We all have things in our lives that must be done every day. Things we may not necessarily ENJOY doing, but we still do them. We know that when we don't they bring problems to us later on. They can range from things as simple as brushing our teeth, putting in contact lenses, or taking out the trash.
Bringing and maintaining order in your living space, a big theme in the lives of many, requires regular attention and effort. The time spent performing such daily tasks can become an ideal opportunity for growth. First, since you do them daily, they serve as an ideal occasion for reminding yourself of your core commitments and values, or of your current goals. Perhaps even more importantly, the process of cleaning, of bringing order to the space you live in, is an ideal metaphor for the practice of living thoughtfully.
An ideal time to serve yourself with this reminder is during the time you are cleaning. Take that time to talk to yourself, to release any worries and preoccupations that are bogging you down, and to bring your thoughts back to your core values. For a model of this kind of self talk, try out "Housework and Cleaning Meditation." Of course, if your problem is that you find it hard to get started cleaning in the first place, "Think Like a Clean and Organized Person" just might get that broom in your hands!
To live thoughtfully, which is what "My Thought Coach" is all about, is not the end of a process but the process itself. To live thoughtfully is a form of practice, a daily exercise, of bringing your thoughts back in line with your highest values and your best potential. This is something you can no more achieve once and for all than you could expect to clean your house once and for all. Or wash the last dish. Or take the ultimate shower to end all showers. Things always get messy again.
So it is with our thoughts. There are so many things out there that tug at our attention, which can so easily dominate our thoughts and emotions. To get back in the driver's seat of your own mind requires a regular return to the center, a daily reminder of who you are.
You have the power to affect change to your physical body you also have the power to affect change to your physical SURROUNDINGS. All things physical allow us to master the things going on WITHIN us. You are indelibly connected to your environment, as the world is inside you as you are within it.
Valuable information and occasional musings from Stin-- to enhance the guided meditations, workouts, and affirmations from mythoughtcoach.com, her podcasts and mobile apps.
Motivational messages, meditation, and EFT are great for reinforcing good intentions. However, absolutely nothing can change that cold, hard fact: dirty dishes are STILL dirty dishes!
ReplyDeleteNo amout of meditation will make them disappear and no number of affirmations can convince either side of my brain that doing dishes is an uplifting or fulfilling exercise. Even the joyous nanosecond of a sparkling kitchen does not amend my pickled fingers, tired feet, sore back, and the knowlege that the job is not truly done.
I am too aware that, as I pour a glass of wine and settle in with a book, I have created another dirty dish!
Dirty dishes are an eternal moil, an unending, unremitting lost battle.
I'm almost 40 and it always seems like practically everyone I know is responsible enough and motivated enough to keep their homes clean, even though they have young kids. So I can't really use my kids as an excuse for me not making up my bed or for the laundry piling up. Sometimes i think to myself that I am just a lazy person who hates to do housework. But at the same time I wonder does it mean that people who have the discipline to keep their houses in order are more focused in their lives, are more in control of their lives. I guess that it only makes sense that they must be because they don't have thoughts of dirty dishes or dirty floors lingering in the back of their minds - their consciences are more clear than mine? Thinking about things that need to be done around the house has caused me some stress in the past and at times seems to keep me stuck. So I guess positive thinking/motivational thinking that will get me to see my daily chores as a mental necessity might be worth trying.
ReplyDeleteDecide when your going to clean and put it out of your mind until that time. It's not going anywhere so it will wait for you, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteIf I am getting stressed about my house not being clean I try to think about what I am doing at that moment, if I am on a bus I can't be cleaning and if I am doing something else I have 2 options stop and go clean or focus on what I am doing. I find this helps me put things into perspective and understand that I have choices and so what if cleaning isn't the top choice.
I also hate dishes, and just as GrayKat said: "I am aware that even as I pour a glass of wine and settle in with a book, I have created another dirty dish!" The work never ends and thinking about that aspect of it makes me feel trapped! But I can choose when to take a break and come back to it. And the truth rings in Stin's words that all things physical allow us to master the things going on within us. For the past year or so, I have been focusing on "simplify, simplify, simplify..." the word on my mind daily. I hate making the bed in the morning! So I got a duvet and comforter and got rid of the whole topsheet with blankets, etc. I just whoosh it and let it fall each morning. I cut my hair very short so it takes just a few seconds to style it every morning. I got rid of things and I am still getting rid of things. I feel lighter! My mind feels a little less burdened. It's true :) My anxiety has lessened.
ReplyDelete