reassess

If You Could Turn Back Time…

Posted on by BrassMermaid

Take a moment to step back and view your life so far. Do you like what you see?

(This post is a conversation that I have been having with myself recently. I’m letting you in on it because I know that everyone has moments in their life when they reassess where they are, how far they’ve come, and where they want to go looking forward. If my self-talk helps you in any way then I’m happy– for you & for me.)

If you could go back to any point on your life’s timeline, knowing everything you know now, where would you land? What would you change?

Think about this for a few minutes.

  1. You’ve collected a vast amount of knowledge and experience during your time here on earth.
  2. You have a lot of ideas about how you want your life to be.
  3. You have weathered disappointments along the way or have given up some of your dreams.

Now think about where you are in the scheme of it all. Okay? Ready?

You still have a lot of good living to do. Don’t abandon your visions for your future. They are not the same dreams you had earlier in life and that’s to be expected. Your dreams and visions evolve with you as you walk through life. Looking at the rest of your life…..

    What do you want it to be like?
    How have your dreams/visions evolved?
    What steps can you take to guide it in that direction? Small steps are an excellent beginning & very motivational.
    What mistakes have you made, learned from, and don’t want to repeat?

I actually sat down and made a list of things from the past that I wish I could go back and change, or knowledge that I wish I had possessed. It was a wide-ranging list that included relationship-related things, monetary knowledge, career paths, activities that bring me happiness, health considerations, etc.

I spent a brief moment of time mourning those things that I wished had been different. Ultimately all my experiences have made me who I am though, and recognizing that made the slight sadness evaporate.

Begin taking those steps that will make your visions come alive. Live the life you see in your minds’ eye as closely as you can. 👩🏻‍💻

 

 

 

 

Wellness 8— My Wellness Toolbox

Posted on by BrassMermaid

Have you ever heard of a wellness toolbox? It’s all the things you do each day to attain or maintain a healthier lifestyle. In only eight weeks I’ve placed a bevy of tools in my wellness toolbox:

For the body:

  • increasing walking
  • eating more veggies
  • eliminating coffee
  • using a Motiv ring to track activity and sleep patterns
  • beginner yoga moves
  • staying well hydrated
  • meal prepping for the workweek
  • yard work…. 

For the mind and soul:

  • Bible study
  • writing
  • creating my accessories line
  • letting the housework take a backseat sometimes so I can do more pleasurable things
  • tackling nagging tasks to get them off my mind
  • recognizing that the bad behavior of others is not directed at me
  • gleaning nuggets of information from self-help books
  • taking time to assess each week to see where I did well, where I failed, and how I can improve going forward
  • de-stressing tools
  • periodic reassessment of goals
  • Pinterest board for visualizing goals….

Many of these things I’ve been doing for years. Putting them in a list that I can look at lets me clearly see the myriad of ways I can help myself.  During those times that I’m frustrated I can pull up my list and focus on the ones I need for that week, month, etc. If nothing on my list seems to fit the situation I seek out new tools. This keeps me aware of what’s out there and how research & the times are changing. 

Don’t ever think that you’ve run out of things to try. Make time to re-examine things you’ve rejected in the past to see if they’re a fit now. Examining tools I’ve rejected in the past has been important to me. Take yoga for example. I’ve always brushed it off as not for me. As I get older and stiffer though, I’ve found that the gentle stretching is beneficial.

Also, try something you may normally shy away from. Last year I took a free class offered by our local hospital that met weekly for a few months. Normally this not my cup of tea. But I decided to explore and see what they had to offer, knowing that I could drop out anytime. I was pleasantly surprised by the way everyone in the class opened up and shared their experiences and how they were dealing with their challenges. We all learned from each other, respected each other, and exchanged suggestions where appropriate. That new perspective gave me a lot to think about as well as some new tools to use. 

You can create a Pinterest Board and name it Wellness Toolbox (like I did for my Visions/Goals board in Wellness 7), or you can create a list of your wellness tools in your phone’s Reminder app. I have numerous lists in my reminder app and find the app itself to be one of my most valuable tools. You can set an alarm to remind you or you can plug things into your calendar app and set an alarm there. With a world of technology in our pocket at all times I think we can find ways to use it to get healthier. 

