I have decided to follow Lex’s example on 20 March and start this post with a question.

Q:  How many easy fixes are there for eliminating poor MH?

A:  None

So that is the end of today’s post and everybody can forget about this blog until tomorrow!

Okay, I have a guilty conscience so I will explain a bit more. All is not lost. Although there are no easy fixes I believe there are a few things you can do to make your life better. One of these concerns framing. Framing in psychology terms has a particular meaning but I do not want to discuss that today.

I would like to describe how I frame my day. This theory is based on organising your early morning and evening activities. Over the last three years I have discovered some activities that will regularly improve my mood. As time went by these activities became part of my usual daily routines.  

At the start of each day my first priority is to get outside. It is the main thought on my mind when I get out of bed.

Clothes have been put out the night before so getting dressed is straightforward. A visit to the bathroom, a quick glass of water and I am out! I can then start my EMW (early morning walk). I enjoy seeing others including talking to the ‘lollipop lady’. I love the freshness of the flora and fauna. I also appreciate the gentle exercise as my body moves along.

My mood on returning is invariably improved. Then I am ready to see what my Moodscope friends have to offer. Reading the daily blog and often commenting. So walking and Moodscope form the morning part of my daily frame. 

Now the second part; the evening. After we have cleared up after evening dinner I have some more ME time. I take myself off to the ‘office’ and look at Moodscope matters again. This involves looking at that days blog post again and reading the comments. I also spend time making further progress on writing my own future posts.

After that mental exertion I turn to one of my favourite times of the day. Listening to the songs I love to hear. As you probably know there is a tremendous selection of music on YouTube and plenty from the sixties era. For 30 to 40 minutes I am in musical heaven. So the evening part of my daily frame is made up of Moodscope and music.  

The  two frameworks, morning and evening,  provide me with daily security. I know that the time in between (about eleven hours) is variable and subject to external factors. This security gives stability to my MH. I know that whatever happens I am safe in the knowledge that for around an hour in the morning and about 90 minutes in the evening there will be set activities available to me. 

Could this approach help you?

Teg

A Moodscope member