Activity #1

            Over the past few weeks, I’ve consciously taken measures to lift my mood and also slow down my cognitive process. Often times my life is too busy and overly complicated. These exercises unquestionably helped me relax more and enjoy my life more fully.

            In order to lift my mood and increase positive emotions, I focused more on the things I enjoy doing and made sure to incorporate them into my life. This last weekend I decided to take on the always fun task of tiling my bathroom floor. Over the four or five days I was on my hands and knees, opportunities for anger were plentiful. One strategy I looked to for help was listening to music. Although it may seem small and insignificant, I think having something as subtle as loud music going during hard labor can dramatically increase positive emotions. I also managed to find time to watch the Simpsons movie, go to dinner with some friends and take Friday off work to go shooting.  All of these leisure activities were fun and relaxing in there own way.

            The harder of the two exercises was definitely trying to slow down my physiological arousal. I sometimes struggle with making a conscious decision to slow down and relax my mind. One thing I tried for this and that was maybe the most effective, was counting breathes and clearing my mind before I fell asleep. This is usually the time of day when I stay awake and think of all the things that happened that day and about what might happen tomorrow. Clearing my head and counting breathes took my mind away from the busy things in life and let me fall asleep peacefully. I also tried to do mid-day meditations and thought stopping. These usually came when I was at work or working in the bathroom. Although it was sometimes hard to focus, it felt good to stop and relax when I usually wouldn’t have. Lastly, going for walks with my dog Cooper was a great way for me to relax and clear my head.

            Some strategies worked better than others, but they all helped in creating a more positive couple of weeks. The most difficult part however was remembering to incorporate them into my life. I have a feeling though, that the more I practice them, the easier it will get.