On to the week:

There is a world of tools out there I can use on this journey to a healthier me. A very important one that I used this past week was talking with my healthcare provider. When I reach a brick wall that I just can’t get past on my own I turn to her and we try to figure it out together. Which is exactly what we’re doing now with the constant fatigue that has been plaguing me. It will take a bit of time but I’m confident that we’ll get to the bottom of it so I can get my energy back. My inner eternal optimist keeps me going even when it’s overwhelming. 

This week I forced myself onto the treadmill again. Monday I managed an entire half hour. The determination and fierceness I felt reinforced my motivation to keep going and be as strong as I can be.  The husband and I also managed to get in a long hike through the woods, which reminded me that the next tool I’ll be adding to my toolbox soon is a new pair of sneakers. Footwear is so important. It supports your entire frame and needs to be in good condition. I tend to wear my sneakers way beyond the point of no return, which is bad. The frugal part of me wants to milk every step from them, even after my feet and hips begin hurting because the shoes are so worn out. I need to work on striking a better balance in this category. 

I didn’t do the yoga as much as I intended to just out of sheer forgetfulness. New habits are hard to remember so I have to find the right tool to help me with this. The Reminder app on my phone might be just the trick for this. Do you see what I did there? I used one tool to remind me to use another tool. Take that and run with it. 

What’s in your toolbox? 👩🏻‍💻

Wellness 7— Affirmations for Moving Forward

Posted on by BrassMermaid

Sometimes you just need to sit down and spend some time refocusing on your goals. Then you need to affirm them to yourself daily in order to cement them in your mind. When your goals and visions are constantly a part of your thoughts, they will influence your daily decisions. So…… after an oddball week of restless sleep, nasty weather (except for one sunny day in the middle that I took off from work 🤭), fatigue, and just generally feeling scattered I decided that it was time to reassess. 

Keeping your goals in the forefront of your mind can be tough at first. I’ve found that there are many distractions and old habits that crop up. Being a visual learner, I’ve discovered that keeping pictures of my goals and other inspirational items is a good way to stay focused. But I don’t want something attached to the wall. The thought of dealing with cutouts and glue (or a bulletin board) is not motivational. I want to be able to access it anytime and anywhere.

So I’m experimenting with using Pinterest as a tool. I’ve made a board called Visions— Take Action to Get Results. (The title itself revs me up & makes me want to stay on course.) It’s where I can pin anything that pertains to my goals. I pin quotes there, or how to’s, or photos, or paintings. Anything that I find that represents a part of my complete vision and inspires me to take action. I can add to it anytime or delete things that no longer apply. And it’s portable. I can access it on the phone, the iPad, or the laptop. Perfect for this age of electronics don’t you think?

What techniques do you use to keep your goals in sharp focus?

The next tool that I’m going to put in my wellness toolbox is beginner yoga. Yes, you can download an app for this and have it with you at all times, just like the Pinterest board. How convenient. Gentle stretching is good for keeping your muscles and joints loose and lubed. I can sure use some of that! I’ll let you know how it goes. 

Summing up: Your wellness journey is very personal. Take the time to reassess your situation and your goals as often as you need to to.  Always be on the lookout for more tools to add to your wellness toolbox. Inspiration can be found everywhere. Example: although I have several friends who do yoga quite regularly, I was not inspired to try it until I read a news article about it. You may be aware of a thing, but might not think about applying it to yourself until it hits you like a bolt out of the blue. There are benefits to revisiting things you’ve rejected in the past.

Bonus content:

I have to update you on the restaurant story from last week (Wellness 6— Dealing With Frustration). Once again we went to a neighboring town to do some shopping and get a late lunch. We went to the same restaurant. We were seated and almost immediately the same waitress from last week walked by, recognized us, and stopped. She remembered what happened and asked if we were going to order the same thing. She actually remembered what we ordered last time and what we were drinking! That girl is amazing. She was a pleasant presence throughout our meal. Needless to say, we left her a very nice tip.  👩🏻‍💻