Thursday, 12 November 2020

Be happy

I heard of a technique to improve mental health in times of stress (what are they?) the other day, and it involves allotting a specific time in your day in order to worry. One practitioner set aside a quarter of an hour between 7.00 and 7.15 pm every evening to indulge himself in a spot of worrying, and the BBC radio presenter was incredulous that anyone would sacrifice The Archers for the sake of their mental health.

Even more shocking was the man who spent the entire weekend worrying so as not to disrupt his working life. That is dedication to your employer on a Japanese scale.

I thought that anyone who can master this technique really has nothing to worry about, but then I remembered a good friend who led a comfortable life saying to me that if he had nothing to worry about he would have to create problems to help him lose sleep.

I believe that if I spent more time worrying when I was young, I would not have to now. Surely it is more useful to set aside a time in your day to have regrets?
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15 comments:

  1. WILLIE...! =(^..^)=12 November 2020 at 02:52

    Nice one! Well..l've suffered from anxiety
    and stress..ALL my life..Yes! All of it...
    I cope with it, l can handle it, but the
    patience part, or lack of it, can be a problem!

    My daughter is a Psychiatrist..worked for the NHS
    for eight years, then five years ago, l helped her
    set up her own practise..Private!
    She has 39 clients, as there called, and believe it
    or not nine of them are students..all in there teens,
    worrying is'nt it..! But! Then mental health is a
    worrying thing, especially in the young..! :(.

    I reserve 15mins in a day for Autogenics, l was given
    a CD couple years ago, with four different 15min tracks
    on it, l use number three, because that's the best for me,
    l lay on the bed and listen to a ladies 'sexy' voice,
    asking me to breathe deeply, concentrate on my right arm,
    left arm and so on..helps to relax, and to sleep if
    required, l have done so..twice..!
    Does it help..? Neah! After 15mins, l still gotta get up
    and get on with life..! :(.

    I know it's serious..but..hey..it's worth a laugh..! :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 10:24

      A friend of mine who is very high up in the NHS mental healthcare system is currently suffering a breakdown, caused - we think - by a combination of Covid restrictions and the upcoming anniversary of the death of her young son, whose body she discovered when visiting him after he was unresponsive to messages for a couple of days. None of us are immune.

      Delete
  2. SmitoniusAndSonata12 November 2020 at 05:06

    I occasionaly devote fifteen minutes round three in the morning to worrying. Whether it has helped I couldn't say since it's not really a controlled experiment. An extra blanket seems to help....

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  3. gz12 November 2020 at 05:40

    Change the words to alter the outlook..I am not worrying about something, I am concerned about it...
    Also ask, is there anything I can do about this and indeed is it mine to be concerned about? All this lightens the load so that you can deal positively with your problems. Every little helps as grandma said!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 10:26

      That's what I shall ask myself on the eve of my execution.

      Delete
  4. the veg artist12 November 2020 at 05:44

    Believe me, if you are a true worrier, there's always something new to worry about. A true worrier never achieves a worry-free state.
    Regrets are futile - I take the view that I made decisions based on the situation at the time, and accept that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 10:27

      I agree about regrets. You, me and Edith Piaf are at one on this. I do sometimes wistfully think about the number of houses I could have bought if I had not been so keen on pubs though.

      Delete
  5. Tasker Dunham12 November 2020 at 08:31

    I did most of my worrying before I retired.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 10:28

      That's the best way round. The government recommends that approach.

      Delete
  6. Share my Garden12 November 2020 at 13:07

    I believe in positive rather than negative thinking. Better to set aside a specific period of time to concentrating on happiness, five minutes laughing out loud or silly dancing, or ten minutes soothing tai chi.
    As for having regrets - pointless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 16:21

      I like that Indian man who has laughing sessions on a beach with a load of followers. They begin: 'HA HA HA, HEE HEE HEE, HA HA HA... ' and so on until genuine mirth is generated.

      Delete
    2. Tom Stephenson12 November 2020 at 16:22

      I used to know a man called Tammo De Jong who did the same thing by accident.

      Delete
  7. Debby12 November 2020 at 19:15

    I was speaking to someone about a regret. And she said, "You need to forgive yourself for not realizing what would matter to you later. You couldn't know." And it's true really. Regrets, the woulda, shoulda, coulda: most of them can be summed up beginning with 'I didn't know...'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Stephenson13 November 2020 at 03:35

      The thing is I did know in a lot of cases. That's still no reason for regret though. I was joking in the post.

      Delete

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