Well the clocks went back which was lush for all the obvious reasons. I woke up at what would normally be quarter to nine but it was quarter to eight and when I looked out the window it was bright sunshine - how could I resist?
I got out of bed, dressed and got onto my trusty steed - the green baron - and rode to the Serpentine.
On the up side because it was a Sunday the roads were completely clear but on the down side there were SO many people swimming! Apparently weekends are busy anyway but today was particularly busy because we were all doing the same thing - making the most of swimming at what feels like ten o'clock!
The changing room was completely packed but it made it warmer in there which is always useful when you've just climbed out of icy cold water! Didn't check the temperature but it was probably around 8 degrees C which is what it's been most of the week. Pretty brisk...!
Rode back and then headed to the Brockley Mess for breakfast with the Brockley massive. Lovely to see everyone and always nice to do it while eating great food...
Home now and have some reading to do but also am feeling the urge to work on a play I've been picking up and putting down for a while now...better seize the moment then!
Mx
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Friday, 23 October 2009
My top ten displacement activities...
Inspired by this blog I have decided to give you my list of things i end up doing rather than writing...
1. refreshing my email just in case i've got something new come in
2. facebook stalking
3. cleaning the bathroom
4. rearranging stuff in the kitchen that haven't been put back properly
5. eating
6. staring out the window and watching the cats up the tree
7. calling people for long long chats
8. having a little browse on ebay 'just in case' i find a bargain
9. avoiding checking my bank balance
10. get really cross with myself for all of the above
1. refreshing my email just in case i've got something new come in
2. facebook stalking
3. cleaning the bathroom
4. rearranging stuff in the kitchen that haven't been put back properly
5. eating
6. staring out the window and watching the cats up the tree
7. calling people for long long chats
8. having a little browse on ebay 'just in case' i find a bargain
9. avoiding checking my bank balance
10. get really cross with myself for all of the above
the start
Ok, I have started blogs in the past and I have never managed more than about four postings. This is now my attempt at it again. Will it work? Frankly who cares. But at least I'm giving it another bash.
This one is hopefully different.
You see I am a writer - scripts mostly - and I spend a lot of time at home on my own...not writing. Instead I will do things like browse the internet, repeatedly refresh my emails, clean the bathroom and find pointless "important" things to do like unblocking drains and going out to buy a bar of chocolate which i simply must have with my tea.
These mundanities all fall under the heading of 'Displacement Activities' - hence the blog.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not lazy. When I have a deadline I work my arse off for it. Or when I have a great idea I won't be able to let it go until I've committed it to paper. But when I'm just not in the mood or don't have anything particularly pressing my mind and body literally come to a halt.
Considering I'm always complaining about how busy I am it's amazing how poorly I do use time when I have it. I guess it's that old adage - if you want something doing give it to a busy person. I am literally incapable of doing anything important unless I have a deadline breathing sweaty hot air down my neck...
Not only am I the queen of displacement activities but I also hurtling towards my thirties. I am suddenly realising that in terms of my actual physical body I need to step up the game a bit - while i still can.
I have never been a small girl. I have always needed exercise to maintain a healthy looking vessel but, you guessed it, exercise has always been something that has fallen foul of the 'displacement activity' monster. There is literally always something more important to do than go for a five mile run...
But then something happened to me last year that started me thinking. My dad was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer (don't worry, I really won't go on about this much - this isn't X Factor) last year. He is a healthy guy, he swims most days and because of my uber healthy mum he has eaten well and mostly organic for almost twenty years. Yes he likes a drink and yes he likes his cheese but he never did anything 'wrong' per se. And when we did some research into this we found some interesting things related to stress and cancer. If you are genuinly interested in this subject then please visit the penny brohn centre's website which will tell you more about lifestyle, diet and how to help you cope with cancer and it's treatment when you are diagnosed. This place really helped him. But that's kind of by the by; cancer treatment is very individual. What I'm trying to say is that in the last year I've learnt quite a bit about how important it is to avoid stress and actively seek out happiness - not just for your mental health but also for your physical health.
And this brings me back round to me and my health - I have realised how much I need to look after both my mental and my physical well being, not just for keeping me happy but also for keeping me alive.
SO...
I have decided that I am going to make a concerted effort to actively engage in displacement activities that have the remit of 'making me happy'.
These could be doing a bit of gardening, having a swim or going to see a movie. Whatever it is it's overwhelming outcome must be happiness and other outcomes (ie fitness, culture, carrots in the garden) will be bonuses.
Hopefully by taking the onus out of the task and making it a purely pleasurable experience means I will want to do these things.
For eg - only doing sport I genuinly enjoy. I hate the gym - so no gym. I love to swim - so plenty of that!
