AlexTheGrape

Thank you! I plan to do a lot these holidays, so watch out for my journal! Yeah its a hefty goal, but I'm now free and will have all that time to invest elsewhere Thank you again

Hmm, I'm interested in your guitar skill level now What is the hardest song/solo you can play so far? Btw. I think that this font looks cool Greetings, Mad Pharmacist Haha I'm still a rookie at playing guitar, the inconsistency in which I've played hasn't worked in my favor. I haven't had a teacher for playing guitar since I was 13 years old, so 5 years without a teacher and very little encouragement/incentive has kept me at rookie level. I currently only play short tunes from my exercise books, so I'd say I can't even play a full song Thanks, I'll keep using this font.

This is a side-note for myself explaining why some things have happened they way they have. I've taken time to consider why I no longer play guitar and didn't get around to making a podcast. With playing guitar it has never been a high priority activity, and that is largely due to it not being necessary and because I don't have a clear way working forward because I don't have a guitar teacher and don't know how to use many of my guitar-learning resources. I'll just need to invest some time into that to get started again, especially finding an alternative to a teacher such as youtube (as I don't know if I'm financially ready/willing to be committed financially with a guitar teacher. With the podcasts, I just never got started! I wrote down some ideas about what I wanted to talk about, but I didn't end up actually recording anything. There are some fears I have around putting my opinions out onto the internet and being open to criticism in that way, but really not much can go wrong. I'm likely going to give them both another shot these holidays (which started an hour ago for me!) as I have them on my ever-growing to-do list these holidays. If anyone thinks this font looks cool, please let me know

You're welcome. You should get one when you purchase Respawn, so if you don't have one it might be worth messaging Cam about if you've already got Respawn. I'm looking forward to the call too

Haha yep! It did actually help me early in my detox as it reminded me of the new life direction that I was taking - it made me very guilty to play video games during my relapses whilst I had that sticker on it.

My post for yesterday: Post-Detox Day 225 Today has been another studying packed day. I managed to get my 9 x 50 minutes of studying done, but to do so I was up until 10pm… I’d say it was definitely worth it though, as it is the last ever day of studying I have for school work! My final exam is tomorrow and then my holidays will start. I have many, many plans for these holidays, I’ll finally be able to implement them. Gratitude journal I am grateful for being able to watch the news. I am grateful for being able to catch a bus home. I am grateful for my self-awareness. One amazing thing that happened/I did today Having a run in the afternoon with the dog was really uplifting for a number of reasons. The sun was out, I met a friend there by chance, I put in a lot of effort, and the dog was enthusiastic as usual. Workout/run Yup. Exercise planning -- Meditation Yup. Visualisation Yup. Daily affirmation Yup. Cold/partially cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Yup, no notes though. Getting to bed before 9pm Nope. Daily application of self-development skills My next one: Make a new friend I am not even aquainted with by initiating conversation. I came very close to this one a few times in that I almost decided to talk to strangers on a few occasions, but I decided not to for whatever reasons I had (I was just being chicken). So that means I didn’t meet my goal, and I’ll need to try again tomorrow! Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal Failed: This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (-1 error days left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: Having a run in the afternoon helped me get started with working. What didn’t go well today: I should have exercised in the morning to shake off some slouchiness. What I could have done to make my day better: Exercising in the morning, getting enough sleep. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’m going to have another go at befriending a stranger. Photo Stream Here is all the other good photos of the sunrise I took a few days ago. I gotta get these ones out so that I have a need to take more!

Its great to have you back Jeremias! Sounds like we've gone through similar processes of relapse, as I also thought I could play in moderation. It never worked for longer than a couple of days. If you're looking for hindsight, you might get some ideas from my own relapse posts early in my journal about what you can do to prevent it occurring again. Greetings from across The Ditch!

Thank you! I'm not sure what I'll need it for yet, but I'll let you know if I come up with anything.

I'm glad I can inspire you to do that! I'd just suggest that you keep to a consistent schedule so that you adapt to it every day. For me I use my normal school timings even when it is the weekend or the holidays, as it is a schedule I'm familiar with and is relatively balanced. This way I can build on that schedule by adding more 50 minute blocks before and after the normal school day. I certainly find it easier when I simply come to school (like I am right now) whenever I can to keep in the right environment for that work (i.e. by being in a school environment I am more willing to study, there are less distractions etc.)

