Beauty

[geezerette]

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@just bee wrote:

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@geezerette wrote:

@aprilskies

Don’t feel bad about falling off the HEP wagon.  I did horribly this month, too.  But the last of my sweet gifts are wrapped and ready to be delivered so the temptation will out of the house at last.  Now comes the junk food hangover.  I was going to start this at the new year, but I ate so much sugar the last few weeks that I literally can feel the negative effects on my body—I was making myself sick. So I’m not going to try to keep anything around that even remotely resembles convenience foods.  I have no will power.  I can do it, I just have to remember when I get feeling better not to slip back into its clutches.

@just bee

I am definitely interested in doing a minimalist 2018–and beyond.  In fact, for  quite a while now I have been looking at all aspects of my life and realize I have to change many things about it.  So many that I think in order to be successful at all, I need a new mindset.  To look at life differently, and consequently, act differently.  The beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time for that. 

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@geezerette

Substitution works for me when it comes to food.  I was thinking about this yesterday.  I could eat peanut butter every day.  My favorite way to eat it has always been to toast sturdy bread, slather it with a layer of butter and a layer of peanut butter, then top it off with a generous drizzle of honey.

I've weaned myself off this treat.  I also weaned myself off honey and heavy whipping cream in my tea.  I used some cream recently because it was there, but it was only for a few days and then I went back to black.

Now I toast Ezekiel cinnamon and raisin bread and spread Skippy creamy on it but no butter, no honey.  I've adjusted and it tastes normal to me.

As for making a major change, I've been in a terrible funk because I've had valuable time off but haven't been able to use the days productively.  There were some things I should have addressed that wouldn't have put my hand in jeopardy and I still didn't address those.  I simply spaced it all out.

I could kick myself.

I even put off my Christmas cards.  Yesterday I found my 2016 calendar and it looks like I mailed last year's cards on 12/13.  I woke up this morning and found other things to do.  Finally I just took off the wrist gauntlet and carefully wrote out addresses and applied labels and stamps.

I suddenly feel better.  I'll feel even better once they're mailed.  Instead of choosing one design for each person, everyone got the same card (except for the veterinarian, his staff and the office cats).

That one choice -- streamlining holiday cards -- just simplified my life.  I need to apply that to other areas.

But the most important thing is the procrastination.  It's just not working for me.

We are just going to have to adopt a buddy system and keep an eye on each other in 2018.

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@just bee

I’ve been able to use substitutes for some things, others, no way.  We don’t do bread at our house anymore, and if I have any peanut butter around, I end up eating the whole jar in two days.  Even if it’s the crummy kind I tell myself is for the dog’s pills.  It’s too close to a “fun” food for me, I guess.  I always had peanut butter with butter on toast growing up.  Maybe that’s why today my cholesterol is a little high.

In the last few years I’ve come to dread writing out Christmas cards.  I managed mine this year, and have been thinking about just sending holiday emails instead.  Then I get an email from my sister saying she is no longer doing cards—her email is her holiday greeting! Hallelujah!  This gets me off the hook too.  One part of me hates this, but mostly I’m just relieved.  I don’t send many anymore anyway, and half of the people I still send to don’t reciprocate.  We don’t celebrate Christmas between the two of us (or any other holiday), but I do enjoy some of the traditions.  But this is one of the things I have to streamline and eliminate.  I can’t write like I used to; it’s just too much now.

I’m going to be eliminating as much as possible from now on.  You younger gals won’t be able to relate to this, but it takes too much time and energy just to take care of myself nowadays (eating right, exercising, etc.) to continue to do all of the things I used to.  Some of them have to go.

[aprilskies]

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@just bee wrote:

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@geezerette wrote:

@aprilskies

@just bee

I am definitely interested in doing a minimalist 2018–and beyond.  In fact, for  quite a while now I have been looking at all aspects of my life and realize I have to change many things about it.  So many that I think in order to be successful at all, I need a new mindset.  To look at life differently, and consequently, act differently.  The beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time for that. 

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@geezerette

As for making a major change, I've been in a terrible funk because I've had valuable time off but haven't been able to use the days productively.  There were some things I should have addressed that wouldn't have put my hand in jeopardy and I still didn't address those.  I simply spaced it all out.

I could kick myself.

That one choice -- streamlining holiday cards -- just simplified my life.  I need to apply that to other areas.

But the most important thing is the procrastination.  It's just not working for me.

We are just going to have to adopt a buddy system and keep an eye on each other in 2018.

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@geezerette,  I would be interested in your journey if you care to share along the way.  Obviously, anything private is just that.  But this really hits home as I have been trying to change my mindset for quite some time now and every year I find myself in the same spot. This year I even tried to create new habits and it works for a week or two and then it is back to the norm.  I think you definitely have to be diligent and mindful until new "things" take hold. It is hard work.   If you arent comfortable sharing, no worries.

@just bee, yes, procrastination just kills me and I think that is one of my main problems. Lately, it feels like I just let everything go but mentally it is all still there and it feels overwhelming.  Between work and home I just cant see to catch up and I really cant even use the excuse of lack of time. I have taken time off with the intention of getting some things done and yet they are still on my list.  I think coming home drained from the day and lack of sleep isnt really helping me either.  It all feels stressful.

