26 May 2017, 7:51pm

I've been wondering how I am going to go about the business of getting to know myself better. Early today I recalled a presentation I watched at the begining of last year I think, that was about a topic which actually goes by two names, HRV Training and Cardiac Coherence. HRV Training is the more academic term, and refers to a practice that most of us would call simply, a breathing exercise. What I find intriguing is that this area of scientific study is concerned with understanding one particular method that anyone can do to bring about physiological changes in the body-mind. But what I recalled was the way that the presenter Dr. Alan Watkins drew up an abstract hierarchy of the body-mind, from the physiological to behavioral level. It was the first time that I'd seen a complete representation like that when I first watched the presentation, and I thought it was the bee's knees, and upon watching it again today, I still do. I think it might be a useful framework to use in understanding myself better.

I was doing the breathing exercise last year but I think I stopped because it wasn't a magic cure-all for the issues I was dealing with, not that it was a conscious decision but I probably gravitated to other things that looked more promising. Which is confusing because I remember responding positively on the first try. Re-watching the presentation I note that he mentions the exercise only brings you half way to changing your behavior. It's purpose is to open up a space where it is possible to do so, but there is more to do to take it all the way, which unfortunately isn't explained in the presentation.

I'm not inclined to think that there is only one way to solve a problem or come to an understanding anyway. I've noticed in the past that time and patience and mulling it over are often all I needed to figure something out, and an element of waiting is involved perhaps indicating yet again that there is more going on behind the scenes than I am aware of, even in my own mind. Earlier this year for a little while I began practicing logic problems in an attempt to increase my skills in this area and I tried to also pay attention to how I was solving them. What I noticed was that the process could be described as learning to understand the problem rather than the answer, defining it well enough in my mind such that the answer sort of presented itself. It's almost as if inside we have very capable problem solving biological systems that only take well defined input, and learning to produce that input is the real skill? Just speculation of course.

Today I went for a walk, practiced the breathing exercise and went for a bigger shop. I didn't have lunch and succumbed to the allure of Tim Tams and Pizza Shapes while shopping, haha. No regrets!! Did some more washing, but still have to finish cleaning the kitchen.

Not overly concerned about my motivation, I don't really have a problem unless I have a problem it seems, not a new understanding but one I tend to forget.

Overall another good day.