I lost myself over the past year. The trauma from 2020 carried over in 2021 and I fell into bad coping strategies and found myself in an unhealthy place. To pull myself out of it, I’m getting back to the basics. And I mean the BASICS.
These 3 things may seem small, but right now the small things are my big things. My therapist says to set achievable goals, no matter how small. Building on those tiny successes is what creates movement and change in our lives. So for now, here are 3 things I’m working on.
Daily Walks
Body movement is one of the first things to fall away for me when things get stressful. I just want to curl up in a ball underneath my weighted blanket and go to sleep. Being unconscious can feel like such a relief, but there IS such a thing as oversleeping and it’s definitely one of my favorite pastimes. Taking daily walks will get me moving and out in nature, two great things for mental health.
Brushing My Teeth Before Bed
A common symptom of depression is neglecting to care for yourself in basic ways, and I’ve definitely seen that in my own life. While I’m great at my skincare routine and brushing my teeth in the mornings, my willpower usually falls off by the end of the day and I’d rather crawl right into bed than wash my face or brush my teeth. My strategy to get this done is to do this earlier in the evening rather than right before bed when I’m most tired.
Drinking 96 oz of water per day
Staying properly hydrated, especially here in the dry climate of Colorado, is super important. My goal is to drink 3 Nalgene’s of water per day. I used to do this with ease but have fallen off the bandwagon, so I’m clawing my way back on.
These might seem small to you, and they are. But right now the small things are my big things. If I can do these every day, I consider this a success. What is one small thing you can do today to be kind to yourself?
I’m happy to hear you’re working towards getting better no matter how small!
I kept telling myself to get active again and just last week I started and completed my goal of four workout days a week. Even if it’s just 10 minutes of any kind of movement, it counts.
I used to set goals that were too specific like 20 minutes every day, have to to xyz – if I wasn’t feeling it that day, I’d fail and that failed day makes me not want to do that goal anymore.
For your water goal, a cute app that helps me keep track and motivated is called Plant Nanny. Don’t want my 🌵🎍🪴🌿 to die!
Best of luck with all your goals! 💪💪
Agreed, any small bit counts! It’s more than I’ve done before so I consider it a win. Thanks for commenting, Jojo!