Last week Wakana suggested I make a list of all the good things I do. I wrote my list as a blog post draft that I updated daily. I loved doing it so much, I’ve decided to try making it a feature. Enjoy!
Wednesday
- Realized I’m at least partially responsible for how others treat me and committed to learning more adaptive behaviors
- Tried to go to class
- Practiced self-care by coming home when my symptoms interfered with my ability to attend class
- Waited on my way out of the parking garage so someone could pull out of their spot
- Played with my pet rats, gave them a puzzle to solve, taught them their names, & set healthy boundaries
- Skyped with Banji & worked on my paper instead of playing The Sims 3
- Got gas for my car
Thursday
- Worked on my paper
- Played The Sims 3 for a reasonable amount of time
- Took a shower
- Relaxed
- Engaged in respectful discussion of a difficult topic despite someone twisting my arguments
- Met with the instructor of my piano class, attended class, role-played for a classmate, and asked useful questions
- Used supportive self-talk to cope with difficult emotions in class and get home safely
- Requested a paper extension (assertiveness)
- Received & appreciated support from Mom
- Practiced piano
- Enjoyed “family time” with Fox and our pet rats
Friday
- Enjoyed a few quiet moments when I first woke up
- Let Fox sleep in on his day off from work
- Spent the day with him talking about our life goals and other things that are important to us
- Dealt with dirty dishes
- Enjoyed spring weather & celebrated Beltane
Saturday
- Practiced piano
- Had a good conversation with Fox’s sister
- Posted supportive comments in response to posts about difficult topics on Facebook
- Provided supervised outside-the-cage playtime for my rats when they seemed to want/need it
- Emailed my instructor with specific questions to help prepare for the final exam
Sunday
- Spent the day composing and practicing piano
- Cleaned the rat cage
- Gave the rats a tunnel to play in
- Asserted that it was “family time” after giving Fox some time to unwind following a late shift at work
- Worked toward my personal goal to (regularly) eat more fruits and vegetables
Monday
- Reworded the preceding “good thing” to reflect that it is a personal goal. Different people have different nutritional needs; each person’s food choices are their own.
- Made conscious decisions about how to spend my time
- Took pleasure in simple things, like hearing my rats eat
- Realized that “listed the good things I’ve done today” should be the penultimate item on each day’s list
- Followed by “re-read the whole list and felt happy/proud”
- Decided on my (potential) thesis topic and thought of one (potential) means of researching it
- Answered the question I was going to ask my instructor by thinking about it in more depth
- Continued composing and practicing piano
- Enjoyed the beautiful weather
- Went out for dinner and a movie with Fox
Tuesday
- PIANO!!!
- Started clicker training my rats
- Set & kept a boundary with Mom
- Helped make dinner
- Realized I was over-practicing one song for my piano final and took a break from it
- Played The Sims 3 for a reasonable amount of time
a day with depression 