Mind Over Illness

DONT LET THE FLU BUG BUG YOU

'It's that time of year.' I'm hearing this phrase a lot lately in connection to a bout of colds that are doing the rounds. 

The place where I'm currently working is rife with sniffles and coughs - some absentees even (which has been to my benefit). And because it's held in popular belief that a change in the weather brings colds and flu, a lot are succumbing to the bugs. But not me. 

It's All In The Mind

I can't afford to be ill, particularly at this time while I'm low in funds. I've already managed to dodge colds at the beginning of this year, particularly at that time when winter turns into spring and 'that time of year' phrase gets bounded around for the first time. 

It's amazing how we succumb to language and popular opinion if we allow it. This learning all comes back to my very first posts of 2015 - the ones about being up early in the morning and essentially getting a jump on our brains, the day and what we want out of it. 

This morning was another clear win for me. I got ahead of the cold, did my yoga and daily positive affirmations. Lo and behold, I'm still feeling tip top, when I could so easily have told myself I was getting ill and made that become a reality.

Get Military This Spring

TEN-HUP!

At the start of the year when I first started my 5am starts, it was a lot easier for me to commit to and easy to stick with once the new regime was underway. This, I put down to the fact, that it was dark in the mornings and dark again before 4pm. Therefore, it was easy to get into bed at 9pm and rise after 8 hours sleep when the rest of the city was asleep. The hibernation mentality was all I had to beat.

Now the days are so long and everyone is out in the sun - merrily having some fun...and it's hard not to get involved. I'm slipping on the 5am starts and other commitments are slipping too. So it's time to get military on myself to get everything back on track!

Setting a goal and then breaking it is not cool. It sends out all kinds of wrong messages that removes control of our actions and allows bad habits to creep back in. We can take breaks if we allow them, but breaking commitments and promises - especially with ourselves....is a big NO if we want to get on in our lives. If we set timings on these commitments, we need to constantly adjust them to make them a challenge. That means increasing the intensity, frequency and creating new goals. We have to keep putting in the hard work if we want the results.

Thinking of Sylvester Stallone again today, I was reminded of Rambo 4 (even if you're not a fan of his films, you have to admire the man). After watching this film, I then watched the interviews with the cast, crew and Mr Stallone himself. Working in over 80% humidity for 18 hour days in the Thai forest was really tough - and this was the cast & crew talking. Sylvester Stallone not only starred in this film, but he wrote, directed and co-produced it too and he's in his 60's when making this.

When everyone had gone to bed, Stallone was checking the rushes. In the mornings, he was first on the set. He had what it takes to push on through because he'd prepared himself by conditioning his body and mind over many years. That's why he's so successful and still making films today. So, if we want to cut loose a bit and have a break - that's fine. We just need to establish some boundaries and allow for down time. This is where we need to be the tightest on the rules we set with ourselves, so we can work & play hard too.

From tomorrow, following the Qi-gong 10 minute wake up routine, we have increased our morning exercises to incorporate 6x1 minute planks (with 15 seconds break between), followed by a set of posture correcting exercises. This adds up to 20 minutes of extra time needed in the morning so there has to be a fixed time to do this. The new 'military' rules mean there will be no break in this routine from today and the alarm will chime time every morning at the same time until the next re-evaluation date.

Having a fixed time/schedule means there's no excuses not to be ready - just as the army will have disciplined ways of do their routines. We pledge to continue on this routine until this current cycle is finished. And at the end of June, we'll look at what the next cycle will be.

January Joy

JANUARY BLUES

It's Saturday today. The last day of Jan. The weather has suddenly turned colder. It's overcast, cold, wet and I feel really happy. I'm happy but sad at the same time because January is over. Yes, you did read that right - Jan has been my most consistent and favourite month that I can ever remember. My log cabin in the woods month. My partner, Cathy feels the same. Jan is a long month - and this one felt really long! That's because I've squeezed an extra 3 quality hours per day in. That's 90hrs or the equivalent to just over two extra work weeks !!! It's actually felt more like 3 months in one, because I've been aware and present in mind for as much of it as possible. 

2014 was a fun year, but a lot of it was out of my control. I was socialising and partying a lot and the weekends were filled with laughter & friends or sleep & recovery. It was hectic with little respite, so come December, I was drained and at a low ebb. I looked/felt tired and my body was knackered. I needed a regroup and some focus. That's why I've loved January 2015 so much. I've relished every day. I've gone to sleep contented and tired after a full day and been excited to get out of bed again in the mornings to learn, improve & assess my progress. I've been doing things that I love to do and I can feel a new path laying out in front of me. Again, I'm reading more of Geoff Thompson (thank you Geoff for being my life adventurer, explorer & guide), I've just read a whole passage on his life where he's taken the exact same steps I am making myself right now! He's at this place of great wisdom today after investing 10 years focussing on his path and I'm so lucky to have re-affirmation this is my right path because he has so kindly shared this knowledge with us. My aim is to continue my new focus throughout the rest of the year and beyond and maybe I'll be in a position of great wisdom akin to Geoff and also doing the things I love every day a lot sooner than 10 years time. However long it takes, I'm ready to embark on this journey and enjoy each day as it comes.

Making The Most Of It

I've been hearing a lot of talk from those around me - negative stuff about January, the weather and life in general. I don't think they even know what they are saying. They can't wait for Monday to be over, can't wait for the weekend, can't wait to get back into bed, can't wait for January to be over. 

It's sad... I want to shake them! They're in the prime of their life and wishing it away, failing to appreciate what each moment of the day brings and missing being in the moment. 

