Finished cutting the grass this morning and off to the pool shortly. Had a
great time at the GNCC dirtbike course. I faced my fears and went back in the
woods and survived. Was not scared of the tress per se, was sacred of what is
hidden between the trees. The ATV's rut the path out. The trail is narrow
and steep in places with slag and sometimes fallen trees. No room to hardly
turn around if you need to. Mud holes fill the ruts and it is hell for a two
wheeler - unless your a trials ride or expert GNCC rider. Trails were not too
bad, some steeps and lose debris but I made it OK with only 1 fall. When you
face your fears it keeps you stronger as I wrote to you previously in "The less
you do...the less you will be able to do" if you missed it and want copy
write me.

That post generated a lot of comments. One lady on another list piped up how
boastful I am saying "oh big deal V is skating...so what" Another lady
joined in that my posts have nothing to do with recovery. A third lady chipped
in
how she hates old men with gray goatees. (referring to a line in an earlier
post where I described my appearance.) Principles over personalties ever come
to mind to these critics? When we spend our time trying to change or destroy
others it is a signpost of our own disease. No, my posts are not perfect
(another lady wrote me to tell me they are full of grammatical errors) Well, I
was
trained as a woodworker, not a writer. This predisposition to pick apart a
persons posts helps with distracting a sick addict from dealing with the real
issues of their addiction. In the Gamblers Anonymous literature it describes
this state.

Taken from the Dream World of a Gambler:

"Pathetically, however, there never seems to be a big enough winning to make
even the smallest dream come true. When compulsive gamblers succeed, they
gamble to dream still greater dreams. When failing, they gamble in reckless
desperation and the depths of their misery are fathomless as their dream world
comes crashing down. Sadly, they will struggle back, dream more dreams and of
course suffer more misery. No one can convince them that their great schemes
will not come true. They believe they will, for without this dream world, life
for them would not be tolerable."

"For without this dream world, life for them would not be tolerable" Without
their concentration of tearing down others their life would have to focus on
their shortcomings? May I kindly suggest to anyone reading my posts that you
and the others take anything you wish to take from my posts and if you see
nothing useful then discard it? All problems are created in the mind. These
are issues you have to come to peace with for yourself. I am already at peace
with them.

Labor Day marks the traditional end of summer for most people. For me, I
don't go by the calendar or the holidays I go by what is. This same phenomena
happens when the spring comes. I talked with ski resort operators that tell me
people stop coming to the slopes around Easter no matter how much snow is
there. Last year it was warm as heck in January so I could not get much skiing
in
unless I liked slush and mud, so I got the inline skates and motoboard out
of mothballs and started back with them. This last year we bought a couple of
drysuits for kayaking. We are lucky that we can also use this technology to
extend out jet ski season to late October or early November. If it is hot
again in the winter we might be yaking or jetskiing in January instead of snow
skiing. If I can't go right, I go left. I don't look for an excuse to quit, I
look for an excuse to continue.

Positive time fillers plays a major role in my recovery program. I've
encloses an old post on sport and movent related activities for your perusal.
The
outdoors pool is shutting today, so will be switching gears to inline and
motoboard with some indoor pool this week. Although the indoor pool schedule is
erratic since it at a college. Also plan to spend some time on the hammock and
hammock chair when things cool down. Maybe do some whitewater kayaking later
this week and some scuba in a week or two. The scuba trip costs $55 just in
gas, so gasoline has cut into my activities. Will start enjoying campfires in
my backyard in my fir pit. Boastful? I use my posts as reminders on how to
live a life that is healthy, sustainable and at peace. When we write our
proposed actions down it helps crystallize these thoughts into actions. It is
only
boastful if it is a lie. I don't lie about my life - I live it.


"Positive Time Fillers"



Developing a list of positive time fillers was a big help with my
addictions. As Thoreau wrote in Walden , "The devil finds work for idle hands."
Before heading in this new direction, most of my time was occupied by what to
buy
next, overeating rich foods and getting fat and when I wanted a break from
that I had a picnic basket of other addictive areas to get drugged up with.
Most of my new activities are sport or movement related as they also serve the
purposes of helping with my overeating disease and have the added benefit of
improved health and don't produce clutter like some hobbies do. In addition
they help with depression, balance and equilibrium and brain functioning. Now,
keeping busy is not the cure all for addicts, but it is a necessary
foundational pillar.

Other areas of importance are those activities that relax our minds or
stimulate them for healthy growth potential. Bottom line: is the activity
pleasing
to us, healthy, nurturing and sustainable? You can also use the SCA
guidelines for any questions about the activity: is the activity placing
unreasonable
demands on my time and energy, will it place me in legal jeopardy or
endanger my mental, physical or spiritual health? Remember, as Jack LaLane
said,
exercise and eating healthy, natural foods are the King and Queen of good
health. If you hate to move and hate to eat well, then do as he also said; "I
developed a liking for things that are good for me."

