The Power of Novelty

I’m a strange combination of attributes I guess. I’m right-brained and creative but also I’m disciplined and focussed. I’m a great fan of structure and I tend to create order out of chaos wherever I go. But as much as I love and need routine, it’s really fun to break free occasionally. In the months, or years, where I was just trying to survive and not really living life, I just chugged away on the treadmill of my existence.

In the process of recovering I’m focussing on actively improving my quality of life and I’m forcing myself to try new things. Many of the things I have tried are in the interests of healing and today I’m trying a new approach called Theta Healing. I’ll report back on the various healing practices in another blog post in future.  

I also try to include novel experiences, apart from healing, in order to make me feel more alive. Last week I tried something called fish therapy for the first time. You place your feet in a warm tank full of fish who feed off dry skin. The tickling sensation is rather fun and the mere novelty was really enjoyable. I don’t think I’ll do it often but it was well worth a try.

I believe that creativity and novel experiences greatly enhance recovery and stimulate self-improvement. On the weekend I tried a new technique called Zentangle. The teacher spoke of its various benefits such as having a calming effect. She has no awareness of the concept of flow but I suspect Zentangle is a flow-inducing activity. You have to concentrate, you lose track of time and it can be all-consuming. I've already done a few more since the class and have some ideas about larger scale drawings incorporating the technique.

Many people on a growth path or having a ‘mid-life crisis’ try new experiences and buy themselves fun toys like sports cars and Harley Davidson motorcycles. I can see how the thrill of something new stimulates people and helps them to feel like a kid again. Many people have developed a Bucket List from the concept in the movie of the same name. 

These activities can include travel to new places as well as daring activities such as sky diving. Considering the fact that I’m suffering from a stress-related illness, I’m not seeking any thrills and extra adrenalin is not welcome in my body right now. I prefer to focus on creative experiences as well as seeing new things, in different places or even while shopping in places I haven’t visited before.

I made sure on my weekend away at the beginning of this month, that I walked around the town, observing as much as I could. The town we visited is well known for art and the many galleries and stores displaying crafts were really stimulating for me. That’s despite dragging around two little ones who wanted to touch everything and who kept asking ‘when are we going?’ every few seconds.

I have found that new experiences help me feel more awake and help me to notice the things around me. It is helping me live my life more fully. I couldn't think of anything worse for me than to be trapped in a cubicle or office every day all day. I want to be experiencing something new, having flow experiences regularly and stretching my consciousness. I’m confident that it will help me be a better, happier person, at home and at work.  

Stumbling on Grumpy

Daniel Gilbert is a well-known author of the book Stumbling On Happiness. I've just finished it and to be honest, I’m not sure why he’s so renowned. Gilbert spends the entire book explaining why we are wrong. We can’t predict what will make us happy, our memories are flawed and we can’t even see straight. There is no question that his writing style is entertaining and he has a great sense of humour but I’m really not sure that his chosen topic is ideal, given his outlook.

Anyone who chooses to read a book about happiness, is probably wanting to be happier. Even the process of reading the book made me unhappy as I counted the pages towards the end. I’d favour reading The How of Happiness or the The Happiness Project if you want to work on being happier.

The basic tenet of Gilbert’s book is that we are highly incapable of predicting our future emotions. But why is that so important? Certainly, if we are about to make a big life decision, we’d like to make sure it will bring us happiness. He shows in the research that it’s more accurate to ask someone else in that position how happy it makes them. But no-one can truly be completely in the position you wish to full as they are not you. 

If you know yourself well, you will know what you like, you know where you want to live or who you want to marry or what career to follow. Imagine me asking a writer if it’s fun and basing my future career on that. Wouldn't I be the fool?

I’m expending a great deal of time and effort into knowing my strengths and weaknesses, talents and desires. Once those are completely clear, I can formulate options for my new career, try them out and make a decision. I’m all for talking to people to understand the pros and cons of any role and what others find challenging and rewarding. I like to obtain views from others as my leadership style is affiliatory. But no-one comes with my experiences, background, culture, beliefs, fears, talents and dreams.