My post for yesterday: Post-Detox Day 224 Today has been a busy day! I managed to get a lot of revision done in the morning before my chemistry exam. The exam went well, however I made some silly mistakes but I can learn from them. Gratitude journal I am grateful for having awesome friends. I am grateful for having access to so many books on my kindle. I am grateful for the sunshine. One amazing thing that happened/I did today Being able to relax in the evening after doing my exam was a good feeling, as I was justified to do so (i.e. not procrastination). Workout/run Nope. It means I’ve also failed my monthly goal… Exercise planning I’m going to have a run in the morning or afternoon. Meditation Nope. Visualisation Nope. Daily affirmation Nope. Cold/partially cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Reading fiction. Getting to bed before 9pm Yup. Daily application of self-development skills “Tomorrow I’m going to make sure to not respond to any messages until I’m in a study break (this is practicing ‘be proactive’) as I’d normally impulsively respond to it and hence disrupt the work I’m doing.” It went well yesterday. My next one: Make a new friend I am not even aquainted with by initiating conversation. Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal Failed: This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (-1 error days left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: Going through my past exam papers for extra help. What didn’t go well today: Not exercising at any point during the day. What I could have done to make my day better: Exercising. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’m going to exercise. Photo Stream Enough of the sunrise photos for now, this is where I have had my Game Quitters sticker for this year – on my computer! “The iPad is not the new babysitter” – My solution: Get a tablet that isn’t an iPad, and put a Game Quitters sticker on it. Solved.

Hi there, great story you've got! I've failed trying to quit gaming several times, but it was completely possible in the end. I'm sure you'll be able to do the same, so best of luck on your journey to improving your life! You've got the right attitude to pick up from where you've left off in your life, if you keep that up you'll go far

Haha yep, just wait until you see him run! Let's be honest, he doesn't run, he flys. It appears you might have mind-reading skills, are you sure you haven't gotten a place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Haha yep, just wait until you see him run! Let's be honest, he doesn't run, he flys. It appears you might have mind-reading skills, are you sure you haven't gotten a place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Thank you very much! Capturing the best scenery I see is something I like to do, it's my pleasure to share.

Post-Detox Day 223 Today has been an ordinary weekend day. I managed to get up and start work at a reasonable time, and got a reasonable amount of work done. Having FB messenger, snapchat, and Instagram off my phone in combination with a Headspace subscription has really made my day calmer in general. I’ve downloaded the first Harry Potter book on my kindle, it will be a nice break from my self-development reading for during breaks. Gratitude journal I am grateful for canned soup. I am grateful for a dog that is ever-optimistic about going for a run. I am grateful for having a room of my own. One amazing thing that happened/I did today I am grateful for the summer sun beating down on me for the short time I spent reading outside, it was as calming and relaxing as any meditation could be. Workout/run Yup. I did quite a bit more than I planned! Exercise planning I’m just going to do one workout set tomorrow morning as I’m going to be having an exam and don’t want to risk being late. Meditation Yup. Visualisation Yup. Daily affirmation Yup. Cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Nope. Getting to bed before 9pm Nope. Daily application of self-development skills “Tomorrow I’m going to make sure to not respond to any messages until I’m in a study break (this is practicing ‘be proactive’) as I’d normally impulsively respond to it and hence disrupt the work I’m doing.” I’m getting better and have managed to not respond to any messages during study time today. However this is largely due to me getting almost none (lol) so I’ll keep it for the next day too. Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (0 error days left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: Getting through my morning schedule set me up for the day pretty well, and I think this might have helped me get started with work on time. What didn’t go well today: Generally having untimed breaks and boredom took its toll. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have made sure to get up on time, get enough sleep (a common theme here…) and keep up my effort with studying in general. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’m going to get to bed on time, and generally do the best I can with my studying efforts. Photo Stream This is another photo I took whilst on my morning run on Friday.

