“Today is the sixth day of spring,” she says to herself with a big smile to confirm that she is in on her own game.

Growth. I notice growth in my thinking when I can recognize an unhelpful thought and know it’s not necessary to hold onto at the moment, knowing it’s not going to take me where I want to go or keep me where I want to be: clear mind, open heart, stable belly.

When I notice the unhelpful thought, I can intentionally replace it with a different thought that creates a different experience. There is a subtlety in this practice so as not to deny what’s happening. The objective is to grow the expansive space that allows one to manage the context in the most helpful way.

For example, this past week I went for several long walks. During the walk, if a thought showed up about what I need to do, or what is not working, assuming the thought created the limiting feeling in my body to suggest that life is essentially a series of disappointing events, and I will never get ahead of it, staying with that thought pattern is not going to be helpful. It creates a negative filter through which to view what’s happening in day. I know there is a better filter, and if I can catch the thought and change the thought, it’s much easier to change the filter. It becomes a bit of a game that grows in its power the more I experience the momentum of how it works FOR me.

This week I was on a walk on Tuesday, the first day of spring. When the unhelpful thought showed up, I replaced it with ‘it’s the first day of spring!’, and then built from there – noticing signs of spring around me, and then noticing other cool things that get me back to equilibrium and possibility.

The thought has become funny because I kept doing it after that first day. Today will be, ‘it’s the sixth day of spring!’. This process now has the added benefit of humor that shifts the vibe quickly.

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For today’s post, I would like to share three things that have been helpful:

This first one is a (rather slow and unexciting) explanation of an incredibly relevant, intuitive, and simple practice that is easy to implement and, for my purposes, immediately effective. My suggestion is to stick with it, it’s 2.5 minutes long which can feel like an eternity, but I think it will be worth the watch.

The next thing I’d like to share is a helpful podcost. If you have ever read the book Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspe, you will know why I say ‘helpful’. It’s a longer story, but about a year ago I was talking about symptoms I was experiencing after HIIT workouts at orangetheoryfitness, and mentioned that blood sugar awareness is no stranger to me. The next morning, a coworker put two things on my desk: Glucose Revolution and a CURE electrolyte drink packet. I started reading the book that evening and skipped to the tips in part three. I also ordered the drink packets. Both were exactly what I needed. I got the results I wanted.

I tend to repeat the same unhelpful patterns even after I have discovered a helpful solution. I notice that when I repeat, it is less in one or more of the indicators: intensity/duration/frequency. Knowing this helps me until I eventually transmute it altogether. Recently, the uncomfortable symptoms were amping up again and I knew the patterns that were contributing to it, and what I could do to get back into balance.

If you are interested, here are the fast five questions at the end of the podcast interview. I am using them as a journal prompt for the Monday class:

Here is a very recent podcast with Jessie and Jay Shetty:

One last helpful suggestion is a simple tip taken from the last part of the book, Dopamine Detox. I think I mentioned this book in a previous post. A student suggested it to me, and it has made simple shifts in my day. This tip is almost too simple. Write your todo’s on post its. Set timer for increments that are manageable for you. I use 45 minute segments with a 15 minute break if I have multiple tasks. Pick one task and set the timer. When the timer is on, you are focusing on the task. You know you have a break ahead to do the things that may be popping up in your mind. I write down the things popping up in my mind and do them during the break.

I recognize the simplicity, but it is so effective. I have difficulty ‘getting started’ on tasks when it is the weekend. I have resistance doing my M-F tasks and work demands on the weekend. My end game is to not be in a position where M-F tasks need to be considered on the weekend. In the meantime, I need to take care of Future Sally who enjoys M-F much more when she can get ahead of tasks that need to be done.

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And here is the book excerpt for this week’s Sunday Book Club, taken from abetterway: