We have made it trhough June. And, whether you do resolutions, promises, statements, affirmations, 1, 2, or 3 words, or some other scheme, you probably told yourself that this year would be better than last year. On the surface, that wouldn’t be hard. Last year was filled with pandemic fears, vaccine woes, the seemingly interminable, lockdown, racial unrest and political turmoil.
Many people lost their jobs, or their jobs changed. We all learned how to do more from home, and entered more zoom rooms than we care to remember. But, it was also an opportunity to meet people around the world, albeit in a little box, and share our lives.
So, think back to January, when you thought the world would be back to normal by now. How has that been going for you? Have you been able to maintain your focus? Or have you drifted a bit from where you thought you’d be by now.
This isn’t about shaming or blaming. It has been a another tough-ish 6 months for many of us. You have survived and hopefully thrived in some areas during our slow rise from the pandemic.
It’s mid-year, and we are checking in with ourselves and each other.
Mind / Mood
How is your head doing? Pretty clear? Happy with what you’re able to get done? Or are you lost in a fog? Stuck in a funk? Having trouble rising to life’s challenges?
Concerns about needing to speak with someone outside of this forum? Here is a resource: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Reach out if you need more.
If you’ve found a way to beat the blues, please share.
Body
- Weight-wise, last year was like the first year of college. Pretty inactive, with even less motivation to try to get moving. Most of us have packed on a few extra pounds, the pandemic-freshman 15. Remember that? I can feel it in the clothes that don’t fit the same any more- either tighter or looser, or any of these combinations in unusual places. I tossed my scale a few years ago, so I can’t give you a concrete number.
- Tai Chi
- Not gym-ready. The pandemic is still upon us. The jury remains out on wehther we should be wearing masks or not. I still wear mine most of the time; but that is my decision. Anyway, between age, several shoulder surgeries, etc., I don’t think I’ll be getting back into serious or heavy weight ifting. So I’ve switched my focus to Tai Chi. Something gentler on the mind and body. Plus a little work on strenth, balance, coordination, and complex movements (also good for battling cognitive decline). Dr Adam Potts has a nice online (FB) Tai Chi flow class I am currently enjoying. He also has a free 21-day flow class starting next week. If you are interested. please let me know.
- The point is that you should do what worksfor you in the present. Not what you may have been hooked on in the past, or that your friends think is a great think to try. Be realistic. Yu will be hapier and make much more progress.
- Intermittent fasting – because I am not burning many calories with movement, I started intermittent fasting. This has been a success so far. It has stabilized my weight (as far as I can tell), and has improved my labwork; which makes my physician happy. Don’t know much about this? I will blog about it in the near future.
Spending
- I know you were expecting spirit here; mind-body-spirit. We will get to that in another post…
- Check your subscriptions, and any other unconscious spending. Are these things that are still important to you? Things like:
- Television streaming – are you watching all the channels? Or have you narrowed it down to 4 or 5? Cancel the subscriptions and remove the apps that no longer apply.
- Your checkup should include internet connections, phone services, utilities, gym memberships, etc. These things often get lost in our busyness and forgotten over time.
- Make it a habit to check in periodically, even if you’ve gone paperless.
- Paypal – do you have ongoing subscriptions through Paypal? When was the last time you checked? After checking, remove the useless ones, especially if they are costing you
- Personal Note: A few months ago, I was checking my paper, yes, paper bank statements, and there were some (many and frequent) small amounts of fraudulent withdrawals. I checked in with Paypal, and that was a dead end. The problem was not on their end. I Googled the company making the withdrawals. I was one of thousands being defrauded in this way. I followed up with the bank, and got monetary reimbursement for the most recent 90 days. It is amazing how quickly small dollars amounts, withdrawn daily, can really add up.
The continued joy of life is finding and doing what works for us, accepting what canot be changed, changing what we can, and understanding the difference between discipline and deprivation.
Seize the day. Absolutely!! But, keep focus on your end-game, the prize, as well.
Find your balance.
Chat soon…