Now I have much to look forward to in life for activities or rewards that
are not destructive and are sustainable. Activities to occupy yourself that
don't revolve around spending, eating, gambling, drugs or alcohol or other
addictive areas only go so far in recovery though. You also have to be careful
to
take time to relax and not escape life through activity. Horace wrote,
"Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt--You can run away as far as you
like but you'll never get away from yourself." 12 Step work, reducing stress,
repairing the wreckage of the past and living a balanced life all contribute
to heading in the right recovery direction.

I've enclosed a few of some of my activities below for your perusal. Also be
careful you don't find another excuse to compulsively spend with each new
activity or sport you take up. That is something I have to watch. For instance.
If you take up rollerblading, you buy one pair of skates and one set or
protective gear, etc. You don't buy 5 pairs of skates 5 different skate bags and
8 sets of skate clothes, in all colors for each day of the week plus one extra
for holidays. If you want different skates, you sell the old pair and then
buy a different set. Everything is on a "one in ~ one out" basis to avoid
compulsive spending, stockpiling and clutter.

Partial List of My Positive Time Filling Activities:

Hiking, Mountain Bike, Climbing Gym and Rock Climbing, Basketball,
Rollerblading, Trail Running, Jet Skiing, Racquetball, Swim, Sun Bath, Fishing,
Canoeing, Skateboarding, Weight Training, Target Shooting, Camping, Jogging,
Kayaking, Motorcycle, Snowshoe, Downhill Skiing, XC Skiing, Yoga, Massage,
Meditation, Dirt Bike, Free Lectures and Movies at a Local University, Snow
Tubing,
Snorkeling / Scuba, Napping or Relaxing in a Hammock, Bar B Q, Picnics,
Library, Spiritual Studies, Free Musical Events and Concerts, Church Services,
Scenic Seasonal Car Trips, Travel.

Exercise and healthy eating are the king and queen of good health. They must
also sit on a thrown of low stress living. I hope you make the king and
queen part of your life. Here is a small snip from Psychotherapy Toady regarding
the benefits of exercise with addiction.

Why does exercise have such an impact on the emotional brain? Naturally,
there is, first of all, its effect on endorphins. These tiny molecules secreted
by the brain resemble opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin.
The emotional brain contains many receptors for endorphins, and that's why it
is so sensitive to opium-it immediately radiates a sensation of well-being
and satisfaction by hijacking one of the emotional brain's own intrinsic
mechanisms.
Opium has a powerful effect on emotions-in fact, it's the strongest known
antidote to the pangs of separation and mourning. However, when derivatives of
opium are used too often, they can become habit forming. Brain receptors
become inured to them, so the dose must be systematically increased in order
to produce the same effect. Moreover, because the receptors become less and
less sensitive, regular pleasures lose all their power and potency-including
sex, the pleasure of which is often reduced in drug addicts.

The secretion of endorphins brought on by physical exercise does exactly the
opposite. The more the natural mechanism of pleasure is gently stimulated by
exercise, the more sensitive the mechanism itself becomes. In addition to
relishing sex and life's other big pleasures, people who exercise regularly
actually get more pleasure out of the little things in life: their friendships,
their cats, their meals, their hobbies, or even the smiles of passersby in the
street. Essentially, it becomes easier for them to be satisfied, And in
fact, the experience of pleasure is just the opposite of depression. Depression
is defined,
above all, by the absence of pleasure, more so than by sadness, which is
probably the reason why the release of endorphins has such a potent
antidepressant and anxiolytic effect. Stimulating the emotional brain by
exercise also kindles the immune system. It promotes the proliferation
of "natural killer" cells, making them more aggressive against infections
and cancer cells. The opposite effect occurs with heroin addicts, whose immune
defenses collapse, often causing them to become gravely ill.

Exercise may also strengthen another physiological mechanism related to
emotional health. This mechanism involves what we have already learned about
heart rate variability. "'People who exercise regularly show a greater
variability in heart rate and more coherence than people who do not. This means
that
their parasympathetic system, the physiological "brake" that brings on periods
of calm, is healthier and stronger. A good balance between the two branches
of the autonomic nervous system is one of the best potential antidotes to
anxiety and panic attacks. All the symptoms of anxiety start with an overactive
sympathetic system, a dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, sweating, trembling, a
rise in blood pressure. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are
always in opposition. Thus, the more stimulation the parasympathetic branch
receives, the stronger it becomes-like a developing muscle.






V (Male)


For access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive spending,
debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write: vfr44@.... Any opinion
expressed here is that of my own and is not the opinion, recommendation or
belief of any group or organization.




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