Fixing it the Dog Training Way
So you wake up and realize it is a terrible health day! You get up and do the minimal and everything goes wrong, and you decide to go back to bed. UGH!
Whoa! Wait a minute! When things fall apart sometimes the opposite is the best solution. Let's take this situation on, the "dog training way".
1. Back up a step
2. Look at your plan/strategy
3. What? You didn't have a plan?
4. Well then, there you go, you build one!
We can walk through this one step at a time.
Here is one example:
After three wonderful days of learning and activities, and realizing I'd averaged one meal a day for three days laced with peanut snacks, it was a crash day! I headed back to bed realizing bed wasn't going to fix it, I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air.
The food I had planned for breakfast to help get me back on track had already been consumed and the other options were, well, let's just say I would not have been in a better state nutritionally. "Darn! I guess I'll have to go to the store." Yuck, the store on a day feeling like this and having to be polite and talk to people (oxygen depleted)? "Go back to bed!" said the bird in my head!
Not the answer after a three day poor nutrition pattern. So I built my plan and how I would make it through and feel great.
Goal of a plan:
To build for success, and know what step to back up to if necessary.
To build for success, and know what step to back up to if necessary.
Be proactive instead of reactive.
(This is the part that's the "Dog Training Way")
(This is the part that's the "Dog Training Way")
1. communicating with nice store personnel
A. find a way to respond with appreciation without using my voice: wink, smile and the "ok" hand signal
B. find a way to respond to people offering help that may not be needed: smile and "no thanks" head nod
C. leave jacket unzipped: people can see the trach filter and probably won't ask for more details if not needed, keeping talking to a minimum.
C. leave jacket unzipped: people can see the trach filter and probably won't ask for more details if not needed, keeping talking to a minimum.
2. Dealing with the shopping cart, to stay pain-free and frustration free
A. Keep the shopping cart at my side instead of trying to push and pull it.
B. Leave the shopping cart at the end of the aisle and bring food to it.
B. Leave the shopping cart at the end of the aisle and bring food to it.
i. plenty of room at the end for the cart beside me (in chair)
ii. other people able to pass by comfortably
ii. other people able to pass by comfortably
3. The Check Out
A. Let cashier know I need help with unloading cart: choose the least number of words. Smile & Wave.
B. Let cashier know I'll be loading the items myself into my backpack: choose least number of words. Smile & Wave.
B. Let cashier know I'll be loading the items myself into my backpack: choose least number of words. Smile & Wave.
4. Load the groceries myself... yikes!
A. Try and then ask for help if needed.
These were the results of the plan:
1. communicating with nice store personnel
A. find a way to respond with appreciation without using my voice: wink, smile and the "ok" hand signal
Perfect! In fact when they would pass me after I had responded, they just nodded and smiled as well!
B. find a way to respond to people offering help that may not be needed: smile and the hand wave that says "no problem"
Perfect! I smiled, with the head nod of "no". You know, when you use that head nod and Smile, people see that it's a positive!
C. leave jacket unzipped: people can see the trach filter and probably won't ask for more details if not needed, keeping talking to a minimum.
I think it helped.
2. Dealing with the shopping cart, to stay pain-free and frustration free
A. Keep the shopping cart at my side instead of trying to push and pull it.
Kept head pressure to a minimum, so helped maintain the stamina that I did have.
B. Leave the shopping cart at the end of the aisle and bring food to it.
i. plenty of room at the end for the cart beside me (in chair)
ii. other people able to pass by comfortably
ii. other people able to pass by comfortably
Worked on all accounts! And only lost my shopping cart once (cart handler error). Made a little sign for the cart so it wouldn't be swooped up and items returned to shelves.
3. The Check Out
A. Let cashier know I need help with unloading cart: choose the least number of words. Smile & Wave.
B. Let cashier know I'll be loading the items myself into my backpack: choose least number of words. Smile & Wave.
Took my time with the few words, and smiled! Great!
4. Load the groceries myself... yikes!
A. Try and then ask for help if needed.
VOILA! I had saved so much energy and oxygen by communicating less vocally to people that I had plenty of energy and oxygen to load every item purchased independently... which in turn, meant I got some exercise!
What I was not prepared with however, was a grocery list. And to tell you the truth this was one of the best things that I did (or didn't do). What I found was that since I wasn't feeling well, the things that I probably would have grabbed up would be fast prepared food that is often lacking in nutrients. and NONE of those foods looked appealing to me at all! Wound up with lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and found some good option frozen foods. I looked over the items in my cart before heading to the check out and actually found a few things that did not look good to me at all and returned them.
My shopping trip was almost two hours, however going at a time when not many people were there, and leaving my cart at a location of ease I found it was easier to go in my own time.
In fact the trip was so successful and felt so great that when I got onto the bus, I was daydreaming.
OOPS! Missed my stop! UGH!..
No problem...
It's a sunny day, my chair still has juice and I can take the stress-free side streets.
Got home, backed my chair up to the fridge and unloaded all immediately!
blog it while it's fresh in my mind, and now heading for a rest.
And will blend myself a smoothie as soon as I wake up!
Morals of the story are:
1. Planning makes a difference in communication and success!
2. You don't have to be full to go shopping effectively, and it helps if you're in a state of mind that the food that is appealing to you is healthy food!
So what might you need or want to accomplish that you keep putting off or avoid?
You might be able to accomplish it successfully and have it even be enjoyable!
If you aren't sure where to begin, check out "Impromptu Prompts" and inquire how these prompts might help you out!
2 comments:
I enjoy hearing about your successes and the lessons that lead you to them. Not getting the right fuel into our bodies is such a challenge. I work hard to make sure that the food I feed my animals is health promoting. It's amazing to me that each and evry one of them, from ponys, dogs, goats, turkeys and chickens would all choose white bread over any of the healthy stuff offered. It just shows how addictive that stuff is. Imagine how they would look if that was all I let them eat. Yet I ley myself end up having days filled with the stuff, from a bagel at breakfast to pasta and bread for lunch. It's tasty, satisfying but ulimately bad for my health.
that is a question! Why is it that we do all we can for our children and other species and then, for ourselves... I always wonder about that!
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