The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:
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Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.
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Updates to let us know how you are doing. This provides valuable feedback on past advice / encouragement and will hopefully make people feel a little more motivated to follow through. If you want to be reminded to post your update, see the post titled 'update reminders', below.
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Advice. This can be in response to a request for advice or just something that you think could be generally useful for many people here.
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Encouragement. Probably best directed at specific users, but if you feel like just encouraging people in general I don't think anyone is going to object. I don't think I really need to say this, but just to be clear; encouragement should have a generally positive tone and not shame people (if people feel that shame might be an effective tool for motivating people, please discuss this so we can form a group consensus on how to use it rather than just trying it).
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Working out: I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week for the last couple of months. This is my first regular habit since the pandemic broke my previous one so I'm happy about that. A few days ago I admitted my hip injury from moving in march wasn't going to go away on its own so I am doing some exercises which seem to be helping (its not bad enough to cause a limp so ignoring it doesn't feel irresponsible but it has dragged on a bit). I would like to build a regular yoga habit for days I don't go to the gym but those are hard for me because I get bored and wander off. At least on the exercise bike I can listen to an audiobook AND play a puzzle. I once had a yoga while watching desperate housewives habit, maybe I should pick something like that again.
Digital wellness: I've been actively cutting back on algorithm internet for several months. I started with a 9 day full fast and since then I've been just trying to log it and keep an eye on the numbers. On vacation, other than on the airplane, I pretty much stopped logging it and that was fine but then I kept up a much higher habit when I got home so I did a weekend total fast from twitter which was probably good for me I feel more balanced and less stressed. I actually didn't feel tempted at all but maybe that was because I was still using youtube.
Socializing: I went to my third timeleft dinner last week and it was the first time I've really not been happy I went. The conversation ranged from things that bore me to tears (heavy metal and band recommendations) to keeping-my-mouth-shut-around-strangers when people talked about polyamory and a dude recently having a breakup where he cheated on his girlfriend and he wasn't unhappy he'd hurt her, just that she hates him now. I mostly think of myself as an ambivert but this wore my batteries all the way down and kind of made me hate strangers. And then I added two first dates over the weekend and I'm just socially tapped out on people I don't know.
Dating: I've been on three first dates in the last month. I have current pictures taken for a friend who did a great job (lots of poses, three outfits, tons of pictures to choose from) and I'm at my thinnest in 20+ years so at least I don't have to be worried men will feel catfished. That said dating in your 40s is harder for women, even in the bay area, and I am struggling to use hinge in an effective way. "Looking young" is an advantage IRL but not on apps. Okcupid at least you used to be able to trust the algorithm to prioritize what you care about (intelligence, for me). Hinge is where everyone is but the information is so minimal. I also wish there was a default profile question where people would say they were separated but not divorced. Its such an awkward conversation to have but apparently one you need to have at this bracket (I understand why people date before they are divorced but I am not willing to date them).
Intellectual: I just finished my second masters and I need a project. I'm considering doing the UCLA extension class on tv writing but that might be completely insane, to finish two years of online grad school and then jump back into it. I just got my sundays back! Other projects I've considered is getting into game jams and light game development or actually going back and finishing one of the novels I started last decade.
I've actually just joined my first game jam, Adventures for one-page RPGs, which seemed like a good way to dip my toes in the water -- we'll see if I can actually force myself to carry through!
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