Sociemomental

  I wish I could just flip a switch; I’d face the world with equanimity instead of distress. Notice I didn’t mention elation. To embrace equanimity is to temper the extreme lows AND highs. Well, I don’t get too high. Not anymore. My “high” is holding out hope that the rest of my life is worth living. My low is quite low. I think equanimity was always the right approach to life, but from my current perspective, it’s the holy grail. I miss the highs. I really do. But if I’m honest, they scare me more than the lows. Life’s highs made me feel giddy, attractive, powerful, lucky, and clever. How do you act when you feel that way? I often act foolishly. There’s a term, chevauch é e, that was in use during the Hundred Years War between England and France. It describes an army moving through enemy territory, burning and pillaging everything in its path, intentionally destroying the prosperity and productivity of the entire region. That’s how I act when I feel great about myself. I’m n...

  Tomorrow was a good day. It started with a good night’s sleep. The night before, I made sure to wind down physically and mentally as bedtime approached. Instead of letting my mind wander, I talked to myself about the values I try to live by. It put my mind at ease and let me relax. I woke up at about the same time as always, which is earlier than my mind and body would prefer. But I woke to a slightly different room. My clothes were waiting within reach. That moment was a nice change from the usual. I didn’t have to decide what to wear. It minimized the time I spent in the cold morning air. Waking up to a bit of care that I had given myself felt good. Another thing that felt good was knowing that my schedule for the day was set. It was sketched out in my notebook, waiting on the kitchen table for me to review. That helped me avoid worry about what the day would bring. Its funny how much better my mental health is when I don’t have to decide what to do. In the morning, I...

"Soshe", "Emo", "Mental" Social, Emotional, Mental  Here I publish essays and observations about my experience with these three aspects of well-being.  I hope to make some friends out there. I hope you find some companionship here.