A Break In The Clouds

A good example of appreciating the day happened this morning. Leaving the comfort of our room at an early hour, I marvelled at the extreme changes in weather from the day before. Embracing the cold wind and hail, I felt exhilaration as we walked in the maelstrom. Suddenly, the clouds parted and 'God's fingers' - golden rays of sunshine - burst through a break in the clouds for a fleeting few moments. I stopped to soak up the moment and capture it on my camera, while other people around me bowed their heads and pushed steely on - looking miserable, caught up in their own thoughts and completely oblivious to the amazing and beautiful event taking place. 

Sleep On It

CREATIVE DREAMS

Sometimes the best ideas come to us while we are sleeping. It's true. Try it the next time you've got something tricky that you need a creative solution for. Works every time for me. In my line of work (graphic design), I have to constantly work out solutions to creative challenges. Sometimes, the answers just aren't coming to me easily, so rather than keep staring at the screen/notes/doodles, I'll stick it up on the walk and walk away. The answer may come while I'm riding my bike home, picking up some shopping or going for a walk. It's usually when I'm doing something where my conscious creative brain is switched 'off'. This doesn't mean my mind is not working on finding the answers, it's just doing the work to find answers in the background.

More often than not, the best ideas will come to us in the morning. I'll wake up after a good night's sleep - return to the doodles/notes/screen and see straight away if the ideas were worth working on in the first place. I'll be able to clearly see if the best course is for starting again and usually, if a new angle is required, something good will 'pop' into my head and I'll be on my way to getting the job done. It's both strange and amazing how this works!

Sleep Is Key
Switching your brain off - finding silence and allowing inspiration to flow, is key to getting the most creative ideas. I always try and shut myself off in a quiet room during the day (difficult in an open plan office, but hey) and block out the noise with some headphones. The 5am mornings have been the most beneficial for having true silence and solitude. A lot of my best thinking has been done early in the morning. You can use sleep as a problem/solution finder for pretty much every situation. Just lay down and give a few moments before going to sleep - take some deep breaths and focus on the thing you want to solve for a few moments. Then tell yourself all will be resolved in the morning and push these thoughts out of your mind (I visualise closing a door) before falling to sleep.

A good example is what happened to me yesterday. I'd misplaced my car keys from a week ago. We live in a fairly small apartment and there aren't many places these keys could be. I have a routine for putting all keys and coins, wallet and phone in the same place every day and there's a pot for anything else. However, the keys were nowhere to be found. I checked all pockets and bags and racked my mind back to the previous weekend when I had the keys to remember what I was wearing and track my movements. For some reason, I had a though of 'black' being next to them - so I checked my black trainers, to see if they've fallen in, checked my black satchel and still no joy. I was starting to think I'd dropped them...so I decided to sleep on it. This morning I woke, opened the dresser on autopilot, lifted up my black leather gloves and there were the keys! I'd removed my gloves from my pocket to put away in the dresser and my keys had obviously been entwined in some way.

Next time you are stressing yourself about something, make a mental note of it and before going to sleep - have a few moments to think, write it down so it's clear from the conscious mind and see what happens in the morning.

Taking Charge Of Our Health

DAY THREE OF THE YEAR

So first to the health issues. I'm finding that dealing with the health and insurance industry is not really helping me fix my ailments - I've got to take a more active/ongoing role. The problem is, I'm expecting miracles from doctors - but it's really down to me to sort this out. Insurance only covers for traditional forms of treatment like physiotherapy but I've had better results from my Chinese massage/acupuncture sessions and through doing yoga and pilates. So I've taken it upon myself to look more into the causes and find my own ways to monitor/manage and ultimately fix this. I've found a way to look on my MacBook at the MRI scan from 2-3 years ago - this was when I first noticed an ongoing issue with my right shoulder that wasn't going away. Three specialists looked into the problem over a 3 month period and all three appeared to come up with different answer for where the issue stemmed from... I had nerve damage but they couldn't offer any solutions how to fix it. There was a level of healing that occurred through resting over those 3 months, so the specialists left it at that - but really, the issue remained and now the symptoms are back again.

Reading up on the issue, I believe my particular problem can be helped through doing more stretching & yoga plus having regular massages. Sat at a computer every day, my posture and work stress need to be monitored. Then to get strength back in my arms, it's exercises for stability of the shoulder joints as shown in Paul Chek's videos from yesterday's post.

Here's the info I found on C5 damage. This fits perfectly with my symptoms - a weak right bicep. I'm possibly weak in both biceps as a result of a neck trauma, not properly sorted from years ago - and the right shoulder being the last one I injured, possibly why it's the weaker of the two.

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/musculocutaneous-nerve-lesion-c5-c6

I've attached a couple of pictures of the original MRI scan showing what I make out to be a slight curve in the neck, chipped vertebrae and what appears to be a herniated 3rd disc pushing on the nerve(?). I reckon I can sort out the curve and possibly release the pressure on the central nerve from the blown out disc by massage, stretching and yoga, rather than going through with an operation - but time will tell...

I'll go through everything with the health professionals again but at the same time, have a program to better manage my own road to recovery and track the results. I've booked an appointment with my GP for Monday - to get a second MRI scan in for later this month and I've lined up an osteopath too. I've also got yoga classes booked in 3 times a week and start my yoga, massage and training program today. Let's see if I can make improvements enough to show a better MRI scan next time around. I'll update when I start to feel the benefits.

Now to the film watched last night...

The Power of The Heart
What can I say - it's clear I'm following what my heart is telling me! The message I got from this film is that I need to be more grateful and forgiving and keep myself calm in order to be in a more positively receptive and reflective state of mind which will allow me the mind state to pursue what it is that makes me happy. The early starts are definitely a way to keep this going and making this journal is helping me to be more aware!

For the potential benefits of being an early riser, check out Robin Sharma and the 5am club.