A Paradox: Doing things that don't make you happy can actually make you happy



Image by Blue Shutters Web Design.

I have been toying a lot with Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood, specifically this one.

Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy

And one morning Mr. Padawan and I were talking about things that we should do because they make us feel better in the long term but really hate doing them, and it hit me that secret of adulthood applies here.

So I know that I feel better when I exercise, and I don't feel better in the moment, in fact I feel pretty miserable.  But when I think about how I feel over a period of time I feel better, less stressed, less tired, happier, less likely to be snappy with my little Padawans or Mr. Padawan, I have more patient.

I have tried a bunch of different exercises and I haven't found anything I love, but I have found things that I can tolerate.  But because I don't love exercise it is very easy for me to put it off (aka forget to do it) and just say oh I'll do it tomorrow.  And sure I feel good in the moment but it takes a toll over the long term.

So Mr. Padawan and I decided that we were going to change our focus to how we feel long term when we do the things we don't like to do.  Really when I think about it my exercise is my 20 minute walk for #walk20in20 which is a low key thing and really a way for me to get alone time, but I need to do more.  But getting back to using my DVDs (yes I am old school) or getting some new ones from the library, or try some stuff on YouTube (gasp!). My exercise time is a short term discomfort (I am not in physical pain) and most plans are only 30-40 minutes, I can do that.

Not only do I have Mr. Padawan on board to help me and vice versa, I also have the added incentive of potentially reducing some of my blood pressure medicine if I am able to lose more weight.  I recently went for my annual appointment with my doctor and was excited when she said I could cut one of my meds in half, with the potential for doing a second one after we saw how I did on the first reduced dose.  

I got a big mental boost with that first reduced dose it has insipired me to ramp my exercise back up to see if I can lose more and potentially (with my doctor's approval of course) reduce another one.

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