Jan 17, 2018

This year I sort of let myself off the hook.  And rather than giving myself another word and driving every day towards it, I let myself dream a bit more.  Things that I’ve looking forward to or new things to try. (I’m thinking I’ll try fish tacos out in Charleston in March.)

But there are definitely some habits I wanted to refocus on this year!

Nothing crazy.  No crazy diets that have me counting every gram of whatever is particularly demonized right now.  Nor any drastic commitments. Just simple healthy habits that I want to recommit to or challenge myself to try.

TV Free Weekends Once a Month

Ok admittedly this was all L’s idea.  And I threw a small fit when he first suggested it.  Personally I don’t sit down and watch a lot of TV,  but  it is always on whenever I’m home.  I think this seemingly innocent habit first started from living by myself for years.  It was comforting to have some background noise and why would I not want to listen to Friends reruns over and over?

That being said, there is a fine line between background noise and dependence.

We had our first TV free weekend this last weekend and I was so uncomfy for the first day.  I’m not sure if I had realized how dependent I had become on it when I wanted to relax.  Or how heavily L and I had relied on it for entertainment.

But the second day is where I flourished.

My to-do list was bare bones by the end of the day (please don’t ask me the last time that happened) and my overall sense of accomplishment was through the roof.  It’s a super simple challenge that costs me no extra money and I’m already looking forward to our next one.

Create my tech free corner.

I’m sure some of you are quite tired of me hearing praise tech free corners because, truth be told, I don’t think I appreciated it all that much even when I had it myself.  Though it ended up being the one space where I just felt completely at ease.  I could carry my to-do list into it or simply use it as a reading nook. The one and only rule I attached to it was absolutely 100% no tech.

I stole the idea from a few parents talking about how their kid’s rooms are completely cell phone free zones, so they could focus on their kids rather than incoming texts.  At first I stored the idea away for the future, but then I realized I quite frankly am too attached to tech. Apps, cameras, games, whatever it is I seem to always be connected.  And interestingly enough my tech free corner turned into spot I started rewarding myself with!

If you have ever been interested in the power of meditation or disconnecting completely you have to try building one yourself!

Crack down on bad eating habits.

This has been on goal list for quite some time.  But with all my monthly goals I try to make it realistic.  Meaning when I travel or vacation, I refuse to pass up local special’s simply because they don’t fit into a diet.  That being said I probably shouldn’t eat like I’m always on vacation, which is the current mindset I’m stuck on.

I thought about trying out the Whole 30 diet… then I considered Paleo.  Basically I’m yo-yoing between ideas on how to crack down on my bad eating habits.  So as of now I’m just making all my snacks healthy.  Which probably doesn’t sound like much… except I’m a horrible snacker. While I would like to blame part of on sitting at a desk for 8 hours of the day, I really have always been a snacker!

So cheers to more carrots, grapefruit and my favorite most filling bars – Lara Bars.

Building a grateful heart.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but only because I feel so committed to it this year.

It seems almost easier to complain anymore.  Whether you want to blame that on social media, politics, business, trends or whatever, I’ve found it much more rewarding (though sometimes difficult) to say what I’m thankful for.   It’s so easy to look at my week and pick out the things that went wrong.  So when I look back I’ve started notice all the things I’ve improved on and just how much farther I could go if I push myself.

This, of course, doesn’t mean see the world as rainbows and unicorns, but more to remind myself I always have something to be thankful for.  Even if it’s as simple as a roof over my head or a bed that is warm and snuggly.

So every day, when L comes home I’ve been telling him three things I’m thankful for that day.

Yesterday’s:

A car that has a heater.
My slippers.
And getting paid for a job I completed last year.

Not changing the world by any means, but things I know my life could be much more difficult without.

 

So far 2018 has left me feeling kinda … blah. Whether it’s a just a creative funk or if this is really the most depressing week of the year – I don’t know!  But hopefully working on these healthy habits will help me create my best year yet.

Did you come up with any goals or habits you wanted to work on this year?