I started on my journey to reclaim my self-love at the end of 2019, but little did I know 2020 would be hit with a national pandemic.
So, let’s check in: It is now mid-July 2020.
On the physical side of my health, I knew that expecting myself to workout regularly or putting myself on another diet wouldn’t be a permanent solutions. I needed a way to get in the right headspace to start this journey. There is an app that had been recommended to me before (because a lot of my health problems are psychological) and this app uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people reach there goals. This app is called, “Noom.”
Noom helps people learn how to identify and change destructive thought patterns that lead to your current unhealthy lifestyle, and once you’ve identified the problem it helps you set and achieve goals. You even get a couch that periodically messages you to check in on your progress each week. An 8 month subscription to this app was the same price as a ONE HOUR session with my CBT therapist. I have only been using the app for 3 weeks, so my progress isn’t much, but I do see a change. This app is helping me becoming more self aware of what I am eating. I plan on making a more in depth entry about my journey using Noom, but for now, this is where I am.
Although I am very self aware of my disorders and disabilities, I do struggle with prioritizing my mental health. These next few things are the things I’ve been working on thus far:
Journaling: I mean more than sharing my story with the readers of this blog. I have started writing out my thoughts, especially when I am feeling overwhelmed. As someone that hates feeling like a burden, I tend to keep things bottled in. Journaling everything that I am feeling whether I’m making logical sense or not gives me an outlet. Then sometimes, I’ll take what I wrote and shred it. This process gives me the chance to be selfish without feeling like a burden. It’s kept me from bottling everything up and exploding when my emotions get to full.
Write a Letter: As someone that needs to check in on her friends and loves being that person that they can vent to (and vise-versa), this can be very problematic when there is a Nationwide Pandemic that has the entire United States quarantined. So, on the days that I am feeling a little alone, I write a letter. YES, I do send them.
Enjoy More Little Things: Take a moment out of your day to acknowledge the things that made you smile that day. For example, snuggling with your animals. If you are feeling overwhelmed, go back to that moment and take a deep breath. Remember the feeling, concentrate your breathing, and pause for a minute before you continue your day.
BOUNDARIES: I touched on this in Part 1, but let’s talk some more… I personally live in a constant state of ignorance when it comes to the News or Politics. I get a lot of criticism for this, but I am self aware of my ignorance. This is a boundary that I set for myself in High School when my anxiety really started to hinder my daily life. Honestly, this is a boundary that gets harder to explain as I get older, because everyone wants your opinion, but my response will always be, “I don’t know enough about it to respond.” When I say current news, I am not referring to the injustice around racism in this country (that is another topic of discussion entirely and I AM an Ally). I just tend to avoid conversations that only lead to heated debates. I know that it is possible to voice opinions with out getting offended, but it’s a lot healthier for me to just change the subject. Moving on, one of my biggest boundaries that I struggle keeping is SocialMedia Distancing. The only thing I have to say is journaling has helped my “wanting” to share my personal life on SocialMedia, so there is progress.
Reach out: If you find yourself slipping, don’t be afraid to reach out! More than likely you are not alone in your feelings. Also, checking in on you friends could be the very thing that they needed that day. As I say, “all anyone needs is a reminder, some perspective.”
MEDITATE!: Meditation looks different for everybody. For some it could be shooting some hoops in your driveway, throwing a weighted ball at some pins (my pre-rona meditation), Yoga, or going for a run. It’s not just siting criss-cross applesauce in a deep concentration (btw, it’s deeper than that anyway). The way I have been meditating is finding a quiet place somewhere the world can unfold around me and exercise my breathing. Side note: a world unfolding could be anywhere - for example, bring a beverage and shut yourself in a room and use the 5 senses grounding exercise, “Name 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you smell, 2 textures you feel, Drink your beverage and familiarize the flavor.” The breathing exercise I normally do is 4-7-8. I repeat this breathing technique until I feel a tiny bit of relief in my day.
Lastly,
Change Your Inner Dialogue: I touched on this in Part 1, but let’s talk some more… Continue putting positive affirmations into your mindset each day. Even if you have to write it on a post-it note and stick it all around you, it’ll help; I promise. If you’ve hit a road block, take a step back and tell yourself, “I’ve got this” and try looking at it from a different viewpoint. Perspective helps. The BIGGEST KEY is Stop. Being. So. Hard. On. Yourself! It’s okay to have big goals and dreams, but don’t sell yourself short if it doesn’t happen on a set timeline.
Don’t Worry. We’ve got this!