fookisan
Guest
The early Greeks spent much time on asking the question of what constitutes a 'flourishing of the species' when it comes to humans. Animals have a natural ability to not act against themselves and their actions are always in the direction of such a flourishing - unless they come under the control of humans. Many of us do not have this ability to dedicate all our actions to such flourishing unless we give it some thought and effort. As such, I need many reminders, even with basics, as to what constitutes healthy behavior for me and what does not.
Enclosed is a description of the star system I use to remind me daily of important recovery or health related areas I have to work on. I write down the code letters as shown below on the right margin of my day book. If I do the minimum requirements, I put a ' * ' next to the letter. If it is a 11 star day, things are on track, if I see 5 or 6 stars, I'm headed in the wrong direction. The acid test for us is once we have this realization of our direction in living wrong do we continue in the wrong direction or make an effort to turn ourselves around to living healthy again?
This is my list:
S
E
W
C
C
CA
SS
L
A
R
H
(See below for descriptions.)
S leep (Did I get 6-1/2 hours sleep minimum? In my prior life I would average 4 to 5 hours a night when left to my own methods of living.)
E xercise (No star unless it is decent exercise for at least 45 min that leaves one sweaty or at least feeling the efforts at the end of the workout.)
W ater drink 3 cups a day minimum. (I also drink tea and juices.)
C hew each bite of food minimum of 10 times (I have to make a conscious effort to be mindful of each bite of food I am eating as my normal way is to put in a second bite before I've finished the first - sensation addiction. )
C alories (My caloric budget is 1800 calories a day 6 days a week and 2500 calories on Sunday if I wish to stay at my goal weight of 155 pounds.)
CA computer addiction (Very easy to escape life through the computer. I have to limit my computer time to stay healthy.)
SS spiritual studies (Did I spend a few minutes that day reading along the lines of recovery, self improvement or spiritual studies?)
L ate No late night eating after 9PM. (Late night eating is great for putting on the fat and generates nightmares for me as well as fitful sleep. When do our internal organs ever get a break? I used to eat from 7 AM until midnight.)
A cceptance (Did I release my life to God or a Higher Power and practice acceptance as suggested in the 12 step programs as well as my Buddhist and Taoist practice.)
R age (I am a rageaholic - did I blow up today? Rage is a very easy program to blow. No rage for months and then boom the inevitable blow up comes without having mindfulness of the disease.)
H umilty (Did I make an effort to be humble today? I don't have to be the humblest thing on earth, but did I make any effort at all?)
Make up your own star system for what you would like to accomplish. Just keep it short so you'll stick with it, don't start making lists of 20 to 30 stars to remember each day. I don't write down areas that I do not have trouble with, I concentrate on areas that give me problems. I've been using this system for 8 years with slight modifications and find 12 to 14 is the maximum reminders I like to deal with. For an excessive person like myself I could easily write down 25 stars each day and soon not care about doing any of them due to burnout. Always seek balance and sustainability for the long haul as recovery is a life long program.
Take care,
fookisan
Enclosed is a description of the star system I use to remind me daily of important recovery or health related areas I have to work on. I write down the code letters as shown below on the right margin of my day book. If I do the minimum requirements, I put a ' * ' next to the letter. If it is a 11 star day, things are on track, if I see 5 or 6 stars, I'm headed in the wrong direction. The acid test for us is once we have this realization of our direction in living wrong do we continue in the wrong direction or make an effort to turn ourselves around to living healthy again?
This is my list:
S
E
W
C
C
CA
SS
L
A
R
H
(See below for descriptions.)
S leep (Did I get 6-1/2 hours sleep minimum? In my prior life I would average 4 to 5 hours a night when left to my own methods of living.)
E xercise (No star unless it is decent exercise for at least 45 min that leaves one sweaty or at least feeling the efforts at the end of the workout.)
W ater drink 3 cups a day minimum. (I also drink tea and juices.)
C hew each bite of food minimum of 10 times (I have to make a conscious effort to be mindful of each bite of food I am eating as my normal way is to put in a second bite before I've finished the first - sensation addiction. )
C alories (My caloric budget is 1800 calories a day 6 days a week and 2500 calories on Sunday if I wish to stay at my goal weight of 155 pounds.)
CA computer addiction (Very easy to escape life through the computer. I have to limit my computer time to stay healthy.)
SS spiritual studies (Did I spend a few minutes that day reading along the lines of recovery, self improvement or spiritual studies?)
L ate No late night eating after 9PM. (Late night eating is great for putting on the fat and generates nightmares for me as well as fitful sleep. When do our internal organs ever get a break? I used to eat from 7 AM until midnight.)
A cceptance (Did I release my life to God or a Higher Power and practice acceptance as suggested in the 12 step programs as well as my Buddhist and Taoist practice.)
R age (I am a rageaholic - did I blow up today? Rage is a very easy program to blow. No rage for months and then boom the inevitable blow up comes without having mindfulness of the disease.)
H umilty (Did I make an effort to be humble today? I don't have to be the humblest thing on earth, but did I make any effort at all?)
Make up your own star system for what you would like to accomplish. Just keep it short so you'll stick with it, don't start making lists of 20 to 30 stars to remember each day. I don't write down areas that I do not have trouble with, I concentrate on areas that give me problems. I've been using this system for 8 years with slight modifications and find 12 to 14 is the maximum reminders I like to deal with. For an excessive person like myself I could easily write down 25 stars each day and soon not care about doing any of them due to burnout. Always seek balance and sustainability for the long haul as recovery is a life long program.
Take care,
fookisan
