Taking care of me

Now that I am doing the whole solo thing, i.e. being single, I have resolved to start taking better care of myself. This is all kinds of good because I don't even enjoy being sad and tired all the time.

In order to be better and feel better I have started doing a lot of different things and knowing me only some of them will stick but for now we will say here's to wellness and I'll toast that with a nice mug of herbal tea.

First of all I have stopped eating refined sugar. Obviously I knew it had yet again become a major problem but with the help of xtc oil and a bit of added willpower I have now gone a full week without eating any sugar and no cravings whatsoever which is a little bit miraculous. I have also stopped eating bread. This a wonderful change because it makes my stomach look and feel horrible. I have gone a week and a half without any wheat and my stomach already looks a bit smaller. I have had a few days where I have come close to buying bread out of hunger but I have stopped myself at the last minute. I think its good to feel better both outside and in. I feel proud of myself for abstaining from both of my major temptations and I am also a bit excited at the possibility that I might actually lose some of the weight I have been lugging around if I keep this up.

The second thing is that I am back training. Crossfit for life, bitches or something to that effect. Now I have felt ill or dizzy at some point during every class so far (given what I had been eating the last while, this is to be expected) but I have been feeling great after and bar the first class ( I have been to four since my return last week) I haven't had major muscle pain. I feel good, full of endorphins and stronger and craving protein rich foods so all good developments. I am determined to join a good gym once I have moved to Kilkenny so that I am able to keep up the good work and possibly meet some like minded people.

Third is that I have just started doing morning pages again. For those of you not familiar, this is a creativity exercise from the book 'The Artists way' and it encourages you to write 1-2 A4 pages first thing in the morning but you write down the thoughts as they come into your head. I am using this to manage my anxiety. I have only done two days so far but I am finding it a good way to sort through my thoughts. As someone with anxiety they can crowd me and it can be hard to focus on what's going on. 

Fourth is that I have just restarted a gratitude journal. To have a gratitude journal, all you need is a notebook and everyday you right down three things you are grateful for. This is really good practice because it forces you to focus on the positive things in your life and stops you from becoming swallowed up by the bad days. I can always use a little help in remaining positive.

Lastly I have started using Instagram stories. It allows you to share pictures with text or emojis or short videos with anyone following your account. They disappear after 24 hours so in a way its similar to snapchat. I have just started it for fun but it's like the blog in how it allows me to share snippets of my life but it also reframes your day because you are looking at things through the lens of what you can take from this moment that's worth sharing. 

As part of this I bought a lightbox in Penneys today. They have one in my gym and I thought it would be lovely to have one of my own, be prepared to see plenty of it on my instagram.