Thought for Today

Movement, in any direction, is a good thing.

And today, on a rainy, crummy, miserable, hide-under-the-covers-and-don't-come-out kind of day, that movement took the form of 1) getting out early to visit with friends and 2) cleaning and organizing my house.

What a difference that made! It took every ounce of my willpower to force myself to get moving, but as with most things, the forward momentum, both socially and organizationally, made it easier. I finished the day by teaching my childbirth class and rewarding myself with a nice dinner, a glass of wine, and some quality time with my darling husband after the kids were in bed.

Likewise for martial arts class last night. I showed up, dressed, and sought out my friend. "This is the last place I want to be tonight," I said drearily as I stretched and began warming up. But as always, once I had surrendered to the structure of the class, I was glad to be there, and it was exactly what I had needed. We had dinner out afterward, which was an added bonus I would have missed out on had I stayed home like I had wanted.

I've noticed that, since adopting the above mantra, my periodic tendency to lapse into depression has lessened. Movement - any kind of movement, in any kind of direction - is always preferable when faced with a potential depressive episode. Social anxiety is often best met head-on by forcing myself into social interaction. Lethargy is best dealt with by forcing myself to exercise. Sometimes, just pushing myself to clean the sink (a la Flylady) is the little bit of movement it takes to overcome the inertia.

I'm enjoying my clean house, a full tummy, my sweet husband, and a movie tonight.

Movement is good. Life is good.

:-D