February 2019 Self-care Challenge

Good morning! I am going to focus on self care this month with gusto!
I did meditate for 19 days in a row in January but ruined my streak yesterday because I stayed out too late and when I meditated it was already Saturday!
Thanks for setting up the thread!!

Self care: Getting out of my comfort zone, pushing aside guilt, and speaking my truth despite how uncomfortable. These last 8 days have been all that and more.

Today, I’ll have lunch with my cousin who is like a brother to me. We grew up on the same street and were best friends. I haven’t seen him for two years because of busy lives, so I reached out to him and we are meeting at noon. The past was not pleasant for him ; very violent childhood but he has risen above it. I am so proud of him. I can’t wait to hug him.

Thanks for getting February started
Made myself hang out with friends when I wasn’t in the mood and it was great
My goal to say my truth even though it is scary to me

Feb 4
Learning more & practicing sketching faces at different angles.

Building more techniques for eyes ears nose mouth

Painted for 2 hours in a coffee shop.

For me, it’s all about the DO, now!

I really think, based on how poorly sells care is going so far this year haha, that one of my over arguing goals this year needs to be more self care. And not passive care in the sense that I'm forgiving myself for things but actively being mindful of taking time for myself while still being serious about my goals.

So far this month I've taken my vitamins everyday which is good. But I realized that much of my self care revolves around allowing myself to eat at maintenance or have a lazy day and telling myself I deserve it. I'm at the point where I need to start warming those days again. So maybe that's my self care for today is figuring out why I'm giving myself a pass and getting serious about my weight loss and overall health again.

I feel like I sound so serious when I post in here. I promise that I know how to have fun!!! Haha.

@skram01- When I feel like being lazy and skipping my exercise for the day, I remind myself how good I feel afterwards. It helps to see daily exercise as something we do as care for ourselves (mind, body and soul), rather than a punishment or penance. If it's hard to find the motivation to do the workout you planned, tell yourself that you deserve to have an easy workout and just go for a short walk or some light stretching. Almost always, I end up doing my whole workout and sometimes even more. Getting up and going is the hardest part!

I am continuing to struggle with concentration at work. It always takes me most of the morning to wrap my head around my work for the day, and then I end up scrambling at the end of the day to get things done. Today I woke up a half hour early and had a cup of coffee at home and did my daily sudoku rather than waiting until I got to work to do this. I also tried envisioning my day and how it would play out on my drive in. Both of those things helped a little, as I have gotten more done this morning than most mornings, but I am still sitting here perusing the MFP forums rather than tacking the mountains of things on my to-do list. This is kind of new territory for me because I am not used to struggling with this type of lack of self discipline.

I am not sure where this falls in the "self care" challenge, but until I get this turned around, I will not be "right" with myself. Any suggestions on tips to improve focus concentration are greatly appreciated!

@MadisonMolly2017 Thank you! That was a very helpful post. It made me really think about these things.

Am I under stress? Well, this goes kind of hand in hand with "Do I like my job"? 2 years ago I would have told you that I have a wonderful job. Kind of a dream job. I am an analytical chemist and quality manager for a large packaging company. We do product testing in support of product stewardship for all of the global mill facilities in our company. Two years ago, the company that I worked for merged with another company that had an entirely different business philosophy. The result was that we doubled the number of facilities that we support and also got hit at the same time with a 25% reduction in staff (from 8 to 6 people). The corporate product stewardship philosophy went from being very proactive to almost completely reactive to problems as they arise. So yes, it has really changed the way things are done around here and the work environment is a lot more stressful and the work less enjoyable. Typically I would take these new challenges head on, but I just can't make myself do it.

I eat well and exercise and I do get pretty good sleep most nights. Sometimes I feel that I drink too much alcohol, but I have been making a conscious effort at reducing this as part of my self care and have done pretty well over the past few months. I thought it would make a huge difference, but it really hasn't. I have Crohn's disease and get my medication by infusion every six weeks, at which time they do a complete blood panel. They typically only contact me with the results if something is out of whack. The last time I saw my numbers, my kidney functions were solid, but I was on the lower end of the spectrum for iron. In the past I have noticed these issues cropping up during January and February and I have always attributed it to mild SAD, but it has never been quite this bad.

I really appreciate your taking the time to respond to my post. I like your suggestion of tacking only the top three most important tasks and I am off to get started on that!

Good morning @lporter229 Wishing a better week! I once read when the threshold of pain gets too high (or stress level) you will make a change. Perhaps, another job opportunity is going to open. I hope it gets better. Alcohol doesnt help much; it causes anxiety and depression. I think you did a 30 day break if I remember correctly. Anyway, I dont have more to add because @MadisonMolly2017 had some excellent suggestions for us all. Xo

RubyRed427 wrote: »

Self care: I’m fighting a cold. Took echinacea and teaspoon of honey. Anyone else have cold remedies for cutting a cold short?

@RubyRed427
For me, staying overly warm definitely helps: shirt/sweater&jacket under a few blankets with hot tea. Sometimes a heating pad. All the rest you know: tons of continual fluids & rest. Oh! And funny comedies❣️

I hope you knock off the bug before it takes hold! I used to use Airborne. Don’t know if it’s still around.. And my doc said suck on hard candies. Obese at the time I questioned him. Yep, he said, keep back of throat moist; bugs don’t take hold. Rarely do it, but there you go!

MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »

RubyRed427 wrote: »

Self care: I’m fighting a cold. Took echinacea and teaspoon of honey. Anyone else have cold remedies for cutting a cold short?

@RubyRed427
For me, staying overly warm definitely helps: shirt/sweater&jacket under a few blankets with hot tea. Sometimes a heating pad. All the rest you know: tons of continual fluids & rest. Oh! And funny comedies❣️

I hope you knock off the bug before it takes hold! I used to use Airborne. Don’t know if it’s still around.. And my doc said suck on hard candies. Obese at the time I questioned him. Yep, he said, keep back of throat moist; bugs don’t take hold. Rarely do it, but there you go!

THank you so much for the tips. I forgot about airborne and do have some in my cupboard. It was invented by a teacher.
I took echinacea and nasal saline spray, vitamin C, and gargled with salt water. Seems to have helped a little. It’s now a mild cold. I like the hard candy idea (Ludens cough drops taste good). I appreciate your tips!! Xoxo

I've just realised that the posts I've been making on my phone aren't working