'Who, in their right mind, ever thought this was a good idea!!'

When I hear myself chiding myself with these words or similar, I know I am in a 'dip'.

Seth Godin has written a book titled The Dip which I have't read. But when I heard it referred to, I guessed the familiar (to me) experience to which he was referring and decided to write something about how this might affect carers, friends and families of those living with dementia.

There are days I waken up. And nothing seems appealing. I imagine that this experience happens to us all - in different circumstances, no doubt, and to different degrees. And even to carers ... those selfless compassionate folk who have dedicated their lives to helping a loved one run their dementia marathon.

Sometimes it helps to make a diagram, a sine wave perhaps, with its peaks and troughs.

At a peak, I am filled with enthusiasm and inspiration. The logic for pursuing this course of action is crystal clear. Go for it, girl! And I do.

Next thing, the inevitable trough. What goes up, comes down! 

So here is a strategy and several tactics that I've personally found helpful in navigating the inevitabls dips in life.

Strategies and Tactics

The overall strategy is to simplify what I do to make it easier and more attractive to me.

The tactics - how I implement the strategy - are varied. They include, in no particular order,

• Do something - anything - that will act as a self-starter.
• Do what immediately appeals to me.
• Refer to my diary and do whatever is listed there.

Other tactics that I rarely employ but that I consider have a great deal of merit include:

• Call a friend or a buddy.
• Recall some positive affirmations.
• Organise a 'care-focused' activity for yourself.
• Meditate.
• Journal.

It very much depends on what kind of person you are or what kind of person you want to become. And that can take some working out.

Short term versus Long term

In the short term, it's very helpful to have a 'go to' tactic to get oneself out of a dip. But I believe we can all benefit from working on a longer term gameplan - strategies that support us in living a simpler more enjoyable life.

That's why I personally encourage myself to develop a framework of 'good' habits that make my life easier. And, to a lesser extent - not because I consider this less important but because I've discovered over the course of a longish life, that I'm that type of person - a circle of good friends who affirm and support me.

A useful book on the topic of how to develop a framework of good supportive habits is James Clear's Atomic Habits. One of his quotes is, You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of you systems. That to me is a good reason to work on my systems, the framework of habits that I turn to when I'm in a 'dip'.

What next?

Your challenge for this week is to take a close look at your life, identify a dip (hint - try to choose an easier dip to start on) and find some tactics that you can start using to get you out of that particular dip.

Good luck.

Till next time ...

Justus