Crises reveal your values because you have to choose.
Ed Milliband
In a crisis, I can’t have it all. When push comes to shove, what do I choose?
It’s now the end of a too long day and I haven’t done either of the exercises the doctor recommended to speed recovery. There isn’t time to do both—so I choose the mental exercises, like always. I rationalize that the physical exercises are stimulating and make it hard to sleep, but the mental exercises are also hard and cause anxiety.
Mindfulness practices urge me to pause before reacting and notice what’s going on. Looking at my choices, I ask, “Is this serving me well?” No, better to sometimes choose physical exercises instead. With no load over eight pounds, I’m not going to end up too pumped to sleep. False concern.