- This check-in is for August 10th – 23rd.
- I had a massage last Saturday afternoon, which helped me quite a bit with the crazy amount of stress I had. The rest of that weekend was busy and I’m not sure how I would have managed if I hadn’t had the massage to “reset.”
- My calendar was jam packed this week with social activities I had scheduled when I was doing really well in addition to appointments that had been scheduled for a while. One of those appointments was with my Health Coach. We discussed how busy I was going to be if I went to the social stuff and I was concerned about how I was going to fit in the self-care activities I’m trying to do every day and also get enough sleep. I was considering cancelling those plans, but she reminded me that doing fun things is just as important a part of self-care as all of the other stuff like meditation, journaling, exercise, etc. She’s right, of course, so I didn’t cancel my plans, and I’m glad I didn’t.
- I’ve joined two social clubs – the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and a local chapter of the Silent Book Club! I could go on for hours about how much I love the SCA (but I’ll spare y’all), and the Silent Book Club is the perfect no-pressure book club for me.
- Exercise Days: 1 and 1/7
- Steps: 31,408 and 46,875
- Miles: 12.69 and 18.97/16.31
- Total Miles: 509.35/850
- Zone Minutes: 48 and 20/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 3rd – 9th.
- I went out yesterday looking for ideas for my apartment and doing some price comparisons. I’m not all that into shopping, so deliberately going to stores and taking a look at the options was a bit eye-opening, mostly in a good way. It reminded me of how much I already have, but it also showed me that the possibilities for organizing and decorating my new home are just about endless. I saw some of that possibility online, but it was narrowed down to my search results and whatever the algorithms gave me.
- I’ve started journaling every day again. I stopped a while back, thinking it wasn’t really helping all that much. However, I definitely noticed a difference in my mood and stress levels after I picked it back up again.
- Tomorrow I’m starting a short daily challenge on the meditation app I use, Insight Timer. It’s a Morning Routine challenge, and I think it will help get me back into a regular morning routine that’s more focused on self-care instead of just getting dressed, gathering up my things for the day, and rushing out the door.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 38,009
- Miles: 15.41/16.31
- Total Miles: 477.69/850
- Zone Minutes: 49/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 27th – August 2nd.
- My mental and physical health hasn’t been great this week, but I’m getting better. Maybe it would be better to say that I’m recovering.
- Yesterday, I went outside for a walk. The weather was perfect, and getting out of the house for something that didn’t involve work or running errands felt really good. It gave me the energy to continue packing, and I got quite a bit of my stuff and many more of my books boxed up.
- Exercise Days: 2/7
- Steps: 34,613
- Miles: 14.04/16.31
- Total Miles: 462.28/850
- Zone Minutes: 45/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 20th – 26th.
- I’ve been approved for the two-bedroom townhouse apartment and will be moving in September. As I mentioned yesterday, my perspective about this whole move shifted a bit when I discovered the amount of modern-style home decor that also is covered in dinosaurs! I also re-realized the freedom that comes with living alone. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been on my own, and I’m having to relearn how to do a few things, but I know I’ll be alright.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 40,007
- Miles: 16.21/16.31
- Total Miles: 448.24/850
- Zone Minutes: 42/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 13th – 19th.
- I spent most of my free time this week looking for an apartment, and I submitted my application for a two bedroom townhome on Friday.
- The apartment search and discovering all of the household stuff I’ll need to buy (after my ex and I did a walk-through of the house to divvy up our belongings) left me feeling exhausted physically and emotionally. I decided not to do anything else related to moving for the weekend so I could rest and relax.
- A coworker and his wife are expecting a baby, so I began crocheting a baby blanket while listening to an audiobook as part of my relaxation. I’m planning to work on the blanket a bit more today, and hopefully finish the audiobook, too.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 37,809
- Miles: 15.35/16.31
- Total Miles: 432.03/850
- Zone Minutes: 37/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 6th – 12th.
- As I mentioned in yesterday’s “Building the Book Fort,” my relationship of 12 years ended last weekend and I will be moving to my own place in the coming months. This somewhat sudden major life change put me in a lot of pain, both emotional and physical, but right now, in this moment, I’m doing OK.
