Follow the Plan: A Guest Post

Today I am grateful for laughter in the workplace. I am also grateful for reminders from a Higher Power.

I am trying to mix things up a bit on my blog, and to do some different things. With that in mind, today I am happy to include a guest post from my sister Aileen. Not only are Aileen and I sisters, we are also fellow writers and bloggers.  Her blog, "Poetic License: Poetry and Commentary on Current Events," can be found here.  Several of her poems have inspired several of my posts. Here is one.

Like the rest of us, Aileen hasn't been left unscathed by life. She has both literal and figurative scars.
Like me, her writing has been a saving grace. I have much respect for the effort and joy that Aileen puts into living a healthy life, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I am blessed to share her wisdom in this guest post, titled "Follow the Plan."   Thanks Aileen!

Follow the Plan

“Follow the plan, not the feelings” is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard regarding depression. It also applies to gratitude practice. Exhibit A: today. The plan: pause for brief gratitude check-ins every hour or two. The check-in could be counting five gratitudes on my fingers or saying thank you to someone or making a list. Sounds good and manageable right? Enter feelings, captured by the following: why bother, who cares, it’s too much work and I don’t wanna.

Hmmm, if I wait to feel gratitude I may never do it. But if I follow my plan – regardless of feelings – I can often act my way into enhanced gratitude and well-being. Eventually “why bother, who cares, it’s too much work and I don’t wanna” become: “I bother, I care, it’s easy and I will.”

So, following the plan today I appreciated (not a complete list): a touch of chill in the air, a chocolate cake recipe that is an oldie but goodie, birds flitting in the yard, flowers at the University, that I have plenty of food and am not in a refugee camp.