Up & Up
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These past few months have been very rough on me mentally and emotionally — I want to talk about my top things I have done to get myself out of my ‘dark place’! I will forewarn you that I still do have my down days but I am working through those of course. :)
Routine: groceries, exercise, work — I love having a routine with all of those things. Sundays I outline the meals I will have for the week and go get the groceries. On Mondays, I outline my workout schedule for the week. When I log into work I plan out my day, I know what I need to do and when to be most productive. While I love routine I am okay with letting things go out of routine and going from there but it is nice to have a starting point.
Movement: I know how difficult it is to get out of bed when all you want to do is lay under the covers and watch TV. I didn’t want to do anything except lay in bed, literally didn’t want to move at all, not even to roll over onto my other side. One day I had gotten up to shower and was so upset with myself because…how could I treat myself like that? So, after a bit of bullying, I then gave myself a little encouragement, put on a cute outfit, and went on a walk around the block, twice. The next day I did a couple of miles around the neighborhood next to my apartment. Then I did six miles and continued that consistently for a week. This week I am implementing mat Pilates and next week I am looking at adding two days of lifting. On the days I don’t feel like moving what keeps me going is remembering how much better I feel after I move my body, even just a little bit.
Getting out of my apartment: As I have aged my outside days have lessened but I still enjoy being outside, just in a different way (but also sometimes in the same way). Since I moved to Houston, I have gone to Austin and Dallas to spend time with friends. Spending time in those cities is always really amazing but I need to make it a priority to do things in the city I reside in. For the last month, I have tried a few coffee shops, a couple of new restaurants, and a couple of bars. Finding places near me is making me feel more settled here in Houston after feeling very out of sorts since moving here.
Keeping a tidy space: a lot of times when I get into my dark place I let myself go and I let my space go. Taking 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening to just put things back where they belong helps me keep things from becoming overwhelming in terms of cleaning up. Also helps set me up for my end-of-the-week deep clean.
I have done some other things that have helped such as drinking enough water, eating (still working on proper amounts), calling friends and family, journaling, and partaking in work/life balance. And I am adding things as I find out if they work for me and adjusting what doesn't.
I hope that if you are not feeling at your absolute best this is a helpful start, it’s incredibly difficult to bring yourself out of that place but I know you can do it!
xoxx,
B
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