“Hey you, how are you? I keep looking for your scores, but I think you’re not so bothered now.”

Yes, that was a text from my much-valued Moodscope buddy. He’s great and keeps an eye on me. I wrote back that I still wanted to continue with my Moodscope test and that I would try to be more regular in doing it.

A couple of weeks later, I received another text. “You know what I’m going to say. (Looks over top of spectacles and coughs meaningfully.)”

Yes, I did know. I hadn’t done the test more than a couple of times in those two weeks.

I realised I needed an anchor – something that would tie into doing the test. After all, I manage to take my medication every morning and evening, so why can’t I remember to do my test?

I thought about that anchor and came up with the idea of linking it to my morning coffee. The moment I start to drink it, I think about my Moodscope test, open the tab on my phone and do it then and there.

I realise not all of us do the test, just as some people do the test yet don’t read the blogs. I find my test useful as it lets me know if the medication is working and if there’s something going on that I need to attend to. If my Inspired and Active levels fall, it’s probably because I haven’t had enough sleep. If I regularly go without sleep but remain energetic, then it may be a sign that, underneath the medication, I am in my manic phase. The medication means I can manage that, rather than riding it for all it’s worth, and that I can try to be more disciplined with my sleep.

So far, linking the test with that first cup of coffee of the day, has proven successful. So successful, that I have decided to link other things together in a routine. Something else I would like to do reliably every day is my morning devotions and prayer time. If I am in a hurry in the morning, or if I have something urgent to do, then it gets missed and I feel the lack of it all day. So far, I haven’t come up with an anchor for it, but I will keep thinking.

I’m sure we all have certain things in our lives to which we wish we could bring more discipline. It’s not that we don’t want to do them, but that other things distract us. Perhaps it is daily exercise, perhaps daily practise on a musical instrument, perhaps it’s the discipline of keeping in touch with friends and family.

What anchors could we come up with that will help us with these things; help us give them the priority they deserve and which we really want to give them.

One anchor I really don’t want to come up with yet think I must, is an anchor for the housework!

Mary

A Moodscope member