My post for Friday: Post-Detox Day 221 Today has been a generally good day of revision at school: I managed to get plenty done and balanced my day by spending time studying with friends. I’ve been reminded that group revision gets less effective the more people are in it, however. In the evening I went to a surprise party for one of my friends, it was a fun time and it was great to catch up with all the people there. Immediately afterwards I had to work until late – it was a busy day but still a good day. I had a good run in the morning, but otherwise I didn’t meet any of my habits. Driving to school shouldn’t be happening too often, but if it does I need to make sure I put the time in to meditate and visualise. My post for yesterday: Post-Detox Day 222 Today has been a relatively unproductive and slow starting day. I was very tired in the morning and took a long time to get ready to study. I failed miserably at not replying to messages whilst working, so I’m going to need to develop the guts to just say no to people who want to talk to me. I’ve removed Facebook messenger and many other distractions from my phone now, so I think I’ll have a lot less distractions on hand. One of my pen pals converted to Islam and tried to assert her own beliefs on me, and I didn’t react well. In future I’ll need to ignore such behaviour, even if they taunt that they’re right if I can’t respond, as it is the right thing to do. I did my daily habits relatively slowly and so it ended up cutting into study time. Gratitude journal I am grateful for having the freedom to control my phone, not the other way around. I am grateful for having an amazing family. I am grateful for seeing my dad again. One amazing thing that happened/I did today Getting out for a run in the morning was refreshing, it always brings a smile to my face to zoom as fast as possible with the dog when starting off. Workout/run Yup. Exercise planning I hadn’t planned the last day of exercise. I’m just going to do one workout set tomorrow morning as I’m going to be having an exam and don’t want to risk being late. Meditation Yup. Visualisation Nope. Daily affirmation Nope. Cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Nope. Getting to bed before 9pm Nope. Daily application of self-development skills (NEW!) “Tomorrow I’m going to make sure to not respond to any messages until I’m in a study break (this is practicing ‘be proactive’) as I’d normally impulsively respond to it and hence disrupt the work I’m doing.” I’m keeping this one, I’m failing at it a lot. Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (0 error days left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: Not that much, other than I exercised. What didn’t go well today: A lot. I procrastinated getting up, was slow getting up, and let my studying be interrupted. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have made sure to not procrastinate on many levels, and not jump onto my phone when pinged. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’ve deleted some apps that ping me, but tomorrow I’m just going to need to knuckle down and do the best work I can in the time I have. Photo Stream This is a photo I took whilst on my morning run yesterday. Many more photos from this run to come!

I'm very busy right now and have had to deal with a lot of distractions recently, so I'll put up a full post in due time. For now, I encourage that you take advantage of the Headspace promotion before it ends in a day or so! It’s like 90% off for three months with this deal, so is a must have for anyone looking to get into mediation… (I’m not paid to put this here or anything, I am genuinely excited about this deal!). https://www.headspace.com/promo?utm_source=trialist&utm_medium=email&utm_content=everybodyhs_winter&utm_campaign=2016winteroffer

Hi Hitaru, Everyone goes through cycles of emotions, however if you think things are going not well at all then it might pay to address the issue(s) that are causing you anxiety and/or sadness. You're absolutely right, it will pass, so don't think those feelings are permanent or worth worrying about too much. I don't know enough about your relationship with your father, but if he's trying to reach out to you then it might be worthwhile to show him some attention. What is right for you will be more obvious to yourself though. If you feel like you're "in a funk" Cam has made a video for that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KePZMXRSDFQ It may help, but if not then just take a walk and focus on your surroundings (not past or future). I'd like to see how going without milk or sugary drinks goes, Good to see you're making that good decision to avoid becoming 'slouchy'. All the best for making friends, getting out of your funk, and every other challenge you're facing

Haha yep, just wait until you see him run!