- I went to the Columbus Book Festival yesterday. Though the festival was expanded, I think there were even more people than last year, and the lines for just about everything were still very long. The one author panel I was really looking forward to had a line that wrapped around the inside of the library (which, for my readers who have never been there, is massive) and I knew there was no way I was going to get a seat or even a place to stand before the auditorium was full. Since I had been on my feet most of the day, and was exhausted, I decided to go home and skip the last author panel I had planned on seeing. I left at just the right time and beat the traffic of everyone leaving for the day. I also got home right when a thunderstorm was rolling in. Overall, it was a good day, though. I bought three books, a few stickers to put on my water bottle, a pack of “Bookworm Bingo” cards, and a notebook with a cover that says “THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.”
- My plan for the notebook is to start a list of all the things I can and want to do now that I’m not in a relationship. It won’t be a bucket list so much as a reminder list of the advantages of being single. I’m also planning something fun for me to do each month. For instance, in October, I’ll be going to see “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” I don’t have anything planned for August or September yet, so if you have ideas, please leave a comment!
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 41,828
- Miles: 16.91/16.31
- Total Miles: 416.68/850
- Zone Minutes: 85/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for June 29th – July 5th.
- My life has been turned upside down and shaken vigorously. I’m barely holding it together emotionally, and the stress is causing me some neck and shoulder pain. I’m meditating every day, and doing other things for self-care, so I’m sure I would be an absolute wreck if I hadn’t already established those habits and routines.
- Exercise Days: 3/7
- Steps: 33,693
- Miles: 13.62/16.31
- Total Miles: 399.77/850
- Zone Minutes: 115/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for June 22nd – 28th.
- This week was much better than last week. Life has calmed down considerably, and I chose to rest as much as possible while I had the space and time to do so.
- Exercise Days: 0/7
- Steps: 37,798
- Miles: 15.31/16.31
- Total Miles: 386.15/850
- Zone Minutes: 45/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for June 15th – 21st.
- This past week has felt like being stuck in the middle of a whirlwind. It wasn’t tornado-level chaos, but it was definitely stressful, difficult, and exhausting. My boyfriend was out of town, one of the short-term medications I was on to help get my nerve pain under control was causing a bunch of unpleasant side effects, and one of my two cats got sick with some kind of stomach thing.
- One of the biggest things that helped me get through the week was breathing exercises. I still felt on edge and had all of my usual stress responses, but making myself stop periodically to breathe deeply for a few moments kept me from going over that edge into a breakdown. My body is still feeling some side effects from the medication (feeling tense, jumpy, and agitated regardless of what’s going on), but the deliberate, slow breathing is letting my body know that I am not in fact being chased by a wild animal.
- The other thing that helped a lot was the decision to go to a day-long meditation retreat yesterday, even though I thought to myself that I couldn’t possibly take the time to do that with so many other things that needed doing. When I realized I was trying to talk myself out of going to the retreat because of busyness, I knew, barring any real emergency, I HAD to go to the retreat.
- Exercise Days: 0/7
- Steps: 41,258
- Miles: 16.72/16.31
- Total Miles: 370.84/850
- Zone Minutes: 77/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for June 8th – 14th.
- I’ve been nearly pain free all weekend thanks to the new medications I’m on. I also don’t deal with as much stress on the weekends (as long as I stay away from the news), so I’m sure relaxing, finally getting better sleep (again, thanks to the meds), and taking some much needed time for self-care have all gone a long way towards helping me manage my pain.
- Someone recently told me that our mental health (and really all parts of us, but he was speaking specifically about mental health) is no different than keeping a car. You would never get one oil change in your car and expect it to run well forever more. Cars, just like our mental health, need regular maintenance. I knew that on an intellectual level, but until those words were said, I didn’t truly understand the connection between my struggles with my mental health and my frequent neglect of it. Over the years, any time I started feeling good again, I would stop meditating, journaling, going to therapy, etc., not getting that I was feeling good because I was taking care of myself and not because I was “cured.”
- I take the time and effort to care for my car, my plants, my pets, and anything/anyone else I love, and now I know I deserve and NEED the same level of care for the rest of my life, not just when I’m sick or hurting. That is such a simple truth, and it only took me a couple of decades to learn it.
- Exercise Days: 4/7
- Steps: 39,506
- Miles: 15.95/16.31
- Total Miles: 354.12/850
- Zone Minutes: 53/150