Self-Care

Lately I’ve been falling deeper and deeper into a funk of no ambition, guilt, and avoidance. I know I have good reason to be feeling blue, but my actions are not helping the situation at all. The more I avoid what I need to do, the guiltier I feel and the deeper I fall. So it’s time to be pro-active and change things up a bit!

Starting back blogging on a daily basis has already helped. Accomplishing one thing that I want to do gives me a little boost.

Yesterday morning I grabbed my camera and went for a quick walk before breakfast, just twenty minutes. It felt good. I don’t know why I always put off things like require a bit of effort, like putting on shoes and heading out the door, when I know I will feel better for doing so.

And that leads to another self-care step that I began earlier this week. Last year, Kel & Tracy over at The Dao of Doing led their readers through a year-long study of BJ GallaGher’s book, Why Don’t I Do the Things I Know are Good For Me?: Taking Small Steps Toward Improving the Big Picture I did some of the activities from the book that they blogged, but not nearly enough and not seriously enough. So yesterday I picked it back up and started in with Chapter One. Only this time I set up a special folder on my computer, started a page for Chapter One, took some notes and actually did the activity. I am hoping that working through the book will provide insight and help me achieve some of my goals. It certainly seemed to be productive for the gals of The Dao Of Doing!

One area in which I am having noticeable success is my eating habits. Yesterday marked the beginning of my eighth week in eating an almost 100% plant-based diet, following the plan described in Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss . I believe some of my family members think that I am crazy, but I really do feel so much better physically, no digestive issues that I often would have from eating beef or pork. I had already cut out most dairy before I began eating this way, because I was noticing more lactose-intolerance issues. Now I am also not eating meat, fish, eggs, white flour or sugar; the goal is 90% plant-based and I am easily exceeding that. In those seven weeks, I have lost 11.5 pounds, which also feels wonderful! Another three pounds and I will be a lower weight than I’ve been in over two decades! Way to go, me!