The Foundation: Wellbeing

I am writing this on the afternoon of the 7th of September. Yesterday was a very average day, I felt sluggish, out of sorts, in my head and noticed a number of pretty awful thoughts about myself, being a fraud etc.

This morning, I made a plan which I wrote out on 750 words before I got out of bed. I got up and set some porridge out on the stove to soak, then got into my meditation. I focused on awareness and acceptance, and released a lot of old, stale energy. I packed my bag for the day, brushed my teeth, and went off to the gym. I used my GymBook app to help guide me through a workout, then finished with a sauna. I deliberately didn't put time pressure on myself. I got to uni at 12.00pm, and sat down to my work, again not putting any pressure on myself to perform.

This is me being as kind to myself as I can, because I've been profoundly tired for the past month - longer actually, but before that I couldn't let myself stop for too long. Burnout is a bitch. I plan to go into the year fresh next year, but don't doubt that I will get tired and burned out by the end of the year without careful management.

I've noticed that since I focused on my wellbeing, my output is much better. I was able to write a well thought-out post on Loomio that articulated what I wanted to say. If I keep my wellbeing up then I will be able to perform well for the internship. Wellbeing is a matter of balance, and good habits. What have I found works for me?

It's sticking to the basics, not overcomplicating things, and developing good routines. Practicing rather than thinking about is the most important thing.

Meditation - twice a day

I did it last year, twice a day. In 2017 I hope to have the app to help me practice. I'll also have two years of practice under my belt, and hopefully will be enjoying my practice more, experiencing pleasant sensations not just heavy ones.

It matters to do it twice a day. It does make a difference - I can handle most things if I'm doing twice daily meditations and getting enough sleep and exercise.

Sleep: having a before-bed routine and early bedtime.

Developing discipline around a before-bed routine and early bedtime will make a huge difference. Other than meditation, sleep is the most important thing. My days just go much better when I've gone to bed before 10.15pm the night before. Having good books to read will make a difference too. Heartwarming, interesting stories. I'll generate a list of good novels from around the world to be able to read during my internship year next year, and buy them so I can read them before bed. It makes my whole day better if I've got a book that I love to sink into at the end of the day.

Regular exercise

If you can, make this social too. Going to the gym, doing yoga, running outside on a nice day, all of these things will help. Wherever you are placed for your internship, find places early in the year that you can access exercise. Join a social hockey team. Find something like the Bhakti Lounge for accessing good people, good food and yoga. Start going to the Bhakti Lounge now. If you're allowed, mid-day runs or gym sessions would help a lot, even if it means working later in the evening.

Good nutrition

Start this now. You have a healthy breakfast routine, keep that. Get better at cooking healthy vege lunches and snacks so that you eat less bread, processed food and sugar. Stay at Scarborough or be somewhere that has communal cooking ideally.

Social time

Integrate this into your day. Exercise with friends. Cook/eat with friends. Start this now, find sources of fun. Start with your flatmates. This will be easier once you've processed the grief/early childhood emotions. Dance, play, talk nonsense. Talk more nonsense, integrate that into your life more!

Break things down into doable chunks

Your mind has a tendency towards the systemic, the patterns behind the words and actions. That's incredibly useful in many situations, but it's also important to get things done. Perhaps using the Getting Things Done system could help?

Equanimity and compassion

These are things I'll need to learn to do better in 2017. I'm hoping that all this releasing I'm doing at the moment will free me up to be able to practice equanimity more easily. That I'll actually be able to feel better after meditation, rather than more tired.

Don't do's:

• Mindlessly trawl facebook.