So, it's been YEARS since I've posted. So much has happened. I'm often to manic or depressed to write but I've been pretty well for a while. Maybe I'll get back to this more often!
It's been a really reflective couple of weeks since I've been mentally and emotionally stable for about 2 months. Outpatient treatment got me to a very good place regarding mental illness/health but I'd like to pick up from there. But here's the issue...
From a blog post on October 1, 2014 about "knowing you're not ok" -
"to never, ever be able to make a single change that you attempt
no matter how clear the plan is,
how beneficial the change will be or how badly you want it"
Since middle school, I've worked on long lists about how to be a better version of myself. Schedules, habits, everything.
I really want to be intentional and believe that positive change is possible. I've been obsessive about self-help books in the past and want to come at this with a perspective of wellness and self-compassion, not criticism and perfection.
Although I've read countless self-help books, I've never really lived them out. I read and move on. This year, I'd like to follow a rough guide from "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky with 12 happiness-building techniques. I think of them as wellness activities, increasing my quality of life.
For years, I've wanted to create a "snapshot" of what daily life is like for me with a focus on habits so I can see how, if at all, I've improved over time. I think of it as the same as a "before" photo if someone wants to lose weight. I've highlighted what I want to improve, and there's a lot. Not sure of this will work but I'd love to look back in a year and see that I'm healthier and maybe happier, too.
The snapshot I created is based on lists of constructive and destructive lifestyle factors for good mental and physical health. It may be too long or I may have missed important habits and factors but I think it's pretty comprehensive...
(From Pinterest, can't find a source!)
Here we go!
Yellow - Needs improvement
Orange- Top priority
Green - Good
Snapshot, 12/15/19 -
Cigarettes - 20/day, sometimes less or more, tried to quit hundreds of times with every method
Alcohol - Currently abstaining (2 months, woot!) At worst, >10 drinks/week
Prescription Benzos - Currently less than 1/month, at worst, a few a day
Caffeine - 300-1200mg (at least 2 cups of coffee, often 2 Americanos as well)
Sleep - 7-11 hours/night, actually waking up well-rested a lot of mornings, rarely napping
Diet - Processed! Rarely "food"
Fruits - Sometimes, about or less than once a day
Vegetables - Almost none (except for lettuce on McChickens) I really like vegetables but, on average, I eat them less than once per day :(
Meat - Almost daily
Animal Products - Daily
Processed Foods - Daily
Digestion - Really bad, no details :)
Cooking - Rarely, I know 3-5 recipes total
Weight - 150.4 (Healthy now but has been steadily going up, goals to maintain, at my worst, 125)
Exercise - Almost none, have a gym membership, haven't used it since becoming stable (working out is fun and easy when you're manic!)
Outdoor Time - Almost none besides smoking on the porch
Reading books - Never (Eyes are messed up. I listen to too many self-help books and have started a Terry Pratchett series but I haven't READ a book in YEARS)
Hobbies - Barely woodworking for business, tried knitting, stressful
Waste/Environmental Impact - Too much, very irresponsible
Dating/Romantic Life - Meh now, when it was really bad, it was REALLY bad
Time with Friends - One of the highlights of my life, 3-6 per week in Anderson, 1-2/month in Chicago
Time with Family - Another highlight, nearly constant in Chicago, difficult in Anderson
Volunteering - NONE
Donating - Literally bare minimum
Debt - Bad (I have a spreadsheet but not gonna share it! ha)
Income - Really low
Spending - Really bad
Hours worked/week - 10-30
Meditation/Mindfullness - Almost none, some weeks, a lot
Journaling - None
Happiness Score 4.89/6 (This is from the book mentioned above, possibly more on this later)
So there we go! A whole lot of yellow but I'm glad to see green in some of the most important categories and that I've narrowed my priorities down to 3 which are all, luckily, intertwined. Quitting smoking will cut my spending significantly and allow me to put more money toward debt!
I'm curious if anyone else out there wants to try this. Like a weight-loss pact but for general wellness and self improvement. With all the silly quizzes and questionnaires on Facebook, I find it odd that I have NEVER seen a list like this. Maybe because it's too over-share-y but I think it has so much to say about our quality of life!
Let me know if you want to make a list of your own and share it publicly, privately with just me or to keep it to yourself.
And what did I miss? What important lifestyle factors would you list that I left out? Comment below!
Thanks for reading!
