By Lindsay Roman
Every year after Thanksgiving I ask myself what I want to accomplish in the next year. This year, I really wanted to prioritize self-care and doing things that made me happy. Every year prior, I could never stick to it due to my mental health and busy schedule. Well, it’s not easy, so let me break down my goals and how I’ve been reaching them this year.
Diet and Exercise:
Your diet and how much you exercise have a huge impact on your brain. Eating healthy has such a huge expectation, that before was extremely overwhelming. I’ve narrowed it down to this: eat as you will, but always include a vegetable or fruit. This has honestly made me less hungry for fast foods and has made me crave some of my favorite fruits instead! I love freezing fruits as well because it takes longer for them to go bad. For exercise, I do a small workout every day and go to the gym twice a week. The gym has always been overwhelming and anxiety-inducing for me, but I've been pushing myself to take 1 pilates class and a one-mile run every week on top of my daily pushups, plank, sit-ups, and squats. Sure, when I first wake up, I roll my eyes about doing my workout, but I have a little trick at the end for that feeling.
Water, Showers, and Skincare:
This one, I’m being so real if you want to feel better and less anxious, is your category. I used to NEVER drink water - ever. I hated the taste. It was never cold enough and didn't help. Trust me, I did it too. I’m here to say yes, it does help. I got myself an insulated cup that I fill up every day and have a backup for when it’s being washed. My goal is one bottle a day. My cup fills two and the more I drink it, the more water I want. If you are like me and absolutely hate the taste of water, Aldi sells electrolyte packets that I dump into my water. Zero calories and low on sugar, which are perfect enough to get you through that bottle. Showers and skincare were such a hard thing for me suffering from depression, but I’ve been allowing myself the time to decompress. Leave your phone out of the bathroom and focus on yourself. Skincare is the same. Go through the steps and say some affirmations to fill your self-worth category, as well. It helps so much.
Clean Your Space:
Once a week, I deep clean my room and my bathroom. I would love to get to it every night, but that seemed a tad overwhelming for me. No matter how tired I am, I sleep my best Sunday into Monday because I have a clean space. I allow myself the opportunity to have a clear mind and not be surrounded by mess and clutter. I also do my laundry on Sundays, as well, to allow myself to get an entirely fresh start for the week. The secret at the end is a big contender for this category and you will see why.
Journal/Reading:
So, this is my hobby and it can change for every single person. I find that switching between journaling and reading is less overwhelming than feeling like I have to do it every single day, because it isn’t easy! This is the category that I’ve been struggling with the most. I plan to keep pushing on and get back into it again as we lighten up. When we can process our feelings, we can do something we really enjoy.
MY BIG SECRET:
So how did I accomplish all of those things? A habit tracker! I downloaded an app called Onrise! The app has a widget option that will show your next habit and reward you when you get to a big number of completions. Being able to change all my dots to checks by the end of the night makes me proud. I also realize that I am capable of taking care of myself, despite mental health issues. This really has saved me from just skipping a day or forgetting to do something and feeling bad.
I hope all of these were helpful, and if you have similar goals for 2024 and lose sight of them, you hop back on the train to take care of yourself. It's not too late to try something new and keep pushing. You can do it!