Maintenance Goals (from 2013):
-floss daily. Cemented (at home)
If I never spent the night anywhere else this one is so great. I could take it off, even. But it gets spotty when we go anywhere, and Labor Lave 3-day weekend is sure to test it. I’ll try to get this in on the road. The dentist might happen after I get my syllabi–now that I have an income.
-drink water. Gerrrr-eat!
I may have said this before, but it’s true–4 is the milestone for this one. Once a person can fit 4 cups of water into their day,
more is easy. I drink between 8-12 cups daily, and still somehow have room for coffee or tea sometimes. Getting the first 4 immediately after my run, while I’m taking my vitamins is key here. I’m currently keeping track of the amount and time I drink compared to the time I have to pee. This sounds crazy, but nothing is worse then having to pee during class–or having to get up in the middle, walk out, miss notes, use a public restroom, walk back in. So I’m compiling the stats to know what time I need to have 4C down before class.
-read for pleasure. OK
I wish I read more, but it seems somethings (lots of things) have to give when you have a goal. Application, running, school, cleaning, etc. . . pushed this a little lower on the priority list. Still, I read every night before sleeping when Cool isn’t home. And when I am. It’s slower going then I prefer, but at least it’s happening at all.
-weekly massage. Terrr’ble (I’ve been watching “Parks & Rec”)
It’s difficult to make time now that we’re out of the habit. By the time I think of it I’m ready to sleep. The next couple of weeks will be worse because of school starting, Labor Dave weekend, and my NEW job–which is until midnight. Once I get used to being a night person and we settle into a new schedule we’ll work on it again.
-abstain from drinking. Awesome
Also very easy. . . Once all the past associations are broken. Once you fill that time/occasion with something else I forget how I had time in the first place to drink. Last frontier: Labor Dave Weekend concert. I’ll miss the canned craft beer of tailgating, the thermos cocktails, and I will NOT miss the $8 fleeting krafts of the venue. Still, I feel like we will get more of our money’s worth seeing the show sober, and will feel so much better at the end of the night and the next morning. Hopefully the crowds will be tolerable, because of SEATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-study habits. I have my ON days and OFF days.
Some days I’m on FIRE with my application and school prep. Others, I’m tired, unmotivated, or lazy. I’m glad I don’t have to work daily at 3-4AM, as I think this makes a big difference in the studiousness–I’ll have to remember this during the semester. My essays are getting to be something real. I have a notebook full of neuroanatomy drawings and figures. I’m studying flashcards and feel good about brain lobes, gyri, and sulci–and phonemes obviously. With 9 days til school starts as of tomorrow (Sat, 8/16) I am serious. Yet, not so much that I waste my last week of a relatively free summer. First summer without at least 27 work hours. It would have been more “free” and relaxing if I didn’t have to get up and clean at the crack of dawn. Or apply to jobs. Or do the afore-mentioned work, but good enough. And probably the last (financially feasible, stress-low $) summer of my life.
January=fitness. Goood!
Today was 230 days (it’s 8/19) of “minimum of a mile first thing in the morning” days-in-a-row. I was 1.6 seconds off my mile PR then 0.6 seconds off of it, so I feel like I’m right on the cusp of something. I have also been hula hooping for my 6-pack. AND eating salads almost every day for lunch. Yes, they have about 3 Tbl of dressing on them, but still! It’s a radical change.
Feb=have gratitude; say nice things.
I don’t know if I’ve said nice things exactly, but there have been times when I kept my mouth SHUT. So at least there’s so negativity–even when it is very warranted and would feel so good to say. That’s an improvement. I’ll have to step up my game when school starts because we all know how the Riverpoint professors love me *sarcasm*
March=straighten out sleep. So good!
I stopped being so anal, and things are fixed. My body seems to have settled into a pattern where I get tired around 9PM. On mornings I have to work, I naturally wake around 3AM and just go, instead of wasting time. On those days, as long as I’m back in bed before 5:20AM I’m able to nap. After that, not so much. On days off, my body wakes around 5:30AM–it likes about 8.5 hours of sleep. Once school or jobs come into play, this may not stay so great, but I’ll keep trying to just stop worrying and timing it and accommodate what my body wants.
April=save $$$. Not awesome.
I knew I was going to have to spend some money in August. Which felt terrible b/c for most of it I didn’t know when I would get paid next. And being right before a loan disbursement, money was stretched its thinnest. But you have to have textbooks (believe me, I did not want to buy a 2nd phonetics book), notebooks, paper, and ink to be a student. So it had to happen. Now that I have a job on the horizon and a disbursement was mailed today, I feel much better about the scene.
May=volunteer. Fail.
I prioritized getting applications stuff as far along as I could, working on future school stuff, and cleaning. I realize I have a finite amount of time before my time is no longer my own, and I felt like I had to choose. Maybe once I get into a routine during school. Or on a break. Or next semester. There’s still a little time. . .
June=Cool. Work in progress
Bipolar combined with anxiety is a difficult thing. It’s no joke and you have to work so much harder at everything. But we are both making a huge effort and being mindful so hope is back.
July=my appearance. Gearing Up
I’m really trying to gear up for the first day of school and Labor Dave. I’ve picked out many cute outfits for those occasions,
and even practiced a new hair style today. And I’m getting it trimmed before the week is over. My face, however, is not cooperating. Per the usual. It keeps breaking out. The horrible bright red, swollen looking monstrosities. This will not make me happy on big events. When will puberty be over?!
Aug=Worry Less, Thank more. Effortful
With jobs, schedules, planning, and summer coming to a close, there’s a lot to get ramped up about. I’m trying not to. But it’s taking a lot of deliberate effort.
Sept=make a list, grocery shop, cook ahead. ugh
Do I have to admit this one is a fail? Again? I’m lazy. I plan almost everything else (see my drinking water, peeing time sheet statistics for proof) and this seems just one step too much. And I’m not sure how to make it less overwhelming. I got a mini dry white board at the grocery outlet to make and edit quick menus. We try to shop every Sunday at 8AM when it’s not really busy. There is always a list in progress on the fridge. I guess what we need to do is come up with a few staple, easy go-to meals we know how to cook well and fast. It seems we’re always trying something big, and new, and unknown when we cook. So it turns into a big thing. And the time taken and results are uncertain. So we need to brainstorm, write, and prepare our easiest most successful meals and make those on a weekend. Then we can just heat them up as needed. I have a bad feeling this item is going to carry over to a 2015 goal 😦
Oct=don’t over-pluck. Unintentional
Not by my own doing, I’m doing this. I just don’t have time/forget to pester at myself, so things are not looking awesome. I still want to try threading. Maybe now that I have a job. . .
Nov=Increase eye contact. Once
My interview went extremely well, and I managed it!
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