I will also be actively looking for other things i could do and if anyone ends up reading this blog i would love to know what you do to make yourself happy. It literally could be anything - like eating a really amazing meal or smiling at someone and getting a smile back...
Some things that already make me happy are:
Swimming in the Serpentine in Hyde Park
Playing Netball on tuesday nights
Going for runs with my pal
Taking my parent's dog for a walk
Watching Neighbours when I should be working... (ok that's a naughty one but we all need our guilty pleasures...!)
I will blog more info about all these things and more and hopefully through doing this I will find that I will want to blog more and more things which means doing more and more things.
And lastly - this obviously can't get in the way of my work - I still need to write. But hopefully when I'm having 'one of those days' rather than staring at inane crap on youtube or facebook I will be searching out the next awesome thing to do!
So if you are reading this - let me know! I am entirely new to this and when I have tried this before I've never gotten far enough to get any readers so it would be great to know if you're out there.
Fingers crossed this displacement activity is of more use than me re-organising that pile of shoes into a neat little line...
Oh sod it. It needs doing and if I don't do it then who will...?
Back in a bit.
Mx
This one is hopefully different.
You see I am a writer - scripts mostly - and I spend a lot of time at home on my own...not writing. Instead I will do things like browse the internet, repeatedly refresh my emails, clean the bathroom and find pointless "important" things to do like unblocking drains and going out to buy a bar of chocolate which i simply must have with my tea.
These mundanities all fall under the heading of 'Displacement Activities' - hence the blog.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not lazy. When I have a deadline I work my arse off for it. Or when I have a great idea I won't be able to let it go until I've committed it to paper. But when I'm just not in the mood or don't have anything particularly pressing my mind and body literally come to a halt.
Considering I'm always complaining about how busy I am it's amazing how poorly I do use time when I have it. I guess it's that old adage - if you want something doing give it to a busy person. I am literally incapable of doing anything important unless I have a deadline breathing sweaty hot air down my neck...
Not only am I the queen of displacement activities but I also hurtling towards my thirties. I am suddenly realising that in terms of my actual physical body I need to step up the game a bit - while i still can.
I have never been a small girl. I have always needed exercise to maintain a healthy looking vessel but, you guessed it, exercise has always been something that has fallen foul of the 'displacement activity' monster. There is literally always something more important to do than go for a five mile run...
But then something happened to me last year that started me thinking. My dad was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer (don't worry, I really won't go on about this much - this isn't X Factor) last year. He is a healthy guy, he swims most days and because of my uber healthy mum he has eaten well and mostly organic for almost twenty years. Yes he likes a drink and yes he likes his cheese but he never did anything 'wrong' per se. And when we did some research into this we found some interesting things related to stress and cancer. If you are genuinly interested in this subject then please visit the penny brohn centre's website which will tell you more about lifestyle, diet and how to help you cope with cancer and it's treatment when you are diagnosed. This place really helped him. But that's kind of by the by; cancer treatment is very individual. What I'm trying to say is that in the last year I've learnt quite a bit about how important it is to avoid stress and actively seek out happiness - not just for your mental health but also for your physical health.
And this brings me back round to me and my health - I have realised how much I need to look after both my mental and my physical well being, not just for keeping me happy but also for keeping me alive.
SO...
I have decided that I am going to make a concerted effort to actively engage in displacement activities that have the remit of 'making me happy'.
These could be doing a bit of gardening, having a swim or going to see a movie. Whatever it is it's overwhelming outcome must be happiness and other outcomes (ie fitness, culture, carrots in the garden) will be bonuses.
Hopefully by taking the onus out of the task and making it a purely pleasurable experience means I will want to do these things.
For eg - only doing sport I genuinly enjoy. I hate the gym - so no gym. I love to swim - so plenty of that!
I will also be actively looking for other things i could do and if anyone ends up reading this blog i would love to know what you do to make yourself happy. It literally could be anything - like eating a really amazing meal or smiling at someone and getting a smile back...
Some things that already make me happy are:
Swimming in the Serpentine in Hyde Park
Playing Netball on tuesday nights
Going for runs with my pal
Taking my parent's dog for a walk
Watching Neighbours when I should be working... (ok that's a naughty one but we all need our guilty pleasures...!)
I will blog more info about all these things and more and hopefully through doing this I will find that I will want to blog more and more things which means doing more and more things.
And lastly - this obviously can't get in the way of my work - I still need to write. But hopefully when I'm having 'one of those days' rather than staring at inane crap on youtube or facebook I will be searching out the next awesome thing to do!
So if you are reading this - let me know! I am entirely new to this and when I have tried this before I've never gotten far enough to get any readers so it would be great to know if you're out there.
Fingers crossed this displacement activity is of more use than me re-organising that pile of shoes into a neat little line...
Oh sod it. It needs doing and if I don't do it then who will...?
Back in a bit.
Mx
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