The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Over the past 24 hours I've been slipping. My focus has shifted from where it needs to be--on an important test I'll take shortly after Thanksgiving--to my A, our relationship, and how we can solve our problems. I've been spacing out, not planning my days, and thinking about the relationship, not the test. I've been calling my A often just to distract myself from the test and studying. I have noticed that I start to focus on the A (and things I can not control) when I want to avoid the intensity of my own emotions/reality, so it makes since that as I get stressed and anxious, I try to distract myself from my feelings and my focus shifts.
Here's what I plan to do to get back on track:
Tonight I will rub my scalp with soothing rosemary and olive oil and soak my feet in a warm footbath.
I will establish a schedule for tomorrow that is realistic and keeps me focused on the test for at least part of the day (rather than expecting myself to study for 8 hours straight).
I will build 30 minutes of exercise into tomorrow.
I will plan 1 or 2 things that are self-care oriented that will help my body feel good and help sooth me.
I will plan a list of things for the next week of what I want to do to get mentally, physically, spiritually read for the test.
Keep a log of things I want to tell my A instead of using everything I think of as an excuse to call and shift my focus
Well, that should be enough to get me started! LOL. Thanks for listening! Additional ES&H welcome and appreciated.
That's great you are going to look after and pamper yourself. I often promise myself I will do it and then all sorts of rubbish gets in the way and self pampering slips to the back burner! lol.
Just one thing, Great idea to do the rosemary and oil head massage and footbath...Rosemary oil is a wonderful oil as it's very beneficial for hair and a great oil to promote focussing. I used it a lot when I was studying. I used to use it in a diffuser or burner. Smells great and has brilliant properties for helping to keep me mentally alert as it's a really powerful stimulant. Not such a great choice for the evenings though as it's likely to keep you awake and we all need our beauty sleep. A better choice would be a few drops of chamomile or lavender.( If you had one or two drops of each essential oil you could mix the two) A couple of drops in the footbath would be great too.Very relaxing. I'd save the rosemary for the morning to kick start the day. (sorry,I'm an aromatherapist....lol)
I start obsessing about my A. It is unproductive after awhile. I say my mantra and say the 12 steps. Then I plan my day. Sounds like you have a great plan. Keep it up.