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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Can One Resolve to Worry Less?

I have never believed in making resolutions for a couple of simple reasons....1) I can't seem to keep them, and 2) As stated in a previous post, I feel if you want to make a lifelong change you shouldn't set a start date to it, you should just go for it at the time it occurs to you.

But after reading one resolution-related blog, article, and Facebook status update after another this past week - from people I admire and trust - I had a bit of an epiphany.  I have a sneaking suspicion that people who set goals for the year might just get more things done.

Ok, did I just state the obvious?

Hard to know. Anyway, I started thinking, maybe I should just hang a couple of goals and intentions out there and then maybe, just maybe, I would actually accomplish them.  It seems like that might work a bit better for me than NOT having goals or resolutions and then - surprise - not accomplishing anything.

So, here we go....

Running goals:
  • A first ultra - a 50K in May (I am already signed up, so don't know if this counts as a new resolution)
  • Another Marathon (TBD, although an idea is in the works) - Fall
  • Another mud run
  • Fall 50 Pairs Relay - depends on if the person I would pair with wants to do it
  • Dipsea - I really want to do this race, but since it is extremely hard to get into and would involve not a little bit of travel, this is really up in the air....This is more of an intention that covers the next few years.....one day, I want to do this.
Other Fitness-Related Goals:
  • Clean up my core - By doing this four-week core program, which my hubby randomly found in a book, over and over again until I can go on to other core activities.  
  • Stretch more - I.e., commit and go to a weekly yoga class again.
  • Get the kids outside more - I want to find more ways to get my family involved in outdoor activities together.  In winter, that means snowshoeing and sledding.  E. and LG love the latter, but the former is obviously an acquired taste...and they haven't acquired it yet.  But I am going to keep trying.  I also want to see if I can get them up on cross-country skis this winter - at least once.  
Mental-Health Goals:
  • Try my hand at meditating.  I have already started this one and I am happy to report I can meditate for about 3.7 seconds before my mind wanders to my to-do list, wish list, shit list (not that I really have one; it was just the only other list word that came to mind).
And, this brings me back to my big goal... The big nebulous, intangible one...
  • BIG GOAL: Worry less.
Ugh. Ok.  So, this is one of those goals that no doubt is doomed to fail simply because of the unspecificity of the problem.  And, what's the problem?  Well, I am a worrier by nature and I almost feel like something is missing if I don't have something to be worried about.  In fact, I would say I am sort of attached to worrying.  Why?  I am not sure.  Born that way?  Nurtured that way?  It gives me something to do?

So, I want to try to shut this down.  But how?  I am going to start with baby steps.  Since I am an avid runner, I thought I would start there, and the part I am going to focus on is injury.  I am going to try to stop worrying so much about injury. I have a tendency to worry about every little twinge that comes my way, but I am going to try to tell myself to not do that.

First, if someone else is injured, I am going to stop automatically assuming that I will come down with the same ailment. (It's their problem, not mine.)

Second, if something does twinge, I am going to make note of it and then stop thinking about it.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, yesterday's twinge becomes today's nothing.  So, I am going to assume that every twinge today is tomorrow's nada - until it's not.

So, there you have it.....only days after stating how much I hate resolutions, I have completely flip-flopped and posted a bunch of resolutions.  And, I am going to put a start date to them - after the marathon.

Because as everyone knows, when starting anything new, you wait until AFTER THE MARATHON.

2 comments:

  1. Dipsea!!!!! Oh how i want to do this someday...

    It's funny. I don't think i worry enough. I worry about NOT worrying. Weird.

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  2. Maybe yoga will help with worrying too -- with all of the breathing techniques and all. And I put goals on my list (specifically a 50K too) that I already have planned. Because then you get to check it when you're finished!

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