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The original was posted on /r/getmotivated by /u/Foxfully on 2024-01-21 21:09:45+00:00.
Hello!
This has been week 3 of my 52 week-long attempt to document my progress, in order to be more conscientious with how I’m living my year.
The good:
- This week I learned about the proper order to perform a skin care routine. I've always taken care of my skin in some capacity, but there's a lot I don't know about the subject. I still need to figure out my staple products, but for now I added a sunscreen with good reviews to my routine. Even though I don't spend a lot of time in the sun, I've been convinced it's something one should apply every day.
- I lifted weights three times this week. I'm definitely a beginner, but for now I'm just trying to have a good mixture of exercise types (mostly compound lifts) and make sure I don't injure myself. Not sure if I'll stick to three times a week or aim for five times a week with more specific muscle groups for each day. Right now I lift in the afternoon and it's a nice break from sitting at the computer.
- The semester started this week and I studied every day, even on the weekend, mostly out of stress and fear haha.
Additional thoughts: I made a bit of a revelation this week.
I struggle with anxiety, and it's directly triggered by stressful thoughts and situations. It's a physical sensation of struggling to breathe and focus, and is extra destructive when it carries over into sleeping hours.
But I realized that if I "sandwich" my day so that I do something enjoyable in the morning (when the "oh shit I have so much to do today and soon I'll be so overwhelmed" thoughts kick in) and at night before bed (when the "I still have so much to do, why do I even try, nothing's ever gonna get better" thoughts kick in), I feel a lot better.
It sounds so silly but just watching something funny in the morning while eating breakfast, or chatting and laughing with friends before bed, makes me think and feel less negative. So even if my day was terrible and stressful, it's book-ended by points of enjoyment that make me forget about it a little. Just thought I'd share if someone out there relates.
The bad:
- I didn't meditate at all this week. It became a vicious cycle of going to sleep too late, waking up later and doing my cardio later in the day and just completely forgetting about meditating after. Also I think it's because it's 1. difficult to do well 2. unclear benefits (at least at first) I'm less motivated to do it. This week I will try with five minutes a day again.
- I barely worked on any creative projects. Because of college and the workload before me I'm only just now starting to grasp, I feel depressed about possibly having to rule them out of my life just to have time/energy for school and other necessities.
- As mentioned above, I didn't really take care of my sleep this week. This was due to hanging out with friends until late into the night. It's hard to stick to your guns when you just feel like having fun, but I find it's not worth the lethargy. I have no choice but to be more disciplined about this.
Conclusion:
It's too personal and long of a story to tell but basically I'm in a bit of a precarious situation when it comes to my school/living situation right now. It's eating up my time and mental space and I'm not sure how to figure it out yet. I don't want to give up on my creative projects so soon but for now I have to prioritize.
Regardless, I won't make it any easier for me if I don't continue taking care of my health and responsibilities. I already know all the things I need to do to optimize, I just need the energy and discipline to pull through. Easier said than done, I know.
Today I will start by putting away my phone at night.
Not only is it a time sink and bad for your melatonin release, but I've been looking into delayed gratification, and having your phone around in the morning is a surefire way to ruin any chance of starting your day with a low dopaminergic baseline. I'm no expert, but the idea is that you'll feel more motivated to complete hard tasks if your brain is still looking for it's fill when you sit down to work. I'll have to wait and see how that plays out, but it's worth a shot.
I have a lot of thinking and deciding to do this upcoming week, but I still want to strive for each week being an improvement over the last. So far I'm doing a lot better than last year's feeble attempts.
And so, with a sober but hopeful heart, I wish you a fruitful week. Until then!