Friday Musings—23/02/24

When was the last time you laughed until your stomach ached?

It happened to me the other night at one of my theater classes. The evening had been filled with good vibes; my classmates and I were especially in sync throughout our improv session, and that carried on to the enunciation class (which can sometimes be boring!). As the teacher mercilessly commented on our mistakes, we started teasing each other. At a certain point, I burst out in laughter and couldn't seem to stop. I laughed so hard and for so long that I started crying. My classmates were surprised at first, then really amused, as I rarely lose control like that. In fact, I can hardly remember the last time it happened to me. My teachers have all told me that I come across as someone who is quite controlled and guarded, a comment I've heard for most of my life. I feel like I've become much more open, but my appearance still hasn't fully reflected that change. Generally speaking, I'm still learning to navigate the world and my relationships in my "post eating disorder era".

The previous week had been tense—health flare-ups, worries about my mum's health, a letter from my estranged dad, and a lack of sleep had me questioning the point of it all. That laugh made me feel whole and alive again. My classmates laughing with me and commenting that they had never seen me let loose like that also reinforced my sense of belonging, something that had been sorrily missing in my life (as I've mentioned before, the secrecy surrounding my eating disorders meant I was a lone wolf for most of my life).

If you'd like, share in the comments when was the last time you felt so joyful and alive and in sync with the world around you. Remembering those moments can help us carry on when the going gets tough.

Cool stuff 😎

"Reclaim your brain" Week 4 – Last week's focus was on creating a "phone break" schedule—planning stretches of time away from our phones, e.g., when going out for lunch or a walk. I experimented with taking a long break on Sunday, and it was great. One of you has also shared that their relationship with their phone has vastly improved, and they felt like they had regained control, which was wonderful to read!

As this week is the final week of the challenge, we're going to discuss how to sustain a healthy relationship with our phones going forward. By now, you should have realized what your screen time translates to in terms of days in a year (e.g., if you spend two hours per day on your phone, that's 30 days in a year) and taken steps to start using your phone as a tool and not a source of endless distraction. These include deleting the apps you know are time sinkers (e.g., social media), creating phone-free zones in your house (e.g., your bedroom), disabling most notifications, and leaving the phone at home when possible.

Take some time to reflect on what has worked for you and what hasn't, and the benefits you've noticed in terms of your focus and attention span. Give yourself some grace when you find yourself scrolling late at night again. Becoming more mindful about our phone habits is a process. If you find yourself turning to your device for distraction, find other activities you could turn to instead (reading, going for a walk, meditating, watching a good movie, cooking something good). Share your experience with us as we can all learn from each other.

Good news corner 🌈

New hope for stroke patients – A tiny camera has been used for the first time ever in a procedure to diagnose and treat a patient who suffered from multiple strokes in Canada.

Quote of the week ✍️ 

"Laughter is a sunbeam of the soul".  (Thomas Mann)

As always, I welcome your insights or questions in the comments. You can also send me an email or book a call to talk about where you're at in life and where you'd like to go. Don't forget to share this with someone who may find it useful.

Enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML