As humans, it's our natural instinct to conform to the same old schedule every day. This blog post was inspired by my spontaneous motivation to begin a new lifestyle. I told myself today that tomorrow would begin a new routine for me, which will include: cutting out sodas and all sugary drinks- water only (exception: sweet tea every now and then), (hopefully) go to the gym every day, portion control, smarter meal/snack choices, begin doing a morning daily devotion, and hopefully just all around building up my motivation, feeling better about myself, and making wiser choices all around. Today, I decided to take some time to reflect on some of the things that may have been bringing me down and simply making me feel "blah" all of the time. I came up with a lengthy list... also pretty embarrassing.
1. Conforming to an unhealthy schedule.
I find myself doing the same exact routine every. single. day... and did I mention unhealthy? I only go to school half a day this semester, and it's on rare occasions that I have an obligation when I leave school. Therefore, since I don't have a job (searching), I usually go home, eat, and lie in bed... and occasionally, I pick up lunch before I head home (mostly always something fast and unhealthy). Then, I stay in bed watching Netflix until time to do homework, shower, eat dinner, and prepare for bed.
2. Having a dirty room/commons area.
There are few things that make me feel worse than coming in, seeing, and proceeding to ignore my extremely messy bedroom/bathroom/commons area. "Why not just clean it and keep it that way?"... there's a few things called my bed, Netflix, and naps that tend to drain every ounce of motivation I have after coming home from school, preventing me from doing anything about the dirty laundry blocking my doorway, the dirty dishes waiting to be washed (did I mention the clean ones to be put away?), and the clutter in my bathroom from the rush of the morning trying not to be late for school.
3. Skipping the gym.
Every day, I pass the gym on the way home, and I always tell myself "tomorrow"... then, I find myself doing that every single day. It's as simple as packing my gym clothes as I leave for school, but you know me... always late, and extremely unmotivated. At the end of every day, I feel guilty and always have a serious argument with myself about making excuses for skipping the gym (i.e.: I have to shower every night if I go to the gym every day, I'm too tired, I don't feel good, etc.), but it seems to never change anything. Simply taking charge and packing that bag before you head off can result in you having no excuse to stop at the gym on your way home or on your lunch break.
4. Eating/Drinking unhealthy things.
Many times, I have sworn off of sodas, fast food, etc... but, I have a habit of breaking it after a week or so. However, each time I have started a good habit of drinking/eating healthier, no matter if it was for one week or one month, it always made me feel better about myself. You notice the positive change on your body in as little as a week. It's as simple as cutting out sodas, and only drinking skim milk and water. You will see a drastic change in your energy, mood, and body in about a week. Then, learning to control portions, and making wiser meal/snacking choices can also make a big difference in your life. Breakfast: protein shake, or fruit, coffee. Lunch: small sandwich with vegetables/fruit and water, or a meal bar with milk or lots of water. Dinner: whatever you want (in moderation), controlling your portions and only eating until you are full, NOT until your plate is empty and you are miserable, along with milk or water. Dessert can be low calorie items, or fruit. Snacking in between meals is okay, as long as it's something healthy like vegetables, fruits, granola bars, or diet snack bars (with water!) It also helps me to use the app, "My Fitness Pal" to keep track of your calories and exercise to help you lose weight.
5. Staying up late and having to wake up early.
Every. Single. Night. it never fails that I find myself finally lying down to go to sleep anywhere between 12am-2am. I'm just a night person... I get more done at night: homework, laundry, thinking, reading, catching up on my favorite tv show, etc. However, simply getting everything done that needs to be done, and being in bed by 11pm at the latest can make a huge difference in your mood and energy the next day. For me, it's never going to be easy to wake up at 6:30am and start the day, but if I went to sleep at a decent time, once I get moving, I feel much better.
6. Excessive lying in bed or napping during the day.
Science proves that a 30 minute nap in the midst of your day can be very beneficial to your health, but it's usually taken to an unhealthy extreme by most... napping 1 to 3 hours, lying in bed all afternoon (guilty), or binge watching Netflix for hours on end (also guilty). Everyone needs a break during the day, but taking it past a short nap can make you feel completely yucky when you wake up or finally get out of bed only to go get something to eat. If you feel overly tired from the day, lie down for a (max.) 3o minute nap to recharge. Be sure this nap is began no later than 4pm. If you lie down to take a nap after 4pm, you are likely to end up trying to sleep through the night, only to wake up confused, energized, and most likely in a bad mood at around 1am-3am. If it's too late for a nap, try to stay up, eat a good dinner, get your work done, and get in bed around 8pm-9pm.
7. Unorganization.
If you find yourself smothering from clutter, searching for something you need every morning, misplacing everything, and never getting papers turned in because you lost or forgot about them... you may be suffering from unorganization. It makes you feel short of breath... or maybe that's just from panicking because you can't find your homework that you also forgot to do. Try cleaning and reorganizing your life. Start with that desk you never use in your room that is used as a catch-all, and go on from there... corner to corner, bag after bag. Get a bookshelf, organize drawers, throw old stuff away, store keepsakes away in a storage box, clean out and reorganize your purse, clean out your car, get labeled folders for stuff and organize your backpack/briefcase, etc. You can finally breathe again once this is done... continue to maintain!
8. Procrastination.
I am the absolute world's worst for this one. Several, several times, procrastination has gotten me in trouble. Assigned: March 2nd, Due date: March 18th, Began: March 17th at 8pm. How many times have you known something had to be done by a certain date, but continued to make excuses and put it off down until the very last moment you have left? I can't count on my two hands or two feet.. there's too many incidents where I was a victim of myself in procrastination. Solution? Get it done, ASAP! The day that it's assigned, find your first available clear window to complete the task. Get it over with as soon as you can so that you can breathe and enjoy some relaxation before the due date without that nagging voice in your head constantly reminding you about the things you've yet to do.
9. Refusing to go out.
Now, this can be tricky. There's a fine line between going out every now and then to enjoy a meal/drink, a movie, a show, dancing, a concert, etc., and going out every single weekend. It's actually healthy for the mind, body, and spirit to enjoy a day/weekend off every now and then to relax and recharge in the midst of a busy schedule. I find myself making 20,000 excuses to NOT get out of bed, fix my hair, do my makeup, and actually socialize with... ew, people. I just like to be at home and enjoy my private space where I can look however I desire, wear whatever I want, do whatever I want, and not have anybody to impress or socialize with. On the contrary, some people hate being at home and go out as much as possible... but, that's just not me. Who doesn't like to be as comfy as possible? I would choose a relaxing weekend at home watching netflix, reading, etc. over a party any day. However, I do like a fun, refreshing weekend out with friends or my boyfriend going to dinner and a movie, baking and a sleepover at a friend's house, or exploring the outdoors every now and then. It makes me feel happy and recharged. Staying at home alone with nothing to do but the same old things every weekend can get pretty depressing, making you feel isolated and usually leads me to overthinking and going crazy. Moral of the story: go out every now and then to recharge and relax away from your crazy schedule!
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