55 MPH Thought Train

I've always got something in my head. It can be a simple what-if scenario, a script of a conversation that I am expecting to have, or making a list of everything I need to do at work to function on a more manageable level.

The down part to most of these outcomes eventually leads to some kind of funk or regression of my behavior that irritates co-workers and employers to no end. Sometimes the outcome leads to me withdrawing from personal relationships or even bottling up my thoughts, conversations, and having a good time to turn sour.

Some of what I am describing sounds like someone who doesn't want to be happy or refuses to be happy, someone who may have anxiety or depression or can't find a way to keep everything straight inside her head and stop that hamster from running all the time. I could say that is true, but also this is how I usually function on a normal basis.

What I am trying to do is something where I can find an outlet for making sure my thoughts don't become hurdles for poor performance. Here are some ways I am treating them and what others who have this issue can practice as well.

Running

Exercise in moderation or continuously is enough to get your body pumped up for the rest of the day. Whether it is going through the dirt path to run to Fort Mose and back everyday between 9 and 10 in the morning on days off, or getting a quick jog in from 7 to 8 before work.

Running always helps to clear my head or get me motivated for tasks ahead of the day. Just running between 5-7 min of moderate pace or focusing on my stamina helps ensure that if I want to run longer or harder, then I have areas I can work on and make sure I can do better the next time around. You can apply those same areas to your work and ensure that you do better the next time around.

Smiling

Since I was reported by a customer for not greeting them properly, avoiding eye contact, not giving them a smile and a nice warm outlook for their meal, now my best bet is to ensure I smile or give one before handing customers their food. If it looks like I enjoy my job, then possibly there could be a chance that it would look good not just on me, but everyone who works there.

I usually don't smile much and I never kept with smiling at any place that I worked. But now that I have to work on smiling and keeping it on my face for the whole day, that is where it is new ground and uncharted territory for me. Practicing in the mirror or keeping a happy memory in my head is enough to ensure that I work on getting people to see my "happy" face.

Sometimes practicing smiling can be awkward to do in the mirror, but it can help with how customers and clients can often see how you respond to them with your facial movements. It also shows you whether or not you're smirking or being devious.

Unplugging from the net

This is where most of my problems lie in interaction and basic communication. When I get home, I plug into Netflix or I just hop to my computer and I go onto various online platforms such as Vocal or my WordPress blog and stay there until bedtime.

Unplugging is something good to do and ensure that you don't depend on social media or other various internet websites or accounts to have a need for constant attention. Instead of staying plugged into the machines every morning and when I come home from work, using it as a reward for behaviors that include focusing on other people in your life are some of the best benefits for making the internet the last of your activities for anything you do during the day.

My achievements for doing so include waking up in the morning, running and then coming back to take a cold shower and make some coffee for my fiance when he is still asleep in the bed. It means that once I can do those things, then I can reward myself with a little internet time and either write or develop a manuscript idea before heading to work.

What are some of your things you do when you handle the 55 mile an hour thought train? If any of these things don't apply to you, then send me a message on how you work on these problems and I can give those a shot. As Dickinson said, "Success is counted sweetest. By those who ne'er succeed."