Since Christmas, I have been making lots of life choices for myself to improve my mental health, physical health and general all round being.
Over the last few years, I have been emotionally and physically depleted.
I have worked far too many hours at odd times of the day and night to fit around the kids and I have eaten badly so my body has paid the price.
My sleep has been poor and my general mood has paid the price of all of it.
Just over a year ago, I made a massive decision to return to the world of employed work as my main income instead of being solely self-employed. I reduced my self-employment work to allow me to start making better choices about my working hours through my paid employment. Allowing me to ‘clock on and clock off’ giving me a better work-life balance but I had still taken on my self-employed work than I should so at times I was working enough hours to work a job and a half. It had been ridiculous.
This year I have started the year off by deciding that this year is going to be about valuing my own worth. Accepting I need to make changes that might solely be for my benefit and being OK with that.
The first change I made was based on food.
I have spent most of my adult life being overweight and unhappy. I have worked my way through most diets and failed and for the first time ever I have completely changed my food choices. I have been calorie counting and I seem to have easily lost 1 stone 9lbs in 5 weeks. I have been thrilled with batch cooking on a weekend and knowing I have meals for both my lunch and tea waiting for me each day and I have a freezer full of healthy calorie-counted meals to pick from and most of all I am feeling in control.
During January I have also given up one of my self-employed job roles to allow my broken arthritic body to rest and I am finally getting some sleep. My bank account has taken a nose dive with the missing earnings but I am genuinely feeling so much better about myself regardless of the money.
So as Valentine’s approaches, what am I doing to treat myself this valentine’s? well, that’s simple I am learning to take my foot off the gas and give myself the enjoyment of time.
Time to enjoy food, time to enjoy friends and time to enjoy my family. I am now beginning to feel more rounded with life and work and I am fully enjoying and engaged in the journey I am on.
Next, I am going to invest in further changes with some new clothes and even a night out with hubs where I get to bling up my watch because the kind folks at The Watchstrap.co allowed me to try out some of their beautiful iWatch straps and for the first time since replacing my rubber plastic straps I feel a little more like me than making do with something again basic and easy.
So this Valentine I am going to enjoy time with those I love, eating tasty food and getting to while away the time looking at these stunning straps as I enjoy my time for the first time in a long time.
*Collaborative post*
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