Thankful Thursdays #36 – March 4th, 2021

This is one of my favourite posts, because I get to talk about what I am thankful for the past week. It is always a good and fun way to end the day, or week with a grateful heart. I would love to hear about yours in the comments.

There are so many benefits of practicing gratitude, so you have never to lose by practicing it. Some of the benefits of gratitude, is you sleep better, and easier, you help lower your stress levels, so it might even be harder for you to feel stress. You also increase your immune system, which helps you decrease your chances of getting sick.

Here is my list from last week…

1. I am thankful that we got to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. He loved his present, and that I made him brunch, and dinner for us.
2. I am grateful for being able to go through all of belongings from my old room.
3. I am thankful that I am starting to declutter again, it really helps me reorganize, and make more room for the things I enjoy.
4. I am happy that I was able to spend some time with my sister while I was babysitting my niece. Normally she works all day, and then by the time she is done work, it’s dinner, and then my niece goes to bed, and then my sister gets ready for bed, shortly afterwards. But on Tuesday we were able to hang out, and take my niece out to the park, and for a walk. It was a lot of fun.
5. I am grateful for being able to allocate our finances to pay down our debts. I am really happy that we are on the right path to be debt free. It’s going to take us a little while, but we have spent some time working on what to pay off next. Which is really exciting.

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Take Care of Yourself

The whole pandemic has given us a lot to think about many different things, like germs, finances, how to take care of ourselves, and so much more. It’s important, not just trying time of uncertainty, to make sure we are doing our best to take care of ourselves. We should do something good for our bodies, even if it’s just stepping outside for five minutes to get some fresh air, or eating an apple, or anything that is healthy for us. We should to get to get enough rest each night.

Think of small ways you can take care of yourself, and build up the momentum. If you want to go to bed early to help ensure you get enough sleep, try going to bed 10 -15 minutes earlier, and keep on doing that every three nights or so. Keep on doing that until you get to your desire bedtime.

I think it’s really important to keep yourself healthy and active. The only way to do that is by taking care of yourself.

January 2021 Resolutions Summary

For my new followers, who may not know about this, I have been working on my Happiness Project. I have become inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s book titled The Happiness Project. In case you haven’t heard about the book, it’s where she made monthly resolutions in order to improve herself and her lives. Each month she focused on a different aspect in her life. I sort of mimicked her style. In January she focused on ways she can boost her energy.

On the first of every month, I will write about my resolutions are, and why. And then on the last day of the month, I will write about my successes and my not so successful resolutions. It has been an exciting journey so far.

For more information about my own Happiness Project, feel free to click here;

http://threeyellowdaisies.ca/category/my-happiness-project/

This has been a bit of a difficult month for me, a lot of stresses, to be honest. But I think I was able to handle those stresses because I have been working on my Happiness Project. I dealt with helping my mom move, and she has a lot of things. Another thing that was stressful to me, at least, was babysitting my niece. I don’t have children, so the thought of having to watch someone else’s child(ren) gives me anxiety. But now that I have done it more times, I am getting used to it. But some days it’s hard because I have to say no to her, since she can’t climb on to the table.

My January resolutions were…

1. Go to bed early
2. Exercise more
3. Organize
4. Tackle a nagging task

I was able to do these resolutions, but for me the hardest one was going to bed late, mostly because my boyfriend likes to stay up late playing video games. So it is sometimes hard for me to go to bed when I like to. We live with other people, so we can’t really use the living room for his video game. So he has to play in our room, which is basically all we have to ourselves.

The easiest resolution that I was able to follow was organizing. I love organizing things, so it was easy for me to keep things organized, and get organized.

Tackling a nagging project is any projects that I need to get done, or should get should, but for whatever I keep putting off. I have brainstormed some ideas already, so I am able to do some of them when I have the time. I like to keep track of everything using a piece of paper, and when I accomplish a resolution, I put a red check mark beside all of the resolutions I have completed for the day.

I know that with as time goes by, I will find it easier to accomplish this in the upcoming weeks. I am starting to feel a bit more happier. Which is something I was hoping for. I can’t wait to be even more happier. I feel like these resolutions have been helpful, and I can’t wait to partake in the resolutions that I have made for myself in February. More to come about that tomorrow!

Top Ten Tuesdays #20 – January 12th, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/ in your Top Ten Tuesday post.

This week is all about our 2021 Resolutions. They can include your book resolutions, or other areas in your life.