Post-Detox Day 220 Today has been a wonderful day of studying! I started off the day with a workout which went well, and I was quick enough in the morning to catch the bus on time. I got a total of 8 x 50 minutes of studying done today + 50 mins of completing urgent emailing tasks, so I’m quite happy with what I’ve accomplished today. I realise that I haven’t been getting my meditation and visualisation etc. done that much recently, largely due to needing to drive rather than be driven to my bus stop (in which I’d normally spend doing these). I’m going to need to reschedule when I do these, so I think I’ll opt for as soon as I get onto the bus/as soon as I finish driving. This evening I shared some ideas with my parents about more efficient ways to manage chores in the house, and they were surprisingly receptive. I was also shown appreciation for doing chores without being asked, and that made my evening. Gratitude journal I am grateful for having my work appreciated. I am grateful for dedicated, hard-working teachers that are always willing to help. I am grateful for ice cream. Another one because I want to: I am grateful for learning how to write on PDFs. One amazing thing that happened/I did today I was able to keep my day balanced in general by getting help with calculus work from teachers whilst around friends in the second half of my school day. I was able to accelerate my learning whilst keeping upbeat by sharing jokes and such with friends. I was very happy in general during this time and was satisfied with the work I had accomplished because of it. Workout/run Yup! I managed to do the 3 sets I planned. Exercise planning Tomorrow I want to run the dog for 2.4km and do it under 10 minutes. Meditation Nope. Visualisation Nope. Daily affirmation Nope. Cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Yup. Getting to bed before 9pm Nope. Daily application of self-development skills (NEW!) “Tomorrow I’m going to make sure to not respond to any messages until I’m in a study break (this is practicing ‘be proactive’) as I’d normally impulsively respond to it and hence disrupt the work I’m doing.” I did message when I was interrupted whilst working, but it was only 5 minutes or so. It still means I didn’t reach my goal, so I’ll need to retry that one tomorrow. Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (1 error day left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: I kept my day balanced, which has really paid off as I didn’t feel any need to have a leisure activity afterwards. What didn’t go well today: I didn’t clear my head with meditation and help motivation with visualisation. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have gotten more sleep, again. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’m not going on the bus tomorrow so I won’t be able to meditate, but I’ll make sure to do it first thing when I get to school (+ vis. and affirmations). Photo Stream Here is a picture I took from the bus window, perhaps hinting that it was going to be a good day.

My post for yesterday: Post-Detox Day 219 Today has been an okay day of studying. I started off the day by doing the 2.4km run, trying to do it under 10 minutes, and I took the dog with me. My day was disrupted because I was contacted by someone using somebody else’s identity to divulge information from me, so I had to do lots of messaging to figure out what was going on. Nothing significant has happened to me though, so it is not a worry. I had a good chat with my brother this afternoon, and I feel he might be getting his life sorted. Gratitude journal I am grateful for having time to relax at the end of the day. I am grateful for having pen pals. I am grateful for being able to drive. One amazing thing that happened/I did today I had a great text conversation with a friend of mine, we’re setting up a day of photography! Workout/run Yup x 2 (I had a run in the afternoon too!) Exercise planning Tomorrow I’m going to do 3 sets of workout in a row (takes about 20 minutes if I’m fast). Meditation Nope. Visualisation Nope. Daily affirmation Nope. Cold shower Yup. Reading + taking notes Yup. Getting to bed before 9pm Nope. Daily application of self-development skills (NEW!) I’m bringing this one back as I need to start applying what I’m reading, otherwise I’ll end up with a pile of notes that aren’t used. Tomorrow I’m going to make sure to not respond to any messages until I’m in a study break (this is practicing ‘be proactive’) as I’d normally impulsively respond to it and hence disrupt the work I’m doing. Weekly Goal(s) I want to make sure to do 9 x 50 minute study sessions daily, with exceptions for days in which I don’t have the full amount of time free for studying (i.e. working or other necessary activities). Monthly Goal This month I want to have exercised for at least 20 minutes every day, and I’ll leave an error margin of 3 days in which I won’t fail this goal by not exercising (1 error day left). 3 Month Goal (2 months left!) My three month goal is to develop my leadership skills enough to confidently coach a sports team or lead another form of community group. What went well today: Exercising. What didn’t go well today: I wasn’t fast enough to get ready for school, and I let messaging and such make me angry and disrupt the work I was doing. What I could have done to make my day better: I could have gotten more sleep, and packed my bag in advance to reduce time taken to do so in the morning. What I will do differently tomorrow: I’m going to pre-pack my bag, obey my alarms (to get to sleep on time), and ignore urgent but non-important things. Photo Stream Here is the dog using his hypnotic magic powers to convince me to give him a walk. These skills might come in handy for your riot magic!

Hey Alex, thanks for the support! I've 'borrowed' your layout if you don't mind Not only do I not mind, I'm humbled and encourage your use of it Of course feel free to adapt and change the headings according to what you need and want to add or remove, its your journal! Nice to hear you have two jobs on top of your studies. Best of luck keeping up with those and I look forward to seeing how things unfold!

Hi Ben, welcome to the community! Best of luck with getting on with doing what you value most

Absolutely not. The only thing we judge people by in this community is their wizardry skills

Thank you very much for checking up on me, I really appreciate it. I live up in Auckland, so although many people felt it here there hasn't been any damage here as far as I'm aware. Cheers for that!