It has been a tough several months for me, and my old habit of spending when in pain and depressed has started to reappear, and this time it could have a double impact as I have been purchasing (and eating) poor foods. This blog post is a reminder to myself (or rather me telling myself off!), of the other good habits and activities I can do, and avoid shopping.
- Go for a walk, take my camera - I love photography, and live near a state forest, full of wildlife, ferns and walking tracks. Exercise helps relieve stress, and in the long term, reduces pain for me (in the short term, it increases pain). Also, I can use my stockpile of exercise DVDs when the weather is nasty.
- Get out in the garden, take cuttings and plant them. I have soil, compost, healthy plants, a stockpile of seeds, as well as a bunch of larger plants that need to be pruned. I also have newspaper (weed matting) and straw, so I can look after and improve my garden without purchasing anything new. Gardening is also exercise... hurts in the short term, but there are long term benefits - fitness, flexibility, reduced pain, and fruits/vegetables from a happy garden.
- Pre-cook and freeze meals and snacks. I can make my own cookies, knowing what goes into them, I can make them healthier, or make small batches. To use up what I have bought, I can bulk-cook meals and freeze them, making it easier to choose something for dinner. I have a bunch of veggies that I can make into soups, and have salad greens waiting to be eaten. I should use what I have more often, reducing the number of times I 'have' to go to the shops, and ensuring I don't eat junk. This is something I must focus on at the moment as this is my weakest area.
- Craft and sew more. I have a huge stockpile of quilting fabric, cross stitching floss and pattens, sewing stuff and clothes waiting for repair. As I have lost a lot of weight recently, I also have a bunch of clothes that I could alter to fit. I should make this my mantra - use what I have. I don't need to buy more clothes.
- Play more. I have a bunch of games, including several fitness games. Games reduce stress, and although the fitness games may hurt in the short term, they will do good things long term. I also have access to a massive pile of board games, and always want to play more, but never seem to get around to it. I'm sure my cats would also appreciate me playing more with them!
- Read and study more. I have always been a book worm, and have a pile of unread books. Instead of adding more to that pile, I will read what I have. I also have piles of more difficult Japanese books and magazines, which I may be able to start to read if I used the Japanese text books that are gathering dust on the shelves. I am within easy walking distance of three libraries, and the online catalog allows me to put a hold on any book in a much larger library network. I am using the libraries much more often at the moment, which has reduced the urge to shop for books.
- Sleep more. Being a night owl is difficult, even when not working. Staying up till very late does not work well with appointments. Sleep is so important for pain control, health and depression. I never seem to get enough. If I got more sleep, I would feel better in myself, and the urge to shop would be less.
- Write to friends more often. I have fallen out of touch with many of my friends. I have a stockpile of lettersets, and a few pre-paid envelopes and stamps, so it would be easy to write a letter to catch up. Or I could send an email, and attach some photos (seeing as all my photos are electronic!) I don't need to buy anything for this!
Enough blogging, I shall go and actually do some of these things, and find my way out of my funk, without spending!
















