Optimism has taught me something optimistic!

For the last two weeks I have been using Optimism. I have tweaked the strategies and triggers a little bit using the Customize functionality, but for the most part kept it as is.

Yesterday was a crappy day. The night before, I stayed up until 11PM, missing the window of opportunity to fall asleep and sleep well (I need to go to bed at 10PM). I had only 5 hours of sleep. I could not go on preparing for my interview because I stopped being productive - I need sleep. I did not exercise because I cannot exercise lacking sleep. Just cannot. So the two biggies among the "stay well" strategies in Optimism - adequate sleep and exercise - were not checked off. But I drank a lot of water and Vitalyte, afraid of a migraine on top of everything else - I get migraines from dehydration. Ultimately around midnight, I woke up with a migraine in its beginning, drank 6 (!) glasses of Vitalyte, took Imitrex, and went back to sleep. The migraine went away. The stay well strategy on Optimism - plenty of water - worked.

When I was filling out the Optimism form last night, I was glad I could check off "plenty of water". There was at least one "stay well strategy" besides taking meds and having adequate caffeine that I applied. It was not a totally crappy day after all. I did something. I tried. I took the best care of myself under the circumstances. And that meant that tomorrow would be a better day.

And sure enough, I slept afterwards, I am eating a nutritious breakfast and running the dishwasher today - I will go for a walk, I will make the most of the today. It would be a better day. So I did have grounds for optimism last night.

Interested in the optimism form...did not understand Customize functionality.....
Can you explain a little of this ..sounds like a very useful tool for me
Thanks;

Sure, although I am new to this and other seasoned users might do a better job. If you go to Optimism online, ie use Optimism in your browser - can you open it and then I will continue on?

In the top right corner, you will see a wrench and the word Customize. Click on it. There will be four tabs for "Customize Fields". Click on the second tab - "Stay Well Strategies". In the bottom left corner, there is a PLUS sign. Click on it. It would enable you to name a new strategy for yourself. E.g. "routine sleep" (in addition to "adequate sleep" which is part of the default).

Let me know if it worked.

Optimism now has an iPad and iPhone app. Unfortunately there seems to be a bug in it and I have not had any luck making it work on my iPad.

I would like to start using it, but I have been a slacker so far.

EJ

I found it but the demo and trial version failed to open...at least thats what it reads...will try again...thanks for pointing me to it!

You can't customize it on iPad or iPhone. Only online on your computer.

That would make me want to use the browser version (not that I have an iPad or iPhone). Customization is a big draw of the application.

Another example of customization being helpful. They have "Behind with housework" as a symptom. But that is for people who by default do housework and when they slack off, that might be, say, a symptom of depression. I am a messy person and by default do little housework. Checking it off every night would have been demoralizing to me so I did not use this item at all, until it occurred to me to delete it and instead insert "Did housework" as a "stay well strategy" (I do feel better about myself when I do it) and check it off on rare days when I spend time cleaning. Today: cleaning the litterbox, changing litter, doing the dishes, doing the laundry. An unusual amount of positive activity. Check!

I'm still confused.... what is "Optimism" ?

software/application - www.optimismonline.com

I'm excited about trying this out. Thanks for posting about it Hamster, and kudos to you for actually doing it!!

I'm going to install it now and see what this is all about. I hope you keep finding more optimism? i dunno how you say that. I hope it keeps helping you.

Ohh you have to pay for it? Is there any free downloads? I know I'm cheap, and I don't have credit cards to buy stuff online either. I'll try the trial version, but I'm afraid I'll like it a lot and then have to stop using it when the trial expires.

Do NOT download it! Use it in the browser, see my link. It is free. I would not have been using something that was not free.

And thanks goes to Farmergirl from me.

ahh ok thanks, I didn't understand, I'm a bit of a dope with online stuff.

When I clicked on home, a red window popped up saying I was attempting to find the "Finding Optimism" site and that there was potential for a virus??

Everything else on the site looks normal but I don't want to take any chances if I click on anything else.... :-/

It did not happen to me. It seems to be respectable Dutch software. I would not worry about it - looks like your anti-virus is in overdrive. I have been using it for several weeks on my Mac now and nothing bad has happened.

Anika - maybe it would get old soon, for now though I crave checking off all the good things I have done. And for you, there is relaxation/meditation!

Ok, I tried the "Homepage" again and the window says, instead of reaching findingoptimism I reached a server identifying itself as " .pair.com "

Everything I click on under FAQs gives me the same window....

I know you said my antivirus may be in overdrive, and you may be right, but I've never seen that before...my bf's semi-good with this kind of stuff, I'll ask him about it when he gets home.

I find it hard to stay in any of the programs like this. I always do good at first, like it's a competition or something, then I burn myself out on it. I will obsess over it too.

I haven't found a technique in life yet to stay consistant with anything really, as I have always been this way. I was trying to be optimistic on these boards a few weeks ago, and then I had to stop. Got burnt and didn't feel it anymore. I bet I would do the same thing with this.

It sounds like a really cool online program!

I second this. I've never been able to stay on a regimen, be it diet, exercise, housework, sleep, etc. I tend to naturally rebel against routines for some reason. I've never been a calorie counter (even though every health mag on the market claims it's the best way)---I don't like math and the idea of counting every thing I ingest is too tedious for me. I also obsess and eventually burn out on things I find awesome--I blame my OCD coupled with the Bipolar,

I am interested in this program---maybe on a short term it could help me.

I must've downloaded the "trial version", it it great and I havent been asked to pay anything... several months now.

The trick is to spend as little time on the program as necessary. And really, once you get it set up the way you like it, it should only take a couple of minutes each day to do. I also do moodtracker.com because it records some slightly different aspects that optimism doesn't. They work well together for me. But I get both trackers done in no more than about 4 or 5 minutes. I look at them once a day and I'm off. Tracking shouldn't be cumbersome or time-consuming; after all, there really isn't that much to it.

Boy does it feel good! I have spent 1.5 hrs walking on a trail, come back and checked off "exercise" and "time outside". Done something good for myself. Do feel optimistic!

You go Hamster!!! That's awesome.

I just like the title
...cryptic backflip