My Best Self 101 Blog
Why can implementing regular exercise be so difficult? Because exercise is hard work. It can be inconvenient in our busy schedules and make us sore or uncomfortable. These are realities that stop us from following through with regular exercise. So, what can help us break these barriers? I found that working out with a partner adds an element of fun and enjoyment.
Our lives are the result of many small habits we perform day after day, some good and some bad. Most of our habits have become so ingrained in who we are, we don’t even think about them anymore. All throughout our day, our productivity, health, and happiness (or lack thereof) are largely due to our habits. For most of us, the good habits outnumber the bad, which helps us to lead productive, satisfying lives. But what if we’ve gotten in a funk or are feeling overwhelmed or just don’t feel as happy as we want to? What if we want to be someone different, but we just can’t figure out how to do it? Day after day, we set goals and find ourselves never achieving them; our old habits are stifling whom we know we have the potential to become.
There are days where I feel particularly down on myself. Overwhelmed and discouraged because things aren’t going right, my thoughts are swarming with things I didn’t do enough of, or things I didn’t do right and could’ve done better. In those moments, I’ve reflected back on my goal and tried to start listing three things that I like about myself. Every single time, I find that my mood drastically improves. Amidst everything I’m worried about, I find something in that situation that sheds a positive light on me and I generate the hope to power through.
I haven’t always been great at exercising. Don’t get me wrong—body shame issues, eating disorders, and an intense jealousy of others’ beauty drove me to try exercising for years. I just never was able to get consistent enough to reach my goals. Despite countless conversations with myself, I could ever seem to figure out why.
I had a special experience with savoring that has changed my outlook on my life entirely. I used to think that being on the go 24/7 was a good thing because I was able to “get more done.” What I failed to realize was that my constantly busy lifestyle was depriving me of what I needed most: connection and understanding.
The fact the resilient people understand that unfortunate circumstances happen is essentially an association between struggle and the human experience. Often, a cultivation of resilient behavior is found closely with the recognition that, though your experiences and interpretations thereof are unique, adversity is common among all people.
So how does this apply to us—individuals who may or may not be Buddhist, but who are all trying to fill our lives with a little more happiness? Well, if we accept the concept is true, then we recognize that we have no real control of most events in our lives. Just like the waves of the ocean, opportunities and challenges ebb and flow on their own time frame.
