January Reflection

 Personal Wins

I ran the most miles I have EVER run in a January. Like, ever in my whole life. I did NOT see that coming and I am so proud.

Although I am still not where I would like to be, I made morning meditation a much more frequent and regular part of my routine.

I went on a run or walk almost EVERY day of school at lunch. This was a game-changer for me. Getting outside and into nature put a hard reset on my day and has made a huge difference in my mental health while at school

What I Learned

I am still terrible at getting up in the morning. I so wish I was better about getting up and getting a workout in before school. 

I bite off way more than I can chew for a day. This bleeds into all facets of my life, including my expectations for what I will be able to accomplish for school, workouts, and around the house. I need to make my expectations more realistic so that I don't feel disappointed with myself when I can't get it all done.

Important Goals Met

I wrote 10 days this month. Here is an actual example of me avoiding the pitfall I mentioned above. When I first wrote this goal, I scoffed at myself because 10 out of 30 days seemed so incredibly lame. But I really wanted to do this one, so I stuck with what I felt was an incredibly easy number.

Turns out that 10 days was not incredibly easy and I just snuck in with my 10th writing session yesterday. So including this post, I journaled, responded to a creative writing prompt, or blogged 11 of 30 days this month.

Ways I Took Care of Myself

I got vaccinated! 

I walked or ran almost every day at lunch. 

I made an appointment to get a haircut.

I bought myself a couple of bathbombs. I still haven't used them, but that seemed like a pretty frivolous purchase and I'm hoping it pans out. LOL

I went to therapy 3 times this month.

I used my planner and did a better job of scheduling things in my day to ensure I was productive.

I Connected With

I had a really nice visit with my dad and Staci at his bookstore when I visited spontaneously last week. It was great to just chat and relax.

I Will Always Remember

Watching footage of the mob at the capitol on January 6th.

Taking Dharia to urgent care because we thought her foot might be broken.

Watching AJ complete in Wisconsin.

Harvey being potty trained!

Key Purchases

Colby and I booked our trip to Hawaii for this summer! Fingers crossed we'll actually make it this year.

I bought some great used gear from the REI garage sale.

I bought myself some great hiking/trail running shoes. I can't wait to get some BIG SNOW to try them out. Today was close, but I'm still waiting for this year's huge blizzard. :)

I'm Grateful For

My teaching partner, Jeff. We make a great team and he helps me with my problem of biting off more than I can chew with teaching. He also encourages me and makes me feel like I'm doing a good job at school when my head is telling me that I'm terrible.

This month, especially, I am grateful for such amazing daughters. I have watched Dharia deal with injury and setback with grace and grit. I have watched AJ enchant her brothers, be an awesome teammate and grow as a gymnast and as a person. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have these two little ladies in my life.

I am thankful for my counselor, Phyllis. Our weekly sessions are both refreshing and grounding. She has definitely helped me to find perspective and balance this month. I can only imagine what a train wreck January 2021would have been without the foundation she's helped me to build and the strategies she's guided me towards putting into place.