March mental health challenge
link to video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5ORx5VgATQ/?igsh=YTJkbnY0NGRndDlu
week one
This week I decided to try and make my bed every day. No, I was never a bed making gal, I never saw the point. I’m just going to go back to sleep so why make it pretty just to mess it up…or for Piper to mess up. So I got new bedding from Target, in the kids section because kids bedding is way better than the boring adult stuff, and then I “re decorated” a bit, which just brightened up my entire room more. I noticed that making my bed does 2 main things for me. The first, is just give me a sense of accomplishment. On days I made my bed, I felt more ready to tackle the day. Of course, some days this wasn’t the case, and some days I forgot to make my bed, but the difference was there. The second thing is it kept me from immediately getting back into bed. Instead if getting ready and then being tempted to lay back in bed, I didn’t have the temptation to get back into bed. It just looked to pretty to do so, so I was a bit more productive…or at least just sat on my bed instead of falling back asleep. Overall, this is something that I want to make a habit for sure. Of course, some days I will forget or just simply not make my bed, but I do think making my bed helped my mental health some, so I’d like to keep up with it and put an effort in.
week two
This week I tried to take a walk every day. The first day it was nice, though I wasn’t in the best conditions. It was much warmer out, and I walked around the arboretum in jeans, a sweatshirt, and hat…so I was pretty sweaty, and there were a lot of nats getting all over me…gross. On the other days it was also nice to just be in the sun. It did improve my mood, after my walks I felt a lot less stressed. I definitely want to continue this, but in a modified version. Maybe not a daily walk, but maybe at least being outside for a bit every day. Some days, walk Piper around (she wasn’t at my apartment with me this week), other days it’s okay to go walk around in between classes, or when I just need a break. The sunshine definitely just made me feel a bit better though. Walking in nature specifically made me feel like a kid again, which was nice 🙂 . I spent a ton of time growing up being outside with neighborhood friends. One in particular had a forrest behind their house (it felt like a forrest to child me, but it was likely just a few trees), but we’d hang out in our little fortress all the time, so being out in nature reminds me of those simpler times.
Week three
I’m not sure if this is cheating or not…but the third week of this weird challenge I was sick with covid. So I didn’t really do anything, but sleep 🙂 . Physical health is important too!
Week four
This week I decided to plan out my week. This is something I have tried doing anyway, but a lot of times it doesn’t seem to stick. I tried to make a balance of planned, but not over-planned. If I plan down to the minute, I find I just get frustrated and don’t like when I tell myself what to do in my planner so I don’t stick to it. So I wrote down everything I wanted to accomplish this week and put it onto days I thought I could complete it. Then went back and highlighted what I absolutely had to do each day, like an assignment that was due or email that needed to be sent. Being less specific made me more likely to actually do the things I needed to do, though I still didn’t do a lot of things I wanted to do- which can sometimes lead me down a rabbit hole. I want to continue to find a balance that works, or just be kinder to myself when I don’t get everything done that Sunday me thought I could.
I also did my usual training log our professor has us do, which I’m finding to be pretty helpful these days with wanting to audition and having to practice so many excerpts. I’m able to make sure I get to everything throughout the week instead of having to cram.
