Saw Dr H on Tuesday and have been issued with homework. This post is about what I must do. First, an overview of the basics.
Dr H set out four activity categories. These are summarized as follows:
Four Types of Activity
- Pleasure
- Accomplishment
- Approaching What you Avoid
- Consistent With Your Values
My role is to examine each of my daily activities and identify which activities fall within the scope of each category. I am also to begin recording my activities. This is essentially similar to what I presently do with the Accident Log.
When I note an activity I am to record: 1) What the activity is; 2) My mood during the activity; 3) Arrange my schedule to incorporate activity from each of the four categories. When Dr H gave me the last instruction, I exclaimed “Just like the Canada food groups!” She laughed. I did not understand the reason for her laughter. I wasn’t attempting to make a funny. I am not speaking negatively about Dr. H. She is great and I count myself very fortunate to see her. My lack of understanding has more to do with the fact that my social skills have undergone a major change since the accident. I typically get into problems as I do not fully understand, or gain full comprehension of, social interactions that once were second nature.
While still in her office, we went through the categories and I attempted to list current activities within each category.
Homework Pleasure Activity
Walking
Included in this group are activities such as walking. I enjoy being out on the woods trails with the wind in the trees and sunlight dappling the ground. It is not only good exercise, it feels as if it also restores the psyche. When I become extremely frustrated by TAQ submissions, I will flee the house for the quiet of the forest.
Cooking
Cooking is another pleasurable activity. I noticed this early in the accident when I resorted to chopping endless amounts of vegetables. This activity was calming. I enjoyed the endless routine. I chopped more vegetables than it was possible to use.
Dinner this evening was steamed rice with chicken in a spicy cilantro sauce. I bought a package of discounted veggies at the local grocery and also saved $1.30 by hiking over to Ontario to buy a bunch of cilantro. A handful of the julienne veggies (more chopping), combined with 3/4’s of an onion (all that was left after the decayed parts were cut out. I buy food that is going “off” as it is low cost. In this case 10 pounds of dying onions for $1.50), and a few cloves of garlic.
The chicken was from a small carcass purchased cooked (Regular price $6.99 sold at 50% off). So far I have had two meals from each of the drumsticks. Tonight I stripped the carcass and have enough meat for about six meals. Plus the bones have been simmering on the stove with garlic and onion so I now have the basis of a chicken soup broth for the wet weather coming up this weekend.
The finished meal consisted of spicy cilantro chicken over rice served with steamed broccoli florets and the tail end of a cucumber thinly sliced as a garnish. Tasty. Ummmm! This is the reason cooking is pleasurable.
Herb Gardening
This is a look ahead activity. I attempted a herb garden when I first arrived here but I was unable to maintain potted balcony plants with my crazy work schedule. Once I complete the TAQ process, I plan to fill in the time presently taken up by submissions in cultivating basil and cilantro. Maybe grow some lemon thyme, Greek oregano, and genuine mint.
In discussions with Dr H, I realize that I have come to build my new sense of self-identity around the TAQ struggle. When the TAQ process ends, I will lose this underpinning of identity. The herb garden activity is a replacement and part of an initiative to shift toward more regularized function.
Writing
Writing is pleasurable. I have entered some 700 words in creating this post. Regardless of what my reader may think (to be honest, this blog has no readership. I am grateful for that fact. The blog was not intended for an audience; it began as a therapeutic endeavour and it continues in that role. The audience is pretty much irrelevant to the purpose), I enjoyed describing my evening meal. One of my favourite authors before the accident was M.F.K. Fisher. I shall have to attempt my own recipe on How to Cook a Loup.