Back to Basics

I am giving myself a round of applause.  I got back to basics.  The basics were not reading, writing, and arithmetic but eating, sleeping, and providing shelter.

I conquered anorexia for today, for now, in the present moment (IMPROVE -One-in-the-Moment).  I successfully ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner (PLEASE-Eat).  This was a direct result of setting an intention yesterday, the day before, and many times during today (Turning the Mind). 

I also took two naps (PLEASE-Sleep).  OK, I might have cheated on this one.  I got up early again, but I went back to bed for another hour a few hours later.  I think this qualifies and I am counting it a success.  My other nap was at Grandma’s.  I lied down for 20 minutes, my prescribed nap amount.  She did too.  It might not seem like much to some, but this is the doctor’s recommendations, not mine.  It’s just enough to feel refreshed and not wake up drowsy.

Yes, and that brings us to providing shelter.  Grandma, unfortunately, is coming to realize that she won’t be able to live on her own in her current apartment much more.  She is trying to stay as long as she thinks she is able.  Because of her increasing physical ailments and because I love her very much, I offered to come help her clean.  Actually, I may have been recruited too.  Our relationship is a good one and works both ways.  I can be myself around her (Relationship Effectiveness –FAST).

I am having a hard time accepting the diagnosis of narcolepsy itself and an even harder time accepting its limitations.  I get discouraged when I see that I have entered REM sleep too quickly again and that I, sometimes (Relationship Thinking), fall asleep with under a minute.  Both of these are telltale signs and have happened several times still this week.  The problem is my perception.  I am thinking that I can be cured.  The reality is that narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder and can not be cured and can be treated and I can learn to cope better (Wise Mind).

Just like I did yesterday, I can use Radical Acceptance.  I can accept narcolepsy without liking it (Radical Acceptance).  It seems so simple now.  Trust me, this wasn’t always the case.  The more I use these skills, the faster it occurs to use them the next time around.  I, sometimes, don’t even have to think about them.  They become ingrained.  So essentially, I have solved my own problems thanks to you and me.  Without writing about my skill use, it might have taken me longer to make this connection.

Of course, I exercised and I wrote (PLEASE-Exercise and Describe).  My latest post on my other blog is entitled “Best of Both Worlds” – what a perfect title for my next post here – Wouldn’t you agree?  It speaks to the Dialectical!