Feb. 6th, 2011 10:15 am
Bouncing back
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aphrodite_mineA new month of rules, and why that shouldn't necessarily mean losing a life every time I check in.
In January, playing Health Month for the first time, I signed up mid-month with three rules, things that involved daily routine and healthy changes. This month, I upped my rule count to seven.
A few days into the game, I thought: "Keeping up with this is going to be impossible. I'm going to lose lives like crazy."
And, more or less, that's what I've done. Even the rules that I've kept on from last month are giving me trouble.
At six days in, I'm down two life points and frustrated. But, of course, the point of Health Month isn't to get frustrated. I can heal my lives, learn from my mistakes. Move onward and upward.
I have a mixture of rules that take no time to follow, and rules that involve setting aside time and energy. Most of these involve thinking ahead and working into my routine.
- Allow fried foods 3 days
- Zero caffeine
- List things I'm grateful for
These are basically low-effort rules. Sure, I have to think ahead about where to eat or what to order, but that's been easy for me (easier than I expected). Writing grateful lists takes no time, simply thinking a moment while checking in at healthmonth.com, and it helps to put me in a positive mood.
- Take medication every day
- Update derby team site
- Exercise
- Go to bed before 11:30
These require, at times, a LOT of effort and planning. I'm coming back from willful noncompliance with my meds, so remembering to take them every day isn't a practice I've made a habit of. I have to get a refill today -- something I haven't done for months. Updating the team site should be easy, but there are always a thousand reasons why I'm too busy or doing something else. The point is, I've made it priority and I need to maintain that priority. Same issue with exercising. I'm falling behind my team, and I need to do something about it. Bed time isn't as big of an issue, since I set my goal days at 3 - still, it's something I need to consciously decide. Shut down the computer. Close up for the night. Go home.
In January, playing Health Month for the first time, I signed up mid-month with three rules, things that involved daily routine and healthy changes. This month, I upped my rule count to seven.
A few days into the game, I thought: "Keeping up with this is going to be impossible. I'm going to lose lives like crazy."
And, more or less, that's what I've done. Even the rules that I've kept on from last month are giving me trouble.
At six days in, I'm down two life points and frustrated. But, of course, the point of Health Month isn't to get frustrated. I can heal my lives, learn from my mistakes. Move onward and upward.
I have a mixture of rules that take no time to follow, and rules that involve setting aside time and energy. Most of these involve thinking ahead and working into my routine.
- Allow fried foods 3 days
- Zero caffeine
- List things I'm grateful for
These are basically low-effort rules. Sure, I have to think ahead about where to eat or what to order, but that's been easy for me (easier than I expected). Writing grateful lists takes no time, simply thinking a moment while checking in at healthmonth.com, and it helps to put me in a positive mood.
- Take medication every day
- Update derby team site
- Exercise
- Go to bed before 11:30
These require, at times, a LOT of effort and planning. I'm coming back from willful noncompliance with my meds, so remembering to take them every day isn't a practice I've made a habit of. I have to get a refill today -- something I haven't done for months. Updating the team site should be easy, but there are always a thousand reasons why I'm too busy or doing something else. The point is, I've made it priority and I need to maintain that priority. Same issue with exercising. I'm falling behind my team, and I need to do something about it. Bed time isn't as big of an issue, since I set my goal days at 3 - still, it's something I need to consciously decide. Shut down the computer. Close up for the night. Go home.