[karuna]

Okay, one of the premises in BPD that at the same time as decreasing your negative emotions, we plan positive events that we enjoy so that we stand a better chance of having positive emotions. A lot of the time we are good at planning the stuff we don't like doing but have to do, but we are not so good at organizing and experiencing things we do enjoy.

I know a lot of the time a feeling of emptiness or conflict with others can get in the way, but if you can do fun things without focusing on whether you deserve it, whether there will be as payback later, or whether the feeling good will last, it can really help to plan fun things. Obviously fun is relative to what you enjoy, so don't be afraid to post what really floats your boat, no matter how you think it will sound.

Hopefully the act of posting will make you think and carry out a positive activity. In the meantime I will post some ideas to get you started!

This month I plan to:

Build a prepacked gingerbread house and decorate it.

Work on a hat I am knitting.

Go to the cinema with my honey.

Get some cool books from the library.

Go to the pantomime.

[karuna]

Some suggestions from a DBT handout.

1. Soaking in the bathtub
2. Planning my career
3. Getting out of (paying on) debt
4. Collecting things (coins, shells, etc.)
5. Going on vacation
6. Thinking how it will be when I finish school
7. Recycling old items
8. Going on a date
9. Relaxing
10. Going to a movie in the middle of the week
11. Jogging, walking
12. Thinking I have done a full day's work
13. Listening to music
14. Recalling past parties
15. Buying household gadgets
16. Lying in the sun
17. Planning a career change
18. Laughing
19. Thinking about my past trips
20. Listening to others
21. Reading magazines or newspapers
22. Hobbies (stamp collecting, model building, etc.)
23. Spending an evening with good friends
24. Planning a day's activities
25. Meeting new people
26. Remembering beautiful scenery
27. Saving money
28. Gambling
29. Going home from work
30. Eating
31. Practicing karate, judo, yoga
32. Thinking about retirement
33. Repairing things around the house
34. Working on my car (bicycle)
35. Remembering the words and deeds of loving people
36. Wearing sexy clothes
37. Having quiet evenings
38. Taking care of my plants
39. Buying, selling stock
40. Going swimming
41. Doodling
42. Exercising
43. Collecting old things
44. Going to a party
45. Thinking about buying things
46. Playing golf
47. Playing soccer
48. Flying kites
49. Having discussions with friends
50. Having family get-togethers
51. Riding a motorbike
52. Sex
53. Running a track
54. Going camping
55. Singing around the house
56. Arranging flowers
57. Practicing religion (going to church, group praying, etc.)
58. Losing weight
59. Going to the beach
60. Thinking I'm an OK person
61. A day with nothing to do
62. Having class reunions
63. Going skating
64. Going sail boating
65. Traveling abroad or in the United States
66. Painting
67. Doing something spontaneously
68. Doing needlepoint, crewel, etc.
69. Sleeping
70. Driving
71. Entertaining
72. Going to clubs (garden, Parents without Partners, etc.)
73. Thinking about getting married
74. Going hunting
75. Singing with groups
76. Flirting
77. Playing musical instruments
78. Doing arts and crafts
79. Making a gift for someone
80. Buying records
81. Watching boxing, wrestling
82. Planning parties
83. Cooking
84. Going hiking
85. Writing books (poems, articles)
86. Sewing
87. Buying clothes
88. Going out to dinner
89. Working
90. Discussing books
91. Sightseeing
92. Gardening
93. Going to the beauty parlor
94. Early morning coffee and newspaper
95. Playing tennis
96. Kissing
97. Watching my children (play)
98. Thinking I have a lot more going for me than most people
99. Going to plays and concerts
100. Daydreaming
101. Planning to go to school
102. Thinking about sex
103. Going for a drive
104. Listening to a stereo
105. Refinishing furniture
106. Watching TV
107. Making lists of tasks
108. Going bike riding
109. Walks in the woods (or at the waterfront)
110. Buying gifts
111. Traveling to national parks
112. Completing a task
113. Collecting shells
114. Going to a spectator sport (auto racing, horse racing)
115. Eating gooey, fattening foods
116. Teaching
117. Photography
118. Going fishing
119. Thinking about pleasant events
120. Staying on a diet
121. Playing with animals
122. Flying a plane
123. Reading fiction
124. Acting
125. Being alone
126. Writing diary entries or letters
127. Cleaning
128. Reading nonfiction
129. Taking children places
130. Dancing
131. Going on a picnic
132. Thinking "I did that pretty well" after doing something
133. Meditating
134. Playing volleyball
135. Having lunch with a friend
136. Going to the mountains
137. Thinking about having a family
138. Thoughts about happy moments in my childhood
139. Splurging
140. Playing cards
141. Solving riddles mentally
142. Having a political discussion
143. Playing softball
144. Seeing and/or showing photos or slides
145. Playing guitar
146. Knitting
147. Doing crossword puzzles
148. Shooting pool
149. Dressing up and looking nice
150. Reflecting on how I've improved
151. Buying things for myself (perfume, golf balls, etc.)
152. Talking on the phone
153. Going to museums
154. Thinking religious thoughts
155. Lighting candles
156. Listening to the radio
157. Getting a massage
158. Saying "I love you"
159. Thinking about my good qualities
160. Buying books
161. Taking a sauna or a steam bath
162. Going skiing
163. White-water canoeing
164. Going bowling
165. Doing woodworking
166. Fantasizing about the future
167. Taking ballet, tap dancing
168. Debating
169. Sitting in a sidewalk café
170. Having an aquarium
171. Erotica (sex books, movies)
172. Going horseback riding
173. Thinking about becoming active in the community
174. Doing something new
175. Making jigsaw puzzles
176. Thinking I'm a person who can cope

[SunshineOutside]

1. Play with my 15 month old granddaughter.

2. Going to a friend's home for dinner.

3. Catching a movie.

4. Holiday shopping.

5. Getting a massage

6. Seeing my boys

7. Spending time with friends, Ray & Susan

8. Trip to Georgia

9. Joining a "Healthy Living" group.

10. More meditation

[lunalelle]

I'm going to continue working on my NaNoWriMo novel through December (probably all the way to February). I won, but I'm only halfway through.

I have a whole design series of jewelry to do in the next two weeks, plus working on continuing another design series. I'm technically a jewelry hobbyist, but I find treating it more like a business actually makes it more enjoyable. And I never dislike having to schedule jewelry making.

I'm going to buy some more scented bath lotions and soaps, one of my daily luxuries.

I'm going to make hot chocolate and enjoy a Braum's eggnog shake on occasion.

I'm going to make the second half of friends' and family's presents.

I'll put up my small Christmas tree in the family room, a little bit of the house that is mine.

There's rarely a shortage of things for me to do, and writing and jewelry making helps fill up my evenings so that I can recharge from the day.

[snowsoul8]

The current semester for school ends in about one month, so in the next month I plan to:


--Go hiking
--Do some school reading outside on nice days
--Fill out applications for new job and place to live
--Work on making more friends
--Start journaling again
--Listen to music more often
--Register for summer and fall classes
--Re-activate my gym membership
--Sign up to start taking guitar lessons
--Keep up with my school work
--Do chores regularly at home, listen to music to make it more fun
--Spend more time outside
--Spend more time around people
--Find a new Pdoc
--See my therapist

[karuna]

I'm getting a pedicure on Saturday, first one since I quit SIing on my feet. Wish me luck! I am also seeing Michael Buble in concert this month.