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One Year to a Better and Happier Me

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I’ve learned a lot about myself recently.

I actually do feel better when things are clean and organized.

It’s amazing what a “to-do” list can do for my productivity.

Real cream may give me a stomach ache, but I’m not willing to give it up just yet.

But probably the most important thing that I’ve learned about myself, is that I have a really difficult time keeping goals and making new habits if I don’t have some sort of accountability set up.

I’ve recently started using this app called habit-pro as a way to track some of my own behaviors. I’ve realized that it’s real purpose is that it’s a way to hold myself accountable. I really like the feeling of being able to check something off a list, and it feels good to build up a few days in a row of doing something.

However, I’m still the only person who knows whether or not I’m taking action. I can easily go a few days without tracking my habits, and though I’ll most likely judge myself harshly, it’s not the same as holding myself accountable to other people.

When I quit drinking, I immediately came to the internet and told the world that I was done.

It’s not for everyone, but it helped me a lot. I immediately found a community of other people who had quit, and got automatic support and feedback from others who either knew me in real life or from listening to me on the radio.

I honestly am not sure if I would have gotten this far if it wasn’t for that support.

This is the reason I’ve decided to set a few new goals, or habits, that I would like to work towards achieving. I won’t make it this blog’s primary focus, but I will use this space to write about my progress, or lack thereof.

I don’t expect to make any huge changes over night, but I think I can make a few small adaptations to my daily life and can work up from there.

As of now, I’m going to give myself a year to achieve my goals. I suspect that some goals will be easier than others and some goals may change.

I won’t be hard on myself or expect myself to be perfect. I just want to consciously work towards these things, and do my best.

I chose these goals because I think that they will ultimately benefit me me in the long run, and I think they are all within my reach.

Here’s what I hope to accomplish by April 1, 2016:

(1). Work out Regularly- I’ve been doing a pretty good job at this right now.  But 2 months ago? I couldn’t be persuaded to take a walk around the block. I’ve noticed that I have always worked out in spurts, but I’ve never given it the opportunity to form into a habit. I also know that the times that do work out regularly, I’m noticeably happier and I manage stress better.

In one year from now, I want to have kept up with working out, and I want it to become a habit that I can’t go without.

(2). Eating Disorder Free- I’ve been doing so much better with my eating disorder the last few months, but as with working out, it’s something that has always been difficult for me to maintain in the long run. I want to keep establishing small habits and work on skills that will help me to maintain this good streak. I want to eventually get to the point where it’s not a daily struggle. Where it becomes habitual to eat normally, and not something I have to work so hard at.

(3). Save $3,000 – It’s no secret that I don’t make a lot of money. I often use that as an excuse as to why I don’t have a saving account. I’m tired of living this way. I’m scared that a day will come when I’m going to need a cushion and I won’t have it. So why not just start saving now? I know that there are areas where I can be much more careful with my money, and I know that I tend to be frivolous when I do get a paycheck. I think $3,000 is a good sum to aim for.

(4). Maintain a daily Gratitude list- I already have a head start on this one, and I can already tell that’s it’s making a huge difference in my life. I know that every day at lunch I have to write down the things I’m grateful for, so it’s making me be more mindful of the world around me. I’m hoping that by continuing this habit, I will be able to give back to the world a little more, and be more mindful of my own actions.

(5). Keep up with writing 6 days a week- As with working out, writing is one thing in my life that I do a lot sporadically. I’ll go months where I’ll write every day, then I’ll go months where I can’t even think about getting out my thoughts. And as with working out, I know that when I am writing daily, even if it’s just in a private journal, I’m less stressed and overall happier.

I also know that in the past when I’ve set strict rules for myself – “Must post a blog six days a week,” I’ve gotten burnt out and given it up. So this time, I’m not setting any rules except for that I must keep it up. It might be in my journal, on this blog, or on the back of my hand- but I want to continue to write as often as possible.

(6). Strengthen Relationships, Make new ones– I’m a busy girl. Between working multiple jobs, trying to work out as much as possible, and various standing commitments, I tend to put my social life on the back burner. When my sister moved away nearly a year ago, I realized that I hadn’t been doing a very good job at keeping up with friendships. I sometimes even let the most important relationships in my life, my boyfriend and my family, take a back seat. I feel like I’ve made some headway with this recently, but I really want to continue to maintain relationships and cultivate new ones. As for now, I’m going to strive for at least one social activity a week.

(7). Meditation Practice-I’ve mentioned this before, but for years I’ve been reading and learning about the benefits of mindfulness. It wasn’t until recently that I started to put these techniques to use, and have seen how much of a difference it can make in my life. I recently started a daily meditation practice, and though I’m finding it extremely difficult, and somewhat uncomfortable, I’m determined to stick with it and to see if it can make some much needed improvements in my life. My goal is to meditate 5-6 times a week. I want to try out different techniques, and figure out what, if any, practice works best for me.

As I said before, I don’t expect to master all of these objectives perfectly, but I definitely think that these are all things that will make me happier in the long run. I also am aware that “happiness” in general is a pretty lofty goal, and that it is probably not possible to attain in a year’s time, but that any improvement will make a difference in my life.

So… wish me luck. I’ll keep ya updated.

 

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