After a week of little-to-no motivation, poor sleep, minimal physical movement, and consuming the not greenest of foods, I decided I had enough and it was time to bounce back. This bout of poor sleep and diet descended upon me after two weeks of pure enthusiasm. I was doing so well! I’m talking daily walks, 8 hours of sleep, chugging water, responding to emails in a timely fashion. And now my sleep has been off, really off. I actually had a phone call this weekend with a psychic and she said, “Why haven’t you been sleeping”? I see you sis.
But my mindset has now shifted, and this week I’m prepared to bounce back.
My new mantra is “I’m figuring it out”. Below is a realization I recently had:
It reads:
When I fully accept and surrender to the notion that I am figuring “it” (“it” being life) out, I am happier. When I put responsibilities, fears, pain, tasks, goals, etc. aside for a moment, I am fully free. I acknowledge these things are still there and they exist, but for a moment in time I am free. I am figuring it out.
This new adage has been pretty effective for me. Perhaps it will be effective for you.
I’m a firm believer of the “getting it out of your system” approach instead of avoiding and then getting your ish together. Is that the healthiest approach? I’ll ask my therapist. Indulging in self-loathing only invites you to take 100 steps-back. No need to punish oneself for spending the day in bed. But I’ll eventually find myself getting to a point where I’m tired with the wallowing, endlessly scrolling on my phone, and allowing problems in my mind to fester (god I hate that word).
Just like experimenting with a new pasta sauce recipe or a first attempt of a TikTok dance, every single day, no matter how meticulously planned, won’t go, well, exactly as planned. Being content with not checking off an entire week of to-dos in one single day is another concept I’m trying to drill into my brain, along with being a badass at rest. Chill Capricorn, chill.
Like anything worth doing, it takes work. The first day of getting back on track is the hardest, and in fact I began writing this post on my first day of bouncing back after a not-so-ideal week.
Here is how I get myself back on track:
- My first, and probably most important, step: Forgive yourself. I’ve allowed myself a day or two to wallow in bed and to lean into my emotions, rather than run away, and that was OK
- Setting rituals and routines and adhere to them
- A morning stretch. Sometimes this stretch is used as a form of meditation, other times I use it to remind myself of f things I want to do and get excited to do them (this blog post being one of them)
- Walk, or whatever form of exercise floats your boat. For me, it’s a nice long walk by the Schuylkill River to achieve a mental and physical #reset
- Cleaning/GYSTing (getting your shit together). GYST is a term coined by one of my favorite YouTubers Kayln Nicholson
- Connect with those who lift you up, whether it be a phone call or a socially distant park hang
- Force yourself. Yes, there is an element of forcing yourself, whether it’s to get out of bed, wake up early, to write, etc.
These waves of stagnation and flowing will continue to occur, I’m well aware of that. It’s important to remember your mood will change – it’s OK to not be 100% on a day after you were motivated AF.
And you know what? I’m pretty content realizing that I’m figuring it all out. You’re figuring it out <3 Be gentle on yourself.
Disclaimer: I encourage you to seek professional help if these highs and lows are becoming detrimental to your life and health <3
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