After over a year of going with the flow and having a less structured approach to life, allowing for the unpredictability of having a baby, this year I am working to refocus and revive my passions and qualities that have shaped who I am. Now that my bub is older, has developed more of a daily rhythm and sleeping through the night (generally), I have reclaimed my evenings and can focus on myself again.
“Set habits, not resolutions.”
They say that instead of setting new years resolutions that often get abandoned, it is better to set habits.
Previously, I had maintained habits and routines that kept me healthy. These had since been neglected in the chaos. So with my priorities of self care and life management for this year, I am looking to reinstate some of those habits and try out some new methods to get me back on track.
Here are some of the habits I am working on.
Bullet Journaling
Even though I work in the digital space, I am still an advocate for the good ol' pen and paper. The act of writing something down provokes the processing of information and a higher level of thinking. It helps you to clarify your priorities and it just feels great to be able to physically tick things off. Ever since I was a kid when I was given my very first diary, writing has always been a method for me to gather and make sense of my thoughts. I did not have a Bullet Journal with a to do list last year, though I did keep a notebook of my observations of D. Now that I'm back working full time, I am bringing back the Bullet Journal to help set my intentions for each day and keep myself accountable.
Fitness
Finding time to exercise was difficult with a baby who did not like to sleep. Previously, I used to wake up 1.5 hours before I needed to leave for work for my morning routine. I gave myself time to wake up slow, to practice yoga and shower and have a sit down breakfast before starting my day. Nowadays I have to get two people ready in the morning. Thankfully, with the current Covid situation I have been working at home full-time which cuts out the time usually required to commute to work. This has definitely made the transition back to work a lot easier. I have reset my alarm back to 6:15 am to get back into that morning routine, but now squeezing in my quick morning flow whilst I wait for D's milk to heat up.
Before having a baby, I used to join the Hubs at the gym 3 times a week. This isn't possible now, so opting for home workouts. My current focus is my yoga practice to relieve pain and tense muscles and try to regain the flexibility I had previously. With a year of bending over a baby and twisting to feed him whilst I feed myself, my back has paid its price. I have been trying to be more conscious of my form and squat, rather than bend at the back, when going down to his level, after being inspired by his perfect Asian squats. I am currently following a lot of Yoga with Adriene on Youtube, but hopefully will look into more strength building and toning later down the track.
I was recently invited to join a friend of mine to her Zumba class and it was really fun! It was the first time in nearly 1.5 years to step foot in a gym. It was my very first Zumba class and it felt so refreshing to move my body, even if I was always one step behind trying to keep up with the routine. This could be something I could incorporate into my workout schedule.
Life management
In attempting to find a method to balance out my life between work, family, social life and self-care and interests, I am experimenting with using my Google calendar for more than just events and appointments. I have gone a step further to block out time for family, my relationship and me-time.
Now with my spare time identified, I am trying out using Google Calendar Goals to set aside time for things I want to do for myself. Google Calendar Goals works by automatically scheduling time in your calendar to work on the goals you set. If there is a conflict, the session will automatically be rescheduled and will learn your preferences over time. I have currently put in goals for exercise, time to do chores, time for creative hobbies and reading. After you have completed a session, you can mark down that you have done it, and it keeps a record of how many sessions you complete each week.
Self care
When it comes to care, a mother is usually putting their child before themselves. I am more worried about feeding D well, making sure all his meals are healthy and balanced than I am about what I eat. I make the effort to cut his food into little fingers so that he can grab them with his hands so that he can learn to feed himself, ensuring his plates are balanced with carbs, protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, whilst on the flip side, I'm probably having processed packet food for breakfast or lunch.
I am making use of the supply of lemons my lemon tree has produced and having lemon water each morning for that extra Vitamin C.
I am also setting aside my Sunday evenings for self-care Sundays, to relax and get some down time.
Reading
After watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix, a documentary about the issues of social media, I have become a lot more conscious of my social media consumption. I was already wary of it, but after hearing its reports on addiction and how you become the product as it sells your attention, I have become especially mindful of my time browsing my feeds. To stop me from endlessly scrolling on my phone before bed, I am now setting the intention to read books before I sleep.
Books have always been a source of inspiration and have left me more stimulated than the time sinks spent scrolling on my phone.
I am currently reading “The Absorbent Mind” by Maria Montessori, just recently finished listening to Michelle Obama's “Becoming” audiobook and now listening to Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land”.
One month down in setting my intentions and following through with my habits and already my body is feeling so much better. Let’s hope I can keep it up!
