It is easy to get lost in daily and weekly routines. If you are like me, there are times that on Sunday night as you head to bed you’re thinking: I need to get this <one thing> done this week. Then Monday starts, leads into Tuesday, and the week slips by without accomplishing that one thing.
Basic time management suggests writing what you need to get done into your schedule. I am not much for using daily/weekly calendars. I have tried using them in the past and used them for a few weeks before the blank pages started accumulating.
What has worked for me is writing short reminder lists with no more than 5 items. This keeps my lists from becoming overwhelming and stress-inducing. I also email myself reminders sometimes, since I check my email daily. By using paper and email, I have found two good ways to remind myself of what I need to get done.
For 2010, I plan to use a smaller version of daily calendar, mainly for appointments and a few deadlines. I also plan to keep using my note and email versions of reminders, since that works for me pretty well.
Finally, there is the old saying that certainly has merit: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” (Retrieved from www.clichesite.com)
I am one of those people that processes most of the day. By that I mean I think about situations and how I fit into them, what I could have done differently, what I might say in the next conversation, etc. You would think I am a perfectionist with all that going on frequently in my head. I have some perfectionist qualities, but I don’t consider myself one. You could say I am not a perfect perfectionist.
What keeps me from the frequent or constant anxiety of being a perfectionist is in the way I evaluate myself. The most productive way to evaluate yourself is to take an attitude of curiosity. When you are truly curious, you are less critical.
Example:
Critical - Ugh! Why did I say THAT?
Curious - That’s interesting. I wonder why I said that.
It is okay to examine how you think, act, and speak. Just try to be more objective, with a curious attitude. Avoiding self-criticism helps you feel better anyway.
I like to get word out about resources that seem useful. Today I am providing some words from the Counselling Directory, which is located in the United Kingdom. I looked through the website and found it straightforward in presenting a good list of resources for finding mental health services.
I have copied some information below. I hope it’s helpful for those of you in the UK.
Counselling Directory was set up with a simple but much needed purpose – to put those who need help in touch with those people who provide it.
Over an average year, around one in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem - whether it be work-related stress, a family crisis, or something more serious like abuse. Depression is the most common mental illness, affecting one if five people. Counselling provides a welcome alternative to medication, and encourages people to deal with their issues rather than continually suppressing them, which can lead to more serious problems.
Of course, the decision to undertaken counselling is not one that anyone takes lightly. Many consider the idea for months or even years before deciding to take the plunge.
The main hurdle anyone must overcome before opening themselves up to counselling is accepting they have a problem that needs dealt with. Whether it be an addiction, a mental health illness, suffering abuse or an eating disorder, no one likes to admit they are struggling. Often friends and family will try to encourage the person to accept they need help, but the decision must ultimately come from the person themselves.
Finding the right counsellor is essential, and there are many things to consider. Counsellors often specialise in certain areas, so it’s important the individual finds one that addresses their specific needs, with an approach they’re comfortable with.
There are practical considerations too, such as location. Despite assured complete confidentiality people may prefer to see a counsellor that is perhaps outside their local area, but still in surroundings they are comfortable in.
In the current climate, price is becoming more and more of an issue. Many counsellors are now offering reduced rates for those unemployment or claiming benefits, and many are very accommodating so that all those that need help can have access to it.
Perhaps most importantly is ensuring the counsellor is fully qualified to practise. Currently there are no laws to regulate counsellors. However, there are accrediting bodies and qualifications guidelines suggest counsellors should obtain. There are academic qualifications in counselling - under-graduate, post-graduates and doctorates. Being accredited by a professional body - such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - means that the counsellor will have met several criteria, such as a certain number of hours of training undertaken, and hours practising under supervision.
This is where Counselling Directory comes in. A comprehensive searching tool, the site allows postcode, town and country searches, and produces a list of counsellors registered in this area. Each counsellor has a profile, listing a bit about themselves, their approaches, what areas they deal with, and all their training, qualification and experience and fees. The site shows which counsellors are registered/accredited with a professional body, and full profiles are only displayed after insurance and qualification documents are checked or membership with a professional body has been verified.
The site has also become a huge information bank - there are articles written by the counsellors, as well as comprehensive information on all kinds of distress - from depression to eating disorders to abuse, to help people identify their problems and become informed, not scared. There’s also a blog that reports the latest health news and developments.
We’ve heard from many people who have found Counselling Directory invaluable, reducing the amount of stress and worrying that can contribute to an already difficult enough process.
A good place to research mental illness is on the Mayo Clinic’s web site. I’ll provide the link to the main Mental Health page here: Mayo Mental Health .
When things happen, it is almost automatic that you react. But if you overreact often or find yourself worrying about an event for long periods of time, there are a few ways to think in order to keep perspective and keep anxiety manageable.
When an unpleasant event happens:
Take two seconds before you react, and decide if it is a reaction you feel okay having. (This allows your rational mind to keep functioning, and avoids an emotional or impulsive reaction).
Take two more seconds and consider a likely consequence to your reaction.
Take one minute (either right away or later that day) ask yourself what you can do now to move on from the event. The longer you mentally stay stuck in the moment and dwell, the tougher it is to let it go.
If you feel worried about it and expect to keep feeling that way for days, allow yourself a specific amount of time to worry about it. (Example: I’m worried about something next week. I will worry all I want for 30 minutes a day, and no more.) It may sound silly to put a time limit on it, but people sometimes allow worry to continue on and off most of the day and night and end up feeling more worried or depressed as a result.
Let it go through exercise. Good for your health + Good body chemicals released during exercise = Feeling better
Let it go physically and mentally. Take a pen, hold it in front of you, imagine all of your worry flowing into the pen from your mind, and then let the pen drop to the floor.
