practice moderation

the Cuscus has a powerful medicine, which is that of slow and steady and calmness.
this also applies to my goal of practising moderation.
when i start something new, be it learning a new cuisine, listening to a CD, opening a bar of chocolate i tend to totally overdo it.
the CD plays constantly until i get sick of it after a few weeks, the new cuisine takes over for a couple of weeks and then i am burnt out, the choccie bar has to be finished straight away. i noticed that this applies to almost all areas of my life.
if i use the approach of the cuscus and take things slow and steady, gradually build it up and maintain a steady pace i will succeed with this goal.

i still don’t get it… all or nothing, that seems to be my motto, rather than a little bit here and a little bit there…
argh!

i guess i am less impulsive now, think a bit more before i leap into ‘going overboard’, give myself assurance that whatever is there today is quite likely to still be there tomorrow, so no need to go overboard, and even if it wasn’t … what is the big deal…

ok, we have the X and Y generation, now there is the Odyssey generation, the ones that flit from one project to another, are on the move all the time, develop a fad for something and then it burns out, only to move onto a new one… sound exactly like me… except … these are the 20-30 year olds (supposedly), i am not in that age group by a mile LOL
so how am i going with this goal…no progress as yet…

i have my ups and downs with this… but overall i am getting better.

i am an all or nothing person, moderation doesn’t come naturally.
i find something i like (hobby, food, drink, music etc) and enjoy it excessively and then burn out. i have been known to watch a favourite concert DVD almost daily for month, now i am SO SICK of it LOL
or wine… geez, talk about all or nothing. i love it or leave it, but so wish i could just enjoy a glass here and there.
new hobby… i love it and buy everything to do with it, all props, materials and whatnot, do it for several weeks and then….puff…gone.
how do i put some moderation into my activities, so i enjoy them longer?

This is not easy to do. I’ve been enjoying excess lately, probably to make up for the feelings of loneliness and lack inside me due to the end of my relationship. Probably not an uncommon thing. I’ve been eating to excess, shopping to excess (by my high standards, at least), definitely shirking my housework to excess, and generally not taking care of myself quite as much as I should be.

But maybe I’m being moderate after all. Maybe I’ve become so frugal (stingy?) with compassion for myself that I’ve forgotten how to relax. Maybe I’m being excessively hard on myself, in fact.

Like I said, this isn’t easy to do….

I’ve been doing pretty good about moderation in what I eat – my diet is going fabulously, I’d say. I feel good and I’m about half way to my goal. I still have cravings for fattier foods, but I do my best to ignore them or control my hunger with foods that are better for me. Low-fat chocolate soymilk and yogurt are wonderful.

I’ve been practicing moderation in sound as well, trying to cut back on automatically turning the radio on the moment I turn on the car. Sometimes it’s nice to just ride in silence, and sometimes I need those moments of peace between work and home.

@Andrea: I don’t think I belive that moderation is a matter of being “wired” for it. In my experience it just takes practice, and small steps to start. I’m not an expert, but I think everyone can benefit from learning how to control their urges rather than letting their urges control them. Are there particular areas of your life that you’re trying to moderate?

Is it possible that some people are just not wired for moderation? It seems that I’m unable to control my urge for more. Sigh…