Tag: wellness

Habits I Want to Build, Destroy, and Continue in 2023 (Blogmas Day 19)

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Hey Sunny Siders, welcome to blogmas day 19! The new year is approaching fast, so I am taking the time to reflect on some of the intentions I’d like to have in 2023. Specifically, I talking about the habits I was to build, destroy, and continue into the new year.

Habits I Want To Build

1. I want to be more active with meditation and journaling. I always start the year off strong meditating before bed and journaling each night. Then, it kinda falls apart in the second half of the year. Both of these tasks are really good for my mental health, so being able to continue them would be valuable. When I start this habit in January, I want it to last until December.

2. Drinking enough water. This is another task that I start strong and then fall apart quickly. I want to drink the daily necessary amount of water each day because it’s essential! However, it always makes me pee, and I can’t pee during class so it just falls apart after that. This year, I’m hoping with night classes I’ll be able to drink enough water before I have to go to school so I don’t have to worry about the pee problem.

3. Get outside for at least 10 minutes a day. I go to school in a state where it’s basically summer 24/7, so there is no excuse for me to not be getting my daily vitamin D. I’ve noticed that I feel a lot happier when I get a chance to go outside, so I want to make it a goal to at least get out and get some fresh air for 10 minutes a day. It can be the walk between classes or just getting the mail. No matter what it is, I want to be outside (weather permitting) each day.

Habits I Want To Destroy

1. Making others do the cooking for me. I have this problem where I think I’m not good at cooking so I have someone else do it for me. I want to make this stop in 2023. It’s hurting me because I’m not allowing myself to grow or get better at cooking if I’m not ever letting myself try. I only feel comfortable making the same few recipes, so it’s time to knuckle down and start experimenting. I want to become consistent in my cooking in 2023.

2. Always doing the cleaning even when chores are assigned. Something I pride myself on is being able to clean, and clean well. However, it’s become a problem because even when chores are assigned I still end up doing them for everyone else. I can’t tolerate the mess or waiting for someone else to have time to do their chore, so I do it myself. This I desperately need to stop in 2023. I obviously can clean and do my chores to the fullest, but I need to let go of the control aspect and let everyone else to theirs at their own pace. Not only will this help them, but it’ll help me so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.

3. Scrolling through social media. I want to spend a lot less time on social media in 2023. I want to pour more into my hobbies, and spend more time reading. If I’m constantly scrolling through Instagram, I can’t accomplish any of the things that I enjoy and make me feel good. I want to spend more time doing, and less time scrolling in 2023.

Habits I Want To Continue

1. Sticking to and filling out my budget. I’m the second half of this year, I was inspired by my brother to put myself on a budget. I’ve never been a big spender, but I also wasn’t being as intentional with my money as I could be. My brother helped me create a spreadsheet, to which I set the upper limits for what I could spend on things like food, clothing, gas, utilities, entertainment, etc. Making this budget was the best thing I’ve done this year. It’s gotten me to cook more because going out is expensive, and it’s allowed me to put so much money away in savings than I had been doing prior. This is a habit I’d like to keep for the rest of my life if possible.

2. Taking time for myself. One thing I used to be terrible at was taking time for myself. I had no balance in my life, it was either all school and work or all play, nothing in between. This year, I required myself to no matter what I was doing, stop my school work at 7:00 pm. That gave me three or so hours each night to relax and do something I enjoyed. I also made myself take time to relax on the weekends. This little habit has helped to to create balance in my life. By making myself have time for myself I’ve been able to invest into hobbies and other activities that I wouldn’t have done just a year prior. I definitely want to keep making a cutoff for when I need to stop and do something for me.

3. Continue with my hobbies. This past year I really got into finding hobbies that made me feel happy. My three biggest ones happen to be fashion, pottery, and learning Japanese. I want to continue to grow my love of fashion in the next year. I want to continue making pottery, with the goal of finishing my dinnerware set by the end of next year. I want to keep learning Japanese and be able to speak some sentences fluently by the end of next year. These hobbies have really helped me to find joy in life and take away from the stress of school.

4. Exercise four to five times a week with no pressure. One thing I started this year was really making a good relationship with exercise. I wanted to exercise to feel good, not to look a certain way. I also wanted it to be sustainable and enjoyable, so I set my limit to four to five days of exercise I enjoyed. Doing this allowed me to exercise in a way that made me happy. I didn’t have to go to the gym to get exercise, I could ride my bike around town, or go for a nice walk. Reframing my mind to see exercise as just a way to feel good was one of the best things I’ve done this year. I no longer feel pressure or guilt if I don’t go to the gym because I know my body needs rest, and beyond that I know the gym isn’t the only place you can exercise.

