Routine Change

Here I am with another change of season, the snow has come through here in Vermont, and everything is sparkly and white. All this seasonal change has me thinking of all the personal change going on in my life. My Netflix intake has gone down a little and my reading of inspirational books has gone up. The last two weeks have been filled with TEDtalk after TEDtalk. All this change has been really wonderful for my personal growth. It’s been painful at times, but to be honest I’m beginning to fall head over heels in love with myself. Some wonderful things that come from loving oneself are actually being eager to set up therapy appointments and staying on top of medication. It’s made it easier choosing to forego the candy bar for a healthier option and knowing when one more chocolate cookie will be just fine. All this change has allowed me to open up to people I never thought I would open up to and meet people with different life perspectives than me. 

In my TEDtalk binge, I stumbled across a clip that focused on the importance of routine. The boiled down version basically states individuals who have fixed routines in their lives tend to weather life’s storms and changes a little better than those who don’t. I found this interesting and I thought of people in my life who seem to have their crap together and many of them have routines set in place, whether it’s a weekly movie night, or attending a religious service to a regular boys/girls night out. These fixtures in their lives serve as a battery charger. 

So in my life with all these new changes I’ve noticed that even though everything seems new and crazy, some personal routines have begun to emerge: my nightly thank you notes, morning yoga, weekly wine and old movies, even this weekly blog. These little habits are helping me create structure and building a foundation on which I have learned self-love which helps in bolstering myself against depression. It’s helped me stay focused on my dreams of creating my own home, writing a script, and going to graduate school when the next shiny thing becomes the new dream during a manic episode. These things won’t cure a mood disorder, but they sure do help arm you with a multitude of tools to help manage life when episodes creep in. 

A little van update: the search is on! So from what I’ve gathered from speaking with van-lifers, reading blogs, and watching Youtube, it takes about on average three months to find the perfect van. I’m pretty close to being financially ready to make the plunge to purchasing a van so it’s high time I actually start the daily online search for Walter. It’s amazing how fast time is passing. I’ll be in my van, writing a blog update before we know it!

Here's a link to the TEDtalk video, The Simple Cure to Loneliness - Baya Voce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSXh1YfNyVA