COURSE CORRECT

Module 4.2 - Mind

Do you end some days feeling fragmented, split apart, or as Bilbo Baggins so succinctly puts it, "I feel thin. Sort of stretched. Like butter scraped over too much bread."

Like a bad boyfriend, social media gives what you think you need yet slyly cuts away at your work, your sense of self, and your happiness. Every leap from focused work to the mostly inane chatter of the Internet, robs you of the 15-20 precious minutes it takes to reinsert yourself into deep work. In the course of a day, that really adds up.

Where was the sacredness in my work? By "sacred" I don't mean to imply that my work is imbued with divinity. Rather, that as a creative person it should be respected and sacred TO ME and my time and attention to it should reflect and honor that.

"If you don't produce, you won't thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are." – from Deep Work

I began to wonder: if I freed up my time by eliminating "shallow" tasks that were sucking the hours from my days, how much could I accomplish? It became very clear that one of my Course Correct rules needed to include: Limiting social media and at least 4 hours each day of uninterrupted focused work time. As I keep stating, I knew this would have benefits for my relationships, too. How often do we pretend to listen to our partners or kids while our attention is half on them and half on the phone in our hands? Every area of life impacts the others, remember?

To work better and love better, I had to hold the reins of my runaway mind firmly in my own grasp and direct it to where I wanted and needed it to go. For me, this is an invaluable component in living up to my potential as a writer and as a person overall. For this reason, I included it on my 90-day plan.

Mental / Emotional Health

If you suffer, like I do, with any type of mood disorder, then it will affect every area of your life. The zones are braided together: physical health affects emotional health affects relationships affects self-esteem...on and on. I think it's true for all of us that the quality of our daily lives, our work, our parenting, everything...is greatly impacted by our moods and emotional state.

I now know that my anxiety and depression played a role in my inability to concentrate and focus. The vicious circle was enacted; I'd not be able to focus, which would then, in turn, create more frustration and self-recrimination. I'd feel worse.

If you have a psychiatric/mood disorder, it is massively important to do everything within your power to support yourself in being as balanced as you can be. When I am gripped by anxiety, I know from experience that I will feel better if take the healthy and appropriate steps that tamp down my agitation and nerves. I also have learned that depression's shadow will darken my life more often if I'm not taking care of myself by moving my body, nurturing it, being gentle with myself, and loving myself as I'd love my best friend through a crisis.

Also, give thought as to the best use of your leisure time. By all means, have it. Puttering and quietness can be deeply restorative to the mind.

It bears repeating that your brain is greatly affected by how well you take care of other zones in your life. Quality sleep, healthful foods, and exercise all directly affect your brain chemistry (including the chemistry of your "2nd brain"—your gut.) Again, this is why I advocate examining all zones of your life for improvements. A tune-up in all areas improves overall performance.

If you're struggling with emotional challenges or mental health issues, I urge you not to ignore it. I believe from the deepest part of myself that we were not created and gifted with this miraculous thing called life just to be unhappy. If you have children, could you ever say that you created them to be unhappy? Of course not!

Doctors, therapists, self-help books, support groups, medications, counselors... These are just some of the avenues you can explore. Remember that Course Correcting in the other segments of your life (sleep, connections, food, and exercise, etc.,) will greatly impact the quality of your emotional and mental health.

No matter what your life story is, no matter how brutal your past, you are worthy of happiness and peace of mind.

Seek it like a missile and don't give up until you hit your target. Of all of the segments I discuss in Course Correct, this is arguably the most impactful to your overall triumph in meeting and being your Higher Self and in living your greatest life.

Stimulation

What sparks you?

You realize you need and deserve to be lit up in life, right? Too often, we let the mundane routine of our days take priority to the exclusion of all else. I'll tell you something right now; if you nodded your head when you read the above passages about the time suck that is social media because you acknowledge the hold it's had on you, then I can say with certainty you have the time to fit in an activity that sparks you.

Is there something you've always wanted to learn? What will you regret not having tried? For me, it's learning to speak Italian and learning to dance the tango. Even fifteen minutes doing Italian lessons on an app will make me feel more inspired, interested, interesting, and stimulated.

What a criminal shame it would be to spend our lives not being curious, learning new things, and engaging our incredible brains to the best of our abilities.

Action Items:

· Assess areas of work, focus, distraction, stimulation, boredom, mental health and write down what you need to either eliminate or do in order to be the person you most want to be.