Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Walking and Mindwork

While I ramble away here, let’s enjoy some pictures...


Anyway, I’ve been back on Crete now for two weeks. To begin with, because of all the shit I’ve been going through, I haven’t had much energy. I’ve done a couple of big walks but mostly small ones, gardening, and some other jobs I needed to sort out.


One of those jobs was getting my car here legal. I neglected it last year and emissions and mechanical tests were out of date as was the road tax which, the system here being fucked and Greek, can only be bought one month in the year. The result of that was that in all three cases I had to pay double.


Paying my road tax was interesting. I saw a guy in Makrigialos who found my details on the internet and printed me something to take to the bank where I could pay my road tax. I couldn’t pay at the bank. Maybe the post office? No, the tax office.


A lady in the post office showed me where this was. There they wrote out a note, which I then had to take back to the bank. The bank issued me a cheque, which I then had to take back to the tax office. By the time I got back they had found I owed taxes on my house, which I then had to traipse back to the bank to pay. By the end of that day I was €1000+ out of pocket.  



Anyway, I’m not unhappy about that because that was a bunch of worries out of the way. Also, if you refer to my previous post, the ‘shit I’ve been going through’ and my lack of energy is changing. It is spring now and some nice days are occurring. And now I’m walking properly...


Just letting my panic attacks happen and, when they happen, actively encouraging them has had an amazing effect. They’re dying away, and they’re dying away fast.


As I write this I have ‘walked to Voila and back’ (about 12 kilometres) eaten a second breakfast and had a snooze on my sofa. Boring? Yes, unless it is the first time in months you have managed to do that without panic attacks and without fearing what state you will wake up in.


It is almost as if letting those attacks happen and pushing them is the same as crying: unpleasant when it occurs but letting out some inner stress, with the result that you feel better afterwards.


Consequently my stress/anxiety levels have been dropping. This has enabled me to apply, thoroughly, some of the stuff in a book by Richard Carlson ‘Stop Thinking, Start Living’, and the mindfulness from the Williams and Penman book.



But enough of that. Now it is time for me to open up a file marked Jain1 and set to work.        

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amazon sent me email today advertising a new War Factory book by "Neal Aher". It is his first book.

Please stop that sneaky bastard before he steals your royalties.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B6FJOPE/ref=pe_1876200_188928180_pe_re_csr_ht

Unknown said...

Hi Neal, glad you are feeling better! I suffered panic attacks for a few years. They were not fun at all. I rarely get them any more, and when they start I can short circuit them in seconds. Practice makes perfect! Well, in my case practice and not drinking. Also, I live in Chile (from the US) and I can tell you Greece sounds about as fucked up as here. I guess extremely low expectations is the key to tolerating the government bureaucracy. That and the fact that you get a lot of exercise walking between government offices multiple times. At least you can buy local lapis lazuli here. I was surprised to see that in your books. Thanks for all the great stories BTW. I discovered your work two years ago when I moved down here and I must say looking forward to reading your stories in bed has helped keep me sane many times!
Feel better mate! Best, Mike

Unknown said...

Good on you Neal,
Great to hear you getting some fresh air and feeling better.

The Greek's invented bureaucracy didn't they?

You can see why it drives people over the edge.

Panic attacks are more common than most people think - they say you should take a breath or two, relax and say "stop" loudly in your mind, then try and stop negative thoughts....
Yeah right - sounds simple, trouble is that at the time - and I'm talking about other feelings as well like mood swings - remembering steps like these or putting them into practice is not exactly easy.
Mike writing in the other comments seems to have them beat - great to get feedback like that.
Love your work and blog mate,
regards,
Mark.

lubertdas said...

"Jain1" !?!?!?!?!?

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

RUN AWAY!

Take off and nuke it from orbit!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Unknown said...

Having read the Skinner in Lagada, very close to Makry Gialos, in my family s summer house, I was surprised when I realized that one of my favorite writers is actually enjoying the same tranquility (besides government crap haha) and aura that this particular region of Crete has.

World has become so accessible nowadays, and truly some times it feels very small. I love it! One of your dedicated Cretan readers!

PS Keep up the great work ✌️👽🍾