Now that I’m finished his book, it’s time to shake things up again. Happiness is not found in monotony, especially for someone right-brained. As mentioned in my previous post, I believe creativity to be one of the key paths to finding yourself and your life passion. My original search for books on how to find your passion yielded few results. But I did come across a book called ‘The Artists Way’, written by Julia Cameron who helps people connect with their innate talents and their creativity. I’m really excited about it and I’m hoping it will unlock something in me that will lead to some real personal growth. 

Self Esteem and Nourishment

Self-esteem was not a big focus when I was a child. Parents were metaphorically patting themselves on the back if they provided food, housing, clothing and education. How things have changed in recent times. There appears to have been a strong movement, even beyond the psychology of childhood experiences to positive psychology. The focus these days is more on how to become a happier person. Less dwelling on the past, looking for causes of unhappiness, and more focus on how to nurture yourself. After all, the experiences we have gained, both good and bad, have shaped us into who we are today. Many of the difficult experiences I had as a child have shown me something about myself and what I’m capable of.

My mother always talked about people being ‘insipid’ as if it were the worst thing in the world.  Being an introvert, it was not very natural for me to seek the limelight and I still feel quite uncomfortable being centre of attention. I found my wedding ceremony most difficult with the emotions running high; trying to keep my beautiful make-up from smudging; and all those people looking expectantly at me to do the right thing. The relief of the service being over is blatantly obvious in the photos.

It was probably one of my greatest fears as a teenager and young adult to be boring or insipid. These days I’m certain that I may seem boring to many but also interesting to some. Last year when my highlights either grew out or wore out, I was referred to as a ‘librarian’ at a children’s party by the magician. Not that he’s someone I’m really trying to impress but it tickled that fear of being insipid once again and galvanised me into the salon.

I cut alcohol out of my diet a few years ago. I’m not an alcoholic although it does run in my family. I cut it out because I felt it was not serving me. My health started to deteriorate about three years ago after a traumatic event and has steadily declined. I have a wonderful book called Healing Foods by Margaret Roberts which discusses the links between health problems and the food we eat.

Being individuals, I believe that some foods just don’t sit well with some, but have no effect on another person. My husband can glug back litres of milk which would make me gag. There are, of course, foods that are harmful to everyone. The danger foods in the book for almost all conditions are sugar, fried foods, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and sometimes refined carbohydrates and dairy. I cut out alcohol because I just didn't feel good and I believed it to be affecting my already fragile health. So that may make me more boring socially but I don’t regret it and I don’t miss it really. Well, apart from a nice port in winter!

My six-year-old is also an introvert although she’s very friendly and confident. I think it was her third birthday and we had a big party at our house. Everyone gathered round and sang a hearty happy birthday. Once she blew out the candles, she asked me quietly if she could please go to her room. She retreated to the safety of her bedroom and emerged about ten minutes later, having recovered from the intense attention.

For years I feel that I’ve been neglecting my needs and prioritising other people’s needs. This is probably rooted in my childhood where we were raised with a strong focus on consideration for other people. I also embed this in my parenting because I think it is a quality that is rare today and endears one to others. However, I will also ensure that my children know when to care for themselves. As mentioned in my previous post, making sure I have some fun in my day is medicine for me, particularly now. I’m starting to say things like “Mommy also needs some time for herself” to make sure they realise I’m not only here to serve them, and also to embed in them the idea that it's OK to care for yourself.

Does your self-esteem need some repair? Some books I've read ask if you’d keep yourself as a friend considering the way you speak about you. It’s something to think about and a worthy exercise to pay attention to what you tell yourself. When I look in the mirror I usually think ‘You look tired’ and I quickly try to add something like ‘but happy’ at the end when I catch myself doing it.  I’m paying attention to what I eat, particularly as my thyroid slows down (yikes!) and to how I am nurturing myself in this recovery period.