{"id":7,"date":"2009-04-29T12:07:35","date_gmt":"2009-04-29T12:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onecity\/2009\/04\/spring-cleaning-of-the-daily-routine.html"},"modified":"2009-04-29T12:07:35","modified_gmt":"2009-04-29T12:07:35","slug":"spring-cleaning-of-the-daily-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onecity\/2009\/04\/spring-cleaning-of-the-daily-routine.html","title":{"rendered":"Spring cleaning of the daily routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things have been hard for a lot of people I know lately. My work hours have been cut. Some of my friends have been laid off and others are working really hard just to have a slim chance of a possible job interview. Those who actually have work are holding onto it a day at a time. Everyone is trying to do more with less
\n– a recent survey by the Pew
\nResearch Center
\nshows that for the first time in the history of their survey, televisions are
\nbeing considered a luxury instead of necessity<\/a> by almost half the people they talked to.<\/p>\n

When money is tight as it is now, I have to spend energy
\nwatching every dollar that leaves my wallet or goes on the credit card. It is
\nexhausting and it certainly is not fun. Even though everything that has happened
\nso far due to the recession has been manageable, I find myself worrying about if or when something
\nelse might happen next. If any of us have a little extra money, we are squirreling it away or sending it to family and friends to help them get by.  All this worrying, watching and trying to keep things together is wearing me out. But I am
\ntired of being tired. I need a break – even my ever-optimistic mom
\nhas said she feels like everyone she talks to is depressed and it is just
\nmaking her feel more depressed. <\/p>\n

And though there are valid reasons for all my current concerns, I also know that I have to take care of
\nmyself if I am not going to burn out. In addition, it doesn’t seem that my constant
\nworrying has made anything better or given me any more control over the
\nsituation than I had before. <\/p>\n

So I have decided that since it is almost May, and we had a
\nfreakish day of 90 degree weather here in New
\nYork City yesterday, that is time for some spring
\ncleaning of my daily routine by really taking the time to see what I do every
\nday. <\/p>\n


\nWhat I see when I look at my daily life right now is that I am just coping. I am just getting by. I am not engaging in things that bring me joy.
\nInstead, I am only taking moments to block things out for a few hours.  <\/span>I am watching more television – which isn’t
\nreally joyful as much as being the psychological equivalent of sticking my
\nfingers in my ears and yelling “LA
\nLA LA. I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” at the top of my lungs.
\nIt doesn’t do much for me except keep the worrying at bay for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

So, instead of doing the same thing I do every day, I am
\ngoing to try and take the time to have fun and do
\nsomething I enjoy, even if they are just small things (and preferably free or
\nlost cost). Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/a>, a social science researcher,
\nhas studied “optimal human functioning”<\/a> for over 35 years. <\/span>Part of his theory talks about how the
\nquality and content of a person’s life depends on what he or she has paid
\nattention to over time, stating:<\/p>\n

“We all must invest attention in material goals in order to
\nsurvive, but there is a threshold along the continuum after which any further
\ninvestment detracts from the ability to experience other aspects of life–such
\nas relationships, aesthetic experiences, or the development of the body and the
\nmind… Given all the threats from the environment and from other
\nhumans, we could not survive long if we did not devote most of our attention to
\nself-preservation. However, if we devoted all our energies only to take care of
\nNumber One we would stop growing. The evolution of consciousness requires that
\nwe turn psychic energy away from present needs to create ideas, feelings,
\nrelationships, and objects that did not exist before…<\/i><\/p>\n

The content of life is limited by the amount of information
\nwe can process through attention. In this sense attention, or psychic energy,
\nis our most scarce resource. Like all resources, it can be used for different
\npurposes. It can be “invested” in activities that provide immediate
\ngratification or provide future benefits, or it can be “wasted” doing
\nthings that are neither enjoyable nor conducive to personal growth.”<\/i> ~ (Csikszentmihalyi
\nin Chapter 6 of Kasser & Kanner’s <\/a>Psychology and
\nConsumer Culture<\/a>, 2003)<\/span> <\/p>\n

With this in mind, I am going to focus on doing things that really engage my mind or body in a
\npositive way, instead of just worrying, watching, and trying to control everything. Because even though things are difficult right now, I can’t shut down and just
\nhope to survive until it is all over. I want to still be able to
\nlearn and grow and nurture myself – if I don’t do that, I won’t have anything to
\ngive to those around me who also need help, support, and moments of happiness during these tough times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Things have been hard for a lot of people I know lately. My work hours have been cut. Some of my friends have been laid off and others are working really hard just to have a slim chance of a possible job interview. 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