Hangry.
Sometimes when I'm out running errands, I get hungry. Hangry even. Tummy growling, headache mounting. My brow furrows. I start rushing to get things done. Instead of stopping to eat, or buying myself a snack, I tell myself to power through. "There's food at home," I say.
I never thought much of my hangry errand trips until I read Julia Cameron's description of self-destructive behaviors:
The question "Are you self-destructive?" is asked so frequently that we seldom hear it accurately. What it means is Are you destructive of your self? And what that really asks us is Are you destructive of your true nature?
When I think of being self-destructive I think about drinking too much, staying in a relationship with someone who is mean and nasty, or not getting out of bed until 3 PM.
But Cameron re-framed my narrow definition into something much more specific and useful.
Anything that is destructive of your true nature is self-destructive.
Running errands hungry is self-destructive. It makes me cranky and impatient.
Saying "yes" to happy hour when I really want to work on my art is self-destructive.
Not keeping promises to myself is self-destructive.
Not allowing myself to buy a nicer set of acrylic paints, when I really can afford it, is self-destructive.
So I'm working on flipping the script—instead of being self-destructive, I'm nurturing myself like a small child. What does my child-self need? A snack? A walk outside the house? Stickers from the dollar store? Time alone?
Where are you being self-destructive? And how can you nurture yourself instead?
Things I consumed / did / made this week
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This apartment tour sparked so many fun ideas. Rajiv Surendra's skill as a maker is inspiring. I can't wait to make my own apartment filled with handmade arts and crafts.
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No thoughts, just baby boar
have you guys ever seen a baby boar pic.twitter.com/cHdQYBGP1y
— danielle tcholakian (@danielleiat) September 16, 2021
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I really want to make this giant fairy bread cake.
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Training to become more flexible and trying to do the splits at a pole fitness class 😩 flexibility is much more painful for me to practice than strength training.
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I've loosely used the Getting Things Done methodology for managing my life over the past 10 years, but this short guide helped me clarify some of my processes.
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I'm writing a blog post about creative visioning. Here's an exercise from that post: