Does It Make Me Feel Good?
Speaking of garbage thoughts, I’ve been trying to ask myself the same question every time I remember it throughout the day. Does this thing I’m doing make me feel good?
Reading this French detective novel? Yes. I feel good. It feels good going into my eye holes and up to my brain.
Eating this bag of peanut butter pretzels? I thought I would answer yes, but it turned out the actual answer was no. They made me feel terrible even though they tasted great.
Going on an indoor walk? Yes. Even though I often drag my feet at getting started.
Scrolling through Facebook. No. At least, not on that last scroll through.
It is easier to stop eating peanut butter pretzels or scrolling through Facebook when I realize the thing I am doing is not making me feel good. It is much harder to stop cooking dinner when I realize how little I want to be chopping onions. I’m not sure how helpful it is to ask myself the question when I can’t do anything about the activity.
But maybe acknowledging it is half helpful. Which is more helpful than not helpful.
4 comments
Yeah, I don’t want to ask that question because probably 75% of the time the answer is “No, but it’s necessary.”
Your message about acknowledgement really resonated with me; thank you. I’d developed a habit of frequently reliving something awful someone had written about me in my alone moments, but am doing it less frequently after catching myself in the act and giving myself a stern talking to. And Bruno… 😍I’ve been making myself cheese and fruit plates and pretending I live in rural France!
This is a good idea. I think I’d only ask myself the question if it is something I’m doing that is optional. Especially around food – I’m going to try that! And you made me realise that I think I’ve stopped reading so many books this year because I’ve struggled to find any that make me feel good.
And Fbk is definitely NOT making me feel good, as I am inundated with people from the US and the UK posting about their fathers, their partners, their sons, etc etc. This exhibitionist caring – enough already! lol
That’s a good metric. I recently decided not to finish a book because it definitely was NOT making me feel good. I used to feel compelled to finish any book that was engaging and well-written; now I feel free to quit whenever I want.