I've literally only just come across @goldendawne's #Healthy2018 post and challenge. I'm a little late to the party now we're already eleven days into the year. However, there's no time like the present to take a moment to think about how I'd like the year to progress.
In fact, this not a new thing for me. Over the past decade or so, my best friend from university always set ourselves a goal. We'd get happily drunk on New Year's even and then, as the clock tolled midnight, we'd decide the new year was the 'Year of the ...X...'. For example, when we were both in our final year of university it was 'The Year of the 2:1'. Then there was 'The Year of Travel' when we buckled down and headed overseas to do conservation work. And then there was the epic 'Year of Love and Adventure' <- that year we BOTH met our future husbands.
It's not really luck; it's a mindset, optimism and positive karma. I fully believe in that.
So having discovered about this challenge, I've sat down and had a good thing about what this year could, and should , mean to me.
MIND
Feed my positive energy with work on projects like the wildflower meadow.
My mind has been crippled by depression and anxiety since I was a teen, but 2017 was particularly bad. I MUST combat this. In 2018 I will try and;
- Utilise calming techniques such as meditation to help with everyday panic and depression.
- Seek professional help before I've started slipping down the slope, using medication if required.
- TALK to my husband instead of faking a smile. This means proper MH discussions.
- Work on more ways to extinguish severe anxiety. These attacks (often over minor problems) can shut me down for days.
- Feed my positive energy with:
- My YouTube channel
- Ongoing farm conservation projects
- Cutting down on use of domestic plastics
- Connecting with like-minded people and cutting negative energies from my life
BODY
Healthy and homegrown foods
- Eat regular meals instead of picking.
- Eat healthier.
- Eat more home grown.
- Focus on regular exercise, whether that's weekly running or daily HIT (high intensity training).
- I'm also going on a hen-do in Ibiza this summer. I would really like to get a beach body for at least ONE summer.
MONEY
I don't strive to be rich, wealthy and flashing the cash. I just want to make enough to survive. The ongoing financial battle definitely feeds into my mental health. I can't cure my MH but if I can work on the money issue, I can dispel some of the stress. So...
- Work Harder, Work Faster, Work Smarter.
- Abandon projects that simply do not pay the bills.
- Look for a part time job to help boost finances.
- Budget better.
In the theme of my best friend and I, I guess 2018 is the Year of Hard Work and Self Focus. It's good to have written down a few aims above; I can look this up from time to time and ensure I'm on the right path.
Thanks @goldendawne for the incentive!
Thanks for reading,
Geoff
