If no one minds, Anna here is gonna help me lay down some personal news. I could use the help of a professional, successful, modern woman right now. (Notice the laptop and iPad? Bitch means business.) (I wonder if she's good at Candy Crush.)
Life recently threw a big curly-q curveball my way -- as it does to everyone, to some degree and usually at an unexpected moment. I've decided to use this as an opportunity to better my overall health and wellness. That's that.
The first step was to take time off work. Time to breathe, to focus on myself, to listen to my body and improve the way we communicate. (Right now, I'm basically a manipulative tyrant who specializes in overworking and under-nourishing.) More importantly, I need time away from that hotbed of pressure and anxiety and riled-up emotional overdrive (i.e. my office). Having a difficult job is one thing; meeting unreasonable expectations is another. And when part of you is a major people-pleaser, then such an environment becomes toxic. Folks, that's a real confession, and it feels darn good to get it off my chest.
For the next two weeks, my action plan will look something like this:
1. Rest and reduce stress. These go hand-in-hand, mostly because I don't do either properly. Resting, well, isn't fun (or a priority) when you're 27 and have 1000 things you want to do in a day. And reducing stress? I need to get back to a neutral, manageable level.
2. Research gyms/workouts in my neighborhood. So far, the shortlist includes Soul Cycle, Zumba, kick boxing, and (get your grain of salt ready) yoga.
3. FOCUS ON EATING RIGHT, BUT FOR REAL. Learn about healthy cooking & smart ways to grocery shop. Offshoot: Make more home-cooked meals. I'm aiming for ~4 dinners a week, which doesn't seem like very much at all, but keep in mind how much I fucking hate to cook (then you'll be just as satisfied with this number as I am). Last night, we had "chicken wing" tofu (a.k.a. I marinated tofu in olive oil + buffalo spices, then baked it for a long ass while), mashed cinnamon/cajun spice squash, garlic kale (for jdog because I can't eat that stuff), and plain ol' broccoli. Not bad!
4. Nest the apartment. Is that the right expression? Whatever, you know what I mean -- take care of those chores that drag for months. Touch-up the decor, reorganize the cupboards, and generally spruce the place up. We've been living here for over a year, but some rooms could still use a dash more character.
5. Indulge in some lo-fi selfishness. Like blogging before noon, on the sofa, with a coffee from the good place near the metro. Or doing a little weekday shopping. (I went to the downtown Zara yesterday morning and omg it was practically post-apocalyptic. Barely another shopper to be seen and/or passive aggressively fight with for the last pair of size 38 black leather ankle boots.) At the high risk of seeming flighty or bratty or like I'm taking advantage of my leave-of-absence, I will give into these treats. I need to remember that my life is still very much normal and I can do all these normal things I've always loved doing -- and this gives me peace. Everyone deserves the same.
And there you have it! The list will continue to grow, and I'll keep sharing things here (probably/hopefully on a more regular basis). Until next time, have a delightful day!
Update: #6... Put together all the clothes, shoes, bags, etc, that can be given to charity.
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