Day 4: 10 instant mood lifters
PIN IT!Day 4! I’ve survived four days of mini resolutions, and although my physical being is congested and coughing, my mental being is already beginning to reap the benefits of these mini-lutions. I still have a ways to go, but I’m learning with each day that bettering myself and my world isn’t as hard as I had anticipated.
So what’s my mini-lution for today? Write down 10 things that I’m happy for AT THIS VERY MOMENT. Not something that will make me happy later or made me happy in the past, something that I’m thankful for right now. I go through rough patches, as does anyone, so a list of things that bring me joy taped to the fridge can help ease the pain of those hard days. Writing a list of things you are thankful for can also help to give you perspective on your life, who you are at this very moment, and can also help strengthen your relationships.
So here’s my list, along with a picture of it hanging on our pretty little fridge.
1. My family & friends
2. My Elliot 🙂
3. Oscar, my adorable little puppy
4. My job and the opportunity to work in Washington DC
5. My ambitions, goals and dreams (which I will never let go of)
6. Having a healthy heart and body
7. Great books that rival any television program
8. Movies that inspire
9. A new cookbook that is teaching me the patience to cook (and showing me how fun it is) (Betty Crocker)
10. Laughing until my stomach hurts.
Day 5: Register to volunteer
“Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world.”
President John F. Kennedy
To me, there is no greater feeling than helping out others in need. Even if you only volunteer once in your life, that one time you touched someone else’s life in a way that they will surely never forget. We all tend to overlook just how lucky we are and take for granted so many of life’s little blessings. I know I do, sometimes I waste water, throw away food or buy something I’ll never wear, and it isn’t all deliberate. Sometimes I just forget how good I have it. We all do, it’s normal. We’re human beings and sometimes we just get caught up living and sometimes we just turn a blind eye to what is really going on in this world. Sometimes I turn off the news because I just can’t handle “all of the reality.” Does this make me a bad person? definitely not. It makes me real. And like many other people, I want to offset these feelings by volunteering. I’ve done my share of volunteer work, don’t get me wrong, I just haven’t done as much as I’d like. Blame it on laziness and exhaustion, but neither is a sufficient excuse. So today’s resolution, to sign up for a volunteer orientation with Greater DC-cares, a volunteer program based in Washington DC that will hook me up with a volunteer opportunity in DC! (http://www.dc-cares.org/) If you aren’t located in the nation’s capital and want to volunteer, I’ve found this website to be incredibly useful and interactive. (www.volunteermatch.org). It allows you to search for volunteer opportunities related to your interests and passions.
To prove my dedication, here’s a screen shot of my verification!
Greater DC Cares Volunteer Orientation, January 20, 6:30pm
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (ET)
Thank you for your order
Order Confirmation |
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| Order #: 517241082-8461526 | ||||||||||||||||
You will not receive paper tickets or order confirmation unless special arrangements have been made.
You will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite on behalf of the host (Greater DC Cares).
For more information, please contact the host via email at volunteer@greaterdccares.org.
Day 3
Cold is still here, of course. Which means I’ll most likely be staying home from work (which sucks because I’ll still be bed-ridden, yuck!)
So what’s my resolution for today? It’s more of a resolution to follow throughout the year, but needs a starting point. To relax and let things just happen. I have a tendency to over-react to everything and plan everything. If something isn’t going the exact way I had wished and hoped I freak out, complain and get an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Well today, and for days to come, I’m just going to let things happen and live life instead of planning it.
For example, my boyfriend is really silly. He jokes around, wrestles and is a bit clumsy, which can drive me insane because I can’t control it and I can’t handle it. Well today, I just went with it. I let him tackle me, kiss me and just be himself, without complaining, controlling or bitching.
It’ll take some work to be like this everyday, but I’m going to try my dam-dest.
OH and when this cold EVER leaves my sorry little body, I will update with longer posts.
Day 2 of the New Year
This will be another short post, being I’m still feeling as crummy as ever 🙁
Pleased with my success with overcoming temptation yesterday by not online shopping, I’ve decided to take a similar route for my resolution today.
Today I vow not to weigh myself. Which, if you know me, is like asking me not pet my dog or kiss my boyfriend. Gut-wrenchingly hard. Since my junior year of high school, I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with my weight, to the point it’s affected how I allowed myself to feel every single day the number wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. When I can’t weigh, I’m anxious, nervous and uncomfortable, and can’t let myself relax or enjoy what the day has brought. I’ve even brought my scales on vacations and on weekend get a ways. (I once snuck it in a suitcase on a road trip with friends, not letting them know I brought it). My attachment to my scale is like a drunks to a bottle of vodka, without it I don’t feel right, whole or complete. And I know how unhealthy that is, and I know how my weight fluctuates and that the number does not come close to representing who I am, but still, I weigh, compulsively and additively, 3-4 times a day.
So today, I have taken my scale and locked it in the closet, not allowing myself to weigh even just once. Already, it’s been nearly impossible. I’ve walked by the closet more times than I’ve needed to and almost broke in and used it at least twice (and it’s nearly noon).
But I vow to not give up and live today, and hopefully many more days to come, without knowing, or caring, what that little number reads.
Happy New Year!
I’m going to make this short since I’ve contracted some sort of epidemic which has caused me to lose my voice and cough every 3.4 seconds.
So it’s 2010! Happy New Year! As promised, I am going to update you all on the first new thing I did today. My resolution today was to not shop or “window” shop online at all. Which, let me tell you, with a cold, was really tough. All I wanted to do was order some cute cardigan from JCrew, but instead, I decided to fold laundry and make a yummy pasta salad. I know, doesn’t seem like a “new thing” or something hard, but if you know me, I’m slightly obsessed with shopping (as in, I online shop everyday and my daydreams are filled with shoes, clothes and purses).
So 2010, I am ready for you and I can’t wait to tackle you and these resolutions.
Hope everyone had a super safe New Years!
