My New Years Resolutions the last couple of years have been focused around fun, slowing things down, and enjoying life in a calm and quite way. The goals have been about getting in touch with myself and continuing to evolve into an even more awesome version of myself. For my overall mental health and wellness, I need to keep my goals humble, grounded, and realistic. My goals are broad without a lot of details to get bogged down with and this type of goal setting is how I find success.
As January winds down, here is how I am doing:
For 2017 one of my goals was to read 12 books. I crushed it with 19 books and the vast majority were memoirs. I upped my goal for 2018 to read 24 books. As January closes, I feel like this is a big task a head of me. I am currently on book number 3 – Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship. But never the less, even if I don’t make my goal of 24 books, reading is just down right good for the mind and soul and that is something I can really feel good about.
Another goal for 2017 that I crushed was to grow my yoga practice. I made efforts to attend classes, practice at home, and I attended a weekend long yoga festival. My yoga mat has been collecting dust for all of January however; and while I often think about practicing yoga, I just haven’t brought myself to physically unrolling my yoga mat. January was a bit of a hard month for me with depression and not that I am blaming depression, but it is a reason why I crawled into bed after work and slept for 12 hours instead of doing anything else.
I decided that I seriously needed to step my morning game up for 2018. I want to wake up early enough to have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee. THIS! I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS! For the entire month of January this has made a world of difference in my whole day. I may not always get breakfast in but I have a cup of coffee. Oh bitter, bitter coffee, what would I do without you?
I joined a challenge for 2018 to hike, walk, and cycle 365 miles and I am well on my way to accomplishing the goal. Everyone who is participating in this challenge is doing so for their own reasons. Some people count only outside and intentional miles where as others count every single step. I am in the latter part of the group and have added this challenge into my daily journal efforts, recording how many steps and miles I did according to my FitBit (some days I forget to wear it). I strive for mostly outdoor miles but I am also realistic. Since January 1, I have recorded 19.57 miles!
In five and a half months, I will go on my longest and most challenging hike yet. Between now and then I really need to step up my physical health and wellness and stair master the hell out of my ass. I know the power that exercise gives me! I love how I feel after working out and the high it leaves me with for the next day. Inside of me I truly believe that there is a strong and fit person just screaming to get out. With all of my goals this year, my physical health and wellness is the one that faces the toughest obstacle: my mind. I signed up for a gym membership and I am damn determined to get my money’s worth on the stair master over the next few months.
Of course with all of the fun, I need to have some serious goals too. Those include continued efforts to maintain sobriety, which is reached by creating a life that doesn’t need alcohol as well as keeping my depression and anxiety in check. Some days have been really hard and I know those days are not forever behind me, they will always lurk until I least expect it. Having gentle goals for myself makes the sun peer through on the dark days.
The trouble is
You think you have time
You think tomorrows always coming down the line
And then one day
You wake up and you find
The trouble is you thought you had time ~Dean Brody
Wild Woman Wisdom 