But, isnt it funny how we all feel better when we get stuff done.  Why is it so hard to get them done?  I know everytime I clean off my dining room table, I feel soooooo good, yet it is always a mess.

2018 - lets get stuff done.

[just bee]

@aprilskies

@geezerette

It's like that long list I once had, "Things To Have Done By Age 30," has now become "Things To Have Done By Age 60" -- and the list is much, much shorter.

[aprilskies]

I think everyone is starting to feel that way about Christmas cards. I have stopped sending them a few years back. I just found that time escaped me and I couldnt seem to get to them and finally eliminated the stress.  I only now just mail out a handful and this year, it may even be less.   I always love getting them but I think this is a tradition that seems to have petered out.

Like you @geezerette, I am starting to let go of the "should do's," "must do's," etc.  The only thing I am managing to create is stress.

[just bee]

My new apple: Opal.

[just bee]

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@aprilskies wrote:

I think everyone is starting to feel that way about Christmas cards. I have stopped sending them a few years back. I just found that time escaped me and I couldnt seem to get to them and finally eliminated the stress.  I only now just mail out a handful and this year, it may even be less.   I always love getting them but I think this is a tradition that seems to have petered out.

Like you @geezerette, I am starting to let go of the "should do's," "must do's," etc.  The only thing I am managing to create is stress.

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@aprilskies

@geezerette

There's a thread on Among Friends about Christmas cards and I was surprised to see how few are sent and received.  I swear I get more from businesses and other organizations than from people I know.

Mailed mine yesterday.  I always display the ones we receive during the season.  My problem is that I can't bring myself to throw them away in January.

Yup.  I save greeting cards, too.

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

@just bee

I am definitely interested in doing a minimalist 2018–and beyond.  In fact, for  quite a while now I have been looking at all aspects of my life and realize I have to change many things about it.  So many that I think in order to be successful at all, I need a new mindset.  To look at life differently, and consequently, act differently.  The beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time for that. 

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@geezerette

My brain is due for some tweaking, too.  You might also be guilty of this.  I commit myself to something and then, as the event or appointment approaches, I just feel dread.

It's like I'd rather be doing anything else than doing what I'd signed up to do.  But I do not bail -- I do what I've scheduled and it's almost always worth the time and energy.

So why the dread?

[just bee]

I just sorted a huge stack of mail: Keep, recycle, shred.

And I only did it because I'm avoiding something else.  But it's progress.  I notice that I will do something else to avoid doing the one thing that really is the priority. 

That means I put pressure on myself:

So if you're telling yourself you don't have the time to do (fill in the blank), how come you have time to (fill in the blank)?

That means it's sometimes less stressful to do nothing at all and squander the time completely.  And that's the worst option.

So now if I'm avoiding one task, but am productive addressing another I'll just go with that.

At least something's getting done.

[geezerette]

@aprilskies

It’s not so much about the journey, as you phrase it @aprilskies, more like I need an attitude adjustment for the trip. And I need to ascertain what in my life is a necessity and what is something superficial that can be, or rather needs to be, thrown out and done in.

I’ll use HEP as an example because, for me, it is probably the most important and a basis for most everything else in my life now. I know I need to eat healthy because to not do so at this point is making me ill, and in turn, affecting all other aspects of my life negatively. But acting upon this knowledge seems to have become a sticking point. Why? I’ve done it before, for years, in fact. Why can I now not seem to “just do it” when it’s so important? Upon reflection, I think it’s because, as you said @aprilskies, it’s hard work. Eating well takes time and preparation and forethought. Why can’t I do that now? Because I have too many other things to do in addition. And many of them are things I’ve taken upon myself and are totally unnecessary. Those things need to go.

Also, my attitude needs to change. I am a pessimist. I look at everything negatively. But in order to change my diet, I need to change my attitude about it. Instead of continuing to think I'm missing out by not eating junk food, I need to look at what I’m gaining: good health, feeling well enough to think clearly and do things I want to do.

That’s why I talked about a different mindset. I need to change how I think about things, then I believe it will be easier to accomplish what I want, and need, to do from here on in. I believe, that for me anyway, paring down and minimizing everything in my life will lead to being able to concentrate on the few important and necessary things.

Life really is very simple. But the one that complicated it is me. So now I have to set about “uncomplicating” it.

[geezerette]

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@just bee wrote:

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@geezerette wrote:

@just bee

I am definitely interested in doing a minimalist 2018–and beyond.  In fact, for  quite a while now I have been looking at all aspects of my life and realize I have to change many things about it.  So many that I think in order to be successful at all, I need a new mindset.  To look at life differently, and consequently, act differently.  The beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time for that. 

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@geezerette

My brain is due for some tweaking, too.  You might also be guilty of this.  I commit myself to something and then, as the event or appointment approaches, I just feel dread.

It's like I'd rather be doing anything else than doing what I'd signed up to do.  But I do not bail -- I do what I've scheduled and it's almost always worth the time and energy.

So why the dread?

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@just bee

Oh yes, all the time.  I can’t say no to someone’s face.  I just try to weasel out of it after the fact.

I just plain don’t like to do things away from home.  Basically, I’m antisocial. I’d much rather spend my time at home; I’ve always felt this way.  I always tell the joke that my mother couldn’t punish me by sending me to my room because I’d rather be there anyway, it wasn’t punishment for me.  Punishment would have been to make me go out and enjoy myself with people.