1. Read 30 minutes a day.
2. Exercise for 20 minutes a day.
3. Save up more money.
4. Get enough sleep.
5. Schedule more time to write my stories.
6. Learn how to crochet via YouTube videos.
7. Continue to declutter my belongings.
8. Cut back on ordering and eating fast food.
9. Eat healthy foods.
10. Travel to a new city, if travelling is permitted.

I would love to hear about some of your resolutions in the comments.

Day Four

It is important that we make time for eating healthy foods, whether it is an apple, an orange, or a banana. I can understand that money may be a bit challenging. But try to find fruits and vegetables that are on sale, or in season, as those are cheaper to buy instead of those out of season.

Buying and consuming healthy fruits and vegetables can do wonders for your body. Do your best to spend time throughout your day eating something good for you.

This afternoon I cut up some oranges after I came in from my walk. It was the perfect timing, because my boyfriend had just got in work.

Today, I will spend a few extra dollars, and minutes to eat something healthy.

January Resolutions 2021

This is the first chapter of my My Happiness Project. It is where I discuss small habits that can add so much value and happiness in my every day life. I was inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project. Every month, I focus on a new aspect of my life. This month’s theme is Boosting Energy. Every first day of the month, I will write about my resolutions, and why I think they will help. On the last day I will report back on how I did, and if it actually helped me increase my happiness. To see all of the other upcoming months, check them out here,

http://threeyellowdaisies.ca/category/my-happiness-project/

My Resolutions

1. Get more sleep
2. Exercise More
3. Organize
4. Tackle a nagging task

Get More Sleep

The past few years, we have been known to work more hours, more than ever before. Working longer at work can negatively impact our happiness, because we often have less time for the things that matter to us, like our relationships, hobbies, and properly taking care of ourselves. I know that everyone is in a different situation than others, so I can understand where you are coming from if some nights may be more difficult than other nights. I just wished there was a way that we didn’t have to put our bodies through so much.

So because we are working a lot more than we have compared to the previous decades, we need to take proper care of our bodies. And one way to do that is ensure that we are getting enough sleep each night. Some nights may be more challenging than others, but it is still important to try.

Our adult bodies should be getting at least 7.5 hours, although some people say that they can function on less, others need more. Perhaps it takes you awhile to fall asleep. Here are my tips for you!

1. If you can, refrain yourself from screens (phone, TV) at least one hour before bed
2. Drink sleepy time tea
3. Write in a journal (your thoughts, some chores and errands for the next day)
4. Read a book (preferably one that doesn’t deal with stressful topics like money, business, cookbooks, these just don’t seem like they would be helpful before bed)

My plan is to create an evening and morning routine to help me with this transtition.

Exercise More

I plan on taking more walks in my neighbourhood. My goal is to walk at least 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes every day. I will start off small, and increase the more I walk. I’m really excited for these new changes in my life. I might even download some Tedtalks, and or some audiobooks for my walks.

I will try to make healthier dietary choices as well. I will limit my intake on take out, sugary foods, and drinks.

Organize

Because I have already gotten rid of some things already, it is time to work on organizing things around my room again. This time is a bit different, because I am enforce my boyfriend to do the one minute rule, which is if takes less than one minute to do, you can’t postpone from the task at hand. Some of these things include hanging up a sweater, or a coat when you come in from outside. Put something back where it belongs. “Do what ought to be done.” – Gretchen Rubin.

Tackle a Nagging Task

Like Gretchen Rubin says in her book, having a long to-do list drains energy, we should slowly work on tackling tasks that we continue to push off, and not do. We probably waste more energy and thought process on ways to avoid this task than if we did this actual task itself.

Conclusion

I cannot wait to get started in this journey. I will keep track of my tasks using a check list. I’m really excited! If anyone else is wanting to partake in this journey, please keep me updated. I would love to see other posts.

Take a Walk

Today is Friday, which means it is another edition of Feel Good Fridays. It’s where I talk about incorporating a small tip that has healthy outcome on our mental and emotional health. It is really important, more so right now, to focus on our health. Especially with the pandemic still lingering and interfering with our daily lives.

Sometimes learning to take a break from our stressful, and repetitive routines is exactly what we need.

It’s even better when the sun is out, since our bodies are soaking up all of these extra vitamins which is important to have, especially vitamin D, which is known as the Sunshine Vitamin. Vitamin D helps prevent diseases and keep depression at bay.

