize the color red and then look around the room, the red things will jump out at you!

Very true. And thank you for reminding me and finding a new way to think about it all. I think I need those 'simple' explanations to understand things better.. (also I see stuff in pictures much, so it helps with pictures to make things easier to understand)[DOUBLEPOST=1368381914][/DOUBLEPOST]I'm feeling a bit odd today. Migraine is not completely gone, but no pain(but other symptoms), my brains is just very strange at the moment. (can't explain)

Prayed, did some yoga and tried to meditate this morning, it went.. Oh.. Well, not that good. But I sat down. But the bad stuff(memories) is easily triggered right now, and just below the surface, so I just tried to be gentle with my self. (As soon as they were close, I almost fell a sleep, and I've been feeling about to fall asleep on/off all day. = this was my meditation and exercise today. I'm to tired to take a walk.

Grateful for: being on time to the train my kids had to go with today, for the fantastic light right now that shines through my window and through the curtains(the sun is down low now and is shining directly into my living room), and for being able to find comfort in drawing some of the pictures from my meditation(I get pictures in my mind while meditating).

Positive experience: managing to overcome the perfectionist in me once again, and draw without hearing the inner critic at all for two hours. (A bliss and a joy!) (It's just two, three months ago I told my self and everyone else I just wasn't capabel of drawing at all: but a friend told me it was bullshit, and I sort of tried, and I realized it's the inner critic who has messed it all up for me all these years.. So I started trying to disobey the annoying bastard! :D And I'm winning more and more..)

No random act of kindness, except trying to be a good mum and caring about two of my friends.

(bouncing back and forth from the private mail and this page)

 

[The Albatross]

In for a pit stop and inspired by all the doings. I am just trying to get to the next shift so I can have a half a day off. Some weirdness in my day... but I am okay.

 

[Eleanor]

not that good

Good enough since you did some!

My reading this AM yielded this: We are narrative based thinkers - that is, the stories we have available to us determine what occurs to us that we can do. So Anchor identifies two stories that people have about trauma - first - that we "get past it" and "go back to normal" the other is that we get PTSD. But these are not the only options - there is at least one other story which is well founded and that is Post Traumatic Growth. This is generally associated with traumas suffered as an adult that are situational (health and circumstances related.) And it is important to have that story in mind when confronting a difficult situation - because if we don't think there is a story that ends happily, we are not very likely to be able to make the choices that get us there.

I actually think that this point is what makes this site, and even this challenge SO important, we are making the narratives that will lead others out of the dark forest of PTSD suffering. I don't know what "the" story is, but I know that there are roads out. Believing in the Third Way is so often the key to finding the solution to our problems.

 

[ms spock]

Meditation so far today.

1. Write down three new things you are grateful for each day.
2. Journal about a positive experience experience in the last 24 hours.
3. Exercise
4. Meditation
5. A random act of kindness

1. Grateful that I didn't feel a much SI as last week.

Grateful that I made it through the day.

Grateful that i kept it together.

2. I am sitting with uncomfortable feelings. I am refuting irrational thoughts. I am really struggling each day with the basics but I am hanging in here.

3. Two short walks.

4. Self comforting and mediation done.

5. Helped a woman in distress.

 

[Whitneys story]

@Eleanor, Great reminder of positive action! It is always beneficial to have a positive focus even when it does not set right away. :tup:

 

[Whitneys story]

Meditation so far today.

So happy you are able to! Keep up the great work. :hug: Whitney

 

[Froggie]

May 12th Day 18 (Day 6 round 2)
1. Three new things you are grateful for today : my children and grandchildren; going out; getting calls for Mother's Day
2. Journal about a positive experience in the last 24 hours : The touching messages that my children left on FaceBook and a friend that I haven't heard for a long time contacted me and JM didn't die on Mother's Day, I'm so relieved for his mom as this would have been a sad souvenir every Mother's Day - Go in peace cher JM.
3. Exercise : very little
4. Meditation : none - too on edge about JM
5. A random act of kindness :talked with my mother - she has dementia and it's an arduous task just talking to her. If you pass the 5 minute cap it's a miracle.

 

[Changing4Best]

I don't always do all 5 of my things in order. Today number 5 fell into place in slot number 2. So be it! I've started not to put off number 5 like I used to. When opportunity arises, I grab onto it! I still have some other things to accomplish today, so I guess I better get busy!

Everyone, don't forget to be kind to yourself too! I straightened out my dresser a bit yesterday, making room for all my socks in one drawer, instead of having them crowded in with other things. How much easier to find a pair of socks when they are all in the same drawer!

 

[Froggie]

May 13th 19th day (7th day round 2)
1. Three new things you are grateful for today :snow (yeah we had snow this morning); sun in the afternoon; great nurses at the oncology clinic.
2. Journal about a positive experience in the last 24 hours : During my treatment, I went for a pee but when I came back I goofed up seats and one of the nurses (my favorite) started to laugh silly and told me before I sat down that I wasn't at the right place - we both laughed so hard.
3. Exercise : small walk
4. Meditation : to be done after this post
5. A random act of kindness : let a person out of the elevator before me.

 

[ms spock]

So happy you are able to! Keep up the great work. :hug: Whitney

Completed the challenge will write it up.