Objective: general aerobic and pure enjoyment Weather: High 50s F. Cloudy. Wet streets but rain had stopped. This was a "bonus" run. I swear, I really have gotten over my missed run (Tuesday), and have even matured to where I can see how ridiculous it was to be upset about it. ;) But I wanted to run today. And I was sure that a run today would not have any negative effects on tomorrow's workout. It felt so good; I enjoyed it immensely. My only worry (what, me get through a day without worrying? lol) is that the reduced mileage this week has left me feeling so fresh and energetic -- did I decrease too soon?!? Maybe I can "wipe that smile off" with tomorrow's marathon pace miles. Just kidding.
Since my week has been full of deep ponderings on psychological matters, I want to write down a key discovery. Maybe my future self will need to come back and read it someday. Please feel free to surf away if you're tired of my do-it-yourself therapy sessions. :D This is not an original idea, but something I read in a self help book. (I have a shameless love of this genre.) It's about something called "musty" thinking, a self imposed set of "musts" that hamper our ability to enjoy life, forgive, and sometimes to even function (as when they lead to illness brought on by stress). The "musts" come from three kinds of demands we make: 1) demands on our selves (to be perfect, to always get everything done, to look after everyone else and not ourselves, etc.), 2) demands on others (to meet our every expectation, to share our priorities, to understand us, etc.), and 3) demands on the universe (to give us propitious circumstances when we need them -- eg "there just cannot be a traffic jam when I'm running late..." etc. ) The trick is to change these kinds of demands into preferences and hopes. If you mentally demand things of yourself, others and the universe, it leaves no room to solve or forgive, or cope. In fact, it leads to the equivalent of a mental temper tantrum. I don't know where we get our "musty" thinking, or why some people don't have it at all. I certainly hope I can continue to shift to preferring and hoping instead. Oh look what I just said! "I hope..." Ha hah!
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