Did I make it?

It's been about a month since I wrote this post, and I thought I would do a quick recap to see if I managed to stick with my plan for once. Here is what I thought would happen VS what actually happened.

1. Wake up at 7am, drink a liter of water, and do some stretching while watching a TED Talk I woke up at 7am for about two days in a row, switched to 7.30am for another couple of days, than realised I needed way more sleep than that and settled for 8am. I stretched for the first week or so then decided that it didn't add anything to my mental or physical wellbeing and dropped it. Drinking water first thing in the morning did work and I'm surprisingly stiking to it. I actually wake up craving water now. I don't always drink a whole litre and sometimes I don't drink it first thing in the morning, but I do make a point of getting my water in throughout the morning, as well as staying hydrated during the day as much as I can, and I believe this is what is having the biggest impact on my mental and physical state. I only watched TED Talks on the toilet.

2. Incorporate some fruit in my breakfast This is something I was already doing heehee. I haven't bought a blender yet so I haven't had any proper breakfast smoothies which are DA BEST, however I've been having cereals or porridge normally with kiwis, banana and/or Asian pear. Noms.

3. Get some fresh air Yuppp. I went out every single day except for three occasions: the first day of my period, one day when I wasn't feeling good, and yesterday - because I quit my job and I was overwhelmed by emotions and I just wanted to stay inside and write and make art.

4. Work up a sweat every day (gym, run, longboard) I definitely didn't go to the gym every day. I did do quite a lot of longboarding, however I got nowhere near the amount of sweat that I was hoping for. What kept me from exercising regularly was the fact that I got a job at a restaurant which was very physically demanding, and also didn't leave me much time to hit the gym. The good thing is that I've been running around every day at work so that must cound for something right?

5. Look presentable I'm not even going to comment on this.

6. Keep the house clean Yeah I guess. I like living in a clean space so this was nothing new, but I kept it up and it definitely helped my mental clarity.

7. Be creative (write, draw) YES! I've been incredibly creative for my standards - and that felt amazing. I've completed the first two issues of my zine (which will be available as soon as I've got enough money to print everything out), I've been posting in here, and I did a lot of journaling, doodling and watercolouring. Being creative makes me feel super accomplished and it's definitely something I want to keep up.

8. Drink a litre of water before bed This really didn't work for me. I tried for the first two days, but then I would wake up in the middle of the night to go pee, which is something that NEVER happens to me, and I found it very annoying. What I do like in the evening is a cup of tea (or nine), and I found that I would be too full for it if I'd already drunk a whole litre of water. Drinking tea is what really makes me happy so I'm sticking to that.

9. Go to sleep at 11pm This really got messed up by my job at the restaurant. On weekends we closed at 11pm which meant I was never in bed before midnight. Now that I don't work there anymore I think I'll just make sure I get at least 9 hours of sleep because that's what my body needs.

Overall, I've been feeling very good, very bad, and very good again over the past month. The very bad phase was during the two weeks I was working at the restaurant. The working hours really messed up with my daily routine and didn't allow me to have regular meals at regular times, to drink as much as I needed and to get enough sleep. I'm glad it's over now because taking care of myself has become a priority for me and I want to make sure my next job allows me enough time and space for that.

I'm really happy I did this little experiment because it really helped me figure out what I need to feel good in my own body and mind. In the coming months I'll try to exercise more (now it should be doable because I have more free time and even once I start my new job the working hours will be more regular so I will be able to go cruising or hit the gym more consistently). I'm also proud of myself for sticking to a plan for once! Shout out to taking care of your body and mind and be a freaking happy bunny all the time!