You Do Not Have to Fit Society’s Mold

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Hey Sunny Siders, this week I am sharing a reminder that really is near and dear to my heart.

Society has lots of stereotypes for people: if you’re smart, not athletic, and kinda quirky then you’re a “nerd.” If you’re not academically inclined, extremely athletic, and good looking then your a “jock.” The list goes on and on of different stereotypes that you could possibly be typecasted into.

But what happens if you don’t quite fit the mold? I personally have struggled with this for most of my life. I’m very studious and love to learn, but I also do not enjoy school. I love reading books but I also love to exercise. I love watching cartoons and anime, but I also like watching YouTube and listening to popular podcasts. Sometimes I like to dress with the trends, but other times I like wearing a shirt that has Spider-Man on it. Sometimes I like eating more nutritious meals, and other times I don’t.

I often feel like I’m one of the only people that don’t fit what society expects of us, but in reality it is the opposite. I think most people are afraid of not fitting the mold like I once was. I think there are many people who pretend to be only one certain way, when in actuality we fall somewhere in between. I bet there are so many people that are into all the latest trends, but go home in secret to watch the newest episode of their favorite cartoon, or read their favorite sci-fi novel. Conversely, there are people who excel in school, but go home to exercise in ways other than traditional sports. So many people feel ashamed to not be fully one way or another, especially if things they enjoy aren’t “popular” that they hide those sides of themselves from the world. But, I’m here to say that I don’t fit any of the molds society expects from me, and you don’t have to either. Embracing yourself fully is so much more freeing than hiding the parts of you that don’t fit society’s mold. The moment I started allowing myself to showcase both parts of my life I started loving the person I was. Who cares what others think of you because chances are they are still hiding parts of themselves from the world too. So embrace the full version of you, because you don’t have to squeeze into a mold that doesn’t fit you.

It’s Been a Long Time Since We Last Talked…

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Hey Sunny Siders, wow it’s been a long, crazy year since the last time we talked. Life got pretty crazy and I didn’t have time or energy to put into this blog. I had to put it on the back burner so I could focus on me. But now, it’s a year later and I’m a year stronger! I am ready to focus on the things that bring me joy, one of which is this blog. My goal is to start posting weekly with recipes, workouts, and heart to hearts as to how I am feeling. Let’s start with some things that 2021 taught me and how I’ve grown since we last talked.

1. You’re opinions can change! I’ve done a lot of growth in this area in the past year, especially when it comes to relationships, food, exercise, and mental health.

2. Life is meant to be enjoyable, take time for yourself. I used to be terrible at spending time doing things I enjoy for fear of letting my grades slip. Now I know that I can maintain good grades AND have fun living my life.

3. Spending time alone and taking time to work on yourself is a great thing. People fear being alone, but what I’ve come to learn is that you can create the version of yourself that you want to be when others aren’t around to influence you.

4. You are more than the food you eat or the way you look. In this past year I’ve healed my relationship with food, my body, and exercise. It wasn’t easy, but learning that my desire to be thin, eat “clean,” or over exercise stemmed from needing a sense of control in my life. Things aren’t always in your control, and something that should be tearing you down is your relationship with food, exercise, and your body. I will be going into more detail about how I healed my relationship with food soon!

5. The way you talk to yourself matters. You know that inner monologue that won’t shut up? Yeah, it’s affecting the way you see yourself! I suffered from such negative self-talk, that in the past year I was battling both anxiety and depression in tandem. I owe a lot of thanks to my therapists for helping me find coping mechanisms that worked to let me see the world and myself in a better light. I still struggle, but currently I’m doing a lot better than I was at this time last year. I will also be going more into depth about anxiety and depression in the near future.

6. You have to let go and accept things that happened in the past. I am horrible when it comes to blaming myself for things that happened years and years ago. In this past year I’ve learned that I’ve made lots of mistakes, but in every instance I’ve learned and grown from them. There is no need to keep beating myself up over something that has long since past. Give yourself some compassion and forgiveness, because it is not healthy to dwell and beat yourself up for eternity.

7. Don’t be ashamed to be yourself. So many times I’ve felt like I had to pretend to like things I didn’t, dress a certain way, or act a certain way to be accepted. This is as far from the truth as you can get! When you’re trying to be someone you’re not, it’s obvious. Not only that, but you aren’t comfortable being someone you aren’t. Embrace who you are, quirks and all, because there are people out there who will love you just the way you are.

8. You are in control of your happiness, no one else. In this past year I have actively started finding ways to make myself happy. Finding hobbies and activities that bring you joy are crucial.