The best way to give yourself a new perspective is by taking a walk. It doesn’t even need to be a long walk, but as long as you get out of your house, and move. It does wonders for the body. It helps you destress you in a healthy manner. It helps digest your meals. It can help you have a good night’s rest.

You can explore a new area in your neighbourhood. Taking a daily walk helps helps strengthen your bones, and lowers your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It can help sharpen your mind, too.

You can walk with a family member, or a neighbour, while maintaining social distancing with one another. Or you can listen to your music, or even listen to a Ted Talk, carefully while still obeying traffic rules. Or you can just walk in peace, enjoying the sounds of nature, the sky, and the flowers. Whichever way you do it, there is no wrong way.

Today, I plan on taking a walk to the library. I can’t wait to go. I like to listen to music when I walk. Although this time I was planning on taking a different route there, it’s always fun to mix things up.

Get out and enjoy the day! Your body will thank you.

Self Care

Self care is extremely important, especially with how chaotic the world is right now. It’s okay to not be okay when the world isn’t okay. The vast majority of the world’s population haven’t lived in a pandemic before, so it’s okay to not always know what you need to do next.

But what you should always do is, learn to take care of yourself. It’s important to engage in healthy coping mechanisms like yoga, meditation, or other forms of exercises. Another tip is work on a plan on making sure you are getting enough sleep every night. Work on maintaining a healthy diet of vegetables and fruits.

But it’s also important to learn to take a rest, instead of quitting. Lets use this time of uncertainty to work together, and strengthen others, instead of bringing people down. It’s okay to ask for help. This pandemic is a hardship for everyone. Most importantly, make time to do things that make you happy.

Walk 20 in 20

Late Tuesday night, I came across this exciting concept. It was originally published in Gretchen Rubin’s Podcast.

The concept is you walk 20 minutes a day, every day in 2020. Although I am quite late, but there are still 63 days left of the year, so it’s not too late to join this trend.

Walking has many great benefits such as lowering stress levels, anxiety, boosts immune system, and promotes better sleep. It helps you remove yourself from being trapped inside, and take a break outdoors. Being out in nature, is really relaxing and helps you be mindful.

Although, some days might be challenging based on how chilly it might get, since where I live we are in the transition to winter. This is something I am going to work towards for the next nine weeks.

I am so excited. And I hope a lot of you can join this trend. Walking 20 minutes is so manageable and beneficial to us. Yesterday I walked for around one hour since it was a really nice day.

Quarantine

So, where do I begin… I have been off work since mid March due to medical reasons and anxiety. I must say, I have learned a lot of myself that I wouldn’t have gotten to known without all of this extra time. I am really thankful to have had this spare time.

I understand that these were uncertain times for others, but I tried to do my part by limiting the spread of the virus, and perhaps passing it off to others, by staying home. And I know that not everyone had this opportunity, so I hope everyone stays safe.

My boyfriend and I just moved in with one of his friend’s a month prior to my time off from work. I was able to organize and reorganize our room. I was able to remove things that didn’t have much value in our lives. That was a really fun experience.

I am returning back to work tomorrow, so I am little nervous. I know that where I am, there are still cases, but it’s not a relatively large number of cases. It still makes me nervous, but I will make it my priority to stay safe.

These are the things I am going to miss, when I return to work…

1. Being able to sleep whenever I am tired, and not worrying about having to set an alarm. I can fall asleep at any time. Some days I took full advantage of that. I know this wasn’t healthy, but some nights I slept for ten hours. It was such a luxury to stay in bed until I wanted to do something else.
2. Having time to exercise. I enjoyed going for a walk in the neighbourhood, especially since it is a new neighbourhood. I was able to make space in my room for my yoga mat to practice yoga routines, and meditation. I live pretty far from where I work, so by the time I leave in the morning, work, come back it’s basically dinner time. I know, I am not the only one who has this problem, and I know that some people have children to take care of as well. But I see the problem, and I have solutions to fix this situation.
3. The feeling of not being stressed or anxious about a work related problem. It has been peaceful to not have to deal with any of these problems.
4. The freedom of having spare time. I had time to declutter, read books, clean and blog again. I am so thankful for using this time for good use for myself.
5. It made me realize that I can do and be anything I want. I would love to be my own boss, and have freedom doing whatever I like. I loved creating my own schedule and my own to-do list. That is probably the thing I am going to miss the most from the whole quarantine. It was such a luxury. The whole experience made me realize that I am always one decision from a different life.

I will try to continue to do the things I have learnt during this spare time. I will also try to coordinate the things I had time to do, into my new schedule.