Saying "Yes!"

This week I am dusting off and reusing a strategy that has served me well in the past.

It's the YES model. Here's why:

My permanent, serious mental health condition has had a lot of influence on my life. I take it seriously, and have learned a lot about managing my condition and reducing its impact on me, and on the people around me. This is very good, but it's all too easy for diligence in self-care to become fear-driven obsessiveness.  I find myself in a pattern of conscientiously saying "No" to risks and challenges.

It sounds responsible, but when overdone becomes a way of hiding from the world, of opting out from development and accountability. Living small.

The YES model means saying YES! to every opportunity that comes my way. Taking risks, trying things out, committing to new actions.  It also means deliberately assessing new things first in the light of their benefits (maybe look at risks later) and in general having a lot more fun.

It sounds a little scary, but so far I have not been offered anything that would do me any actual harm. Most things don't. Here are a few I can share:

• swapped a seat with a stranger on a plane (karma points)
• made a date with a stranger (great conversation)
• tasted something extremely spicy (yum!)
• tasted something weird of unknown composition (so-so but now I know)
• went to a sports game in a foreign city (fun)
• shared a cigarette with a new colleague (1 won't kill me)
• tasted wine (negotiated self-imposed alcohol ban)

The downside to the YES strategy is that I get very busy, and sometimes a little tired. Moderation returns in time, and I have a more sunny and relaxed disposition and some new stories. Rinse and repeat.