I promise I’ll start taking photos outside again… I just can’t even remember the last time I saw the sun!
This post was meant to go up yesterday on Valentine’s day but alas…
I don’t know what has changed in 2018 but I really feel like I’ve come to a lot of realizations. 2017 was not an easy year by any means. I had a lot of health problems, got put on a medication that made me feel like a total zombie and dealt with some mental health issues. I am doing a lot better overall and I think a lot of it has to do with some steps I’ve taken in terms of looking out for myself. Some are slightly superficial while others are more looking inwards.
So, what have I done these past two months?
1. Cut out toxic people from my life.
I am lucky and have some really wonderful friends. But I also spent much of last year not being treated well by some people I considered good friends. I never felt like I could share how I was feeling and so, I harbored a lot of negative feelings I didn’t know what to do with. Starting at the end of last year, I had enough. I was so tired of feeling like I did something wrong. I felt like I was not good enough for this person and that our friendship didn’t matter. But you know what? That just isn’t true! We are all worth far more than someone who treats us poorly makes us feel. I’m going to lie, I’m currently in the “total heartbreak” stage of this but I do feel a lot better when I’m not around this person.
2. Making my bed every morning.
I know this sounds silly but I started doing this in January and y’all, it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE! It makes my space feel automatically cleaner and it takes all of two minutes. It automatically makes me feel productive when I wake up. It also helps me not crawl into bed straight away when I get home from work…
3. Realizing I should not feel bad if I don’t want/can’t do something social
I used to feel really bad if I skipped out on a social event because of my stomach issues or anxiety. I felt like I couldn’t explain myself to anyone or that they weren’t valid reasons. But now, I realize that sometimes chronic illness or anxiety strikes. Or I just don’t feel up to it. And that is okay. I also used to have a hard time hanging out and feeling bad if I didn’t want to drink alcohol (silly, I know). But I am the only one that knows my body and damn, alcohol has been making my stomach hurt so much lately! So I do not feel bad about that anymore.
4. Taking care of my skin and flossing every. damn. day.
I knew this was something I really needed to do. Before, I was a haphazard flosser… I’d floss every once and a while when I remembered (I know, it’s terrible). But now I floss every day. Sometimes twice a day!
I also have come up with a good skincare routine. I recently started slacking and I’ve noticed my skin has taken a hit. Back to the double cleanse at night!!
5. Drinking less alcohol
Let me preface this — I do not drink a lot, to begin with. But in 2017, I did start drinking more than I ever had before. I’d have a beer or two on weeknights and then maybe three on a Saturday night. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot but to my petite frame, it IS! I also realized recently that alcohol definitely wreaks havoc on my GI system. While I’m not giving alcohol up entirely, I have been scaling it back. I feel a lot better in terms of my health because of this.
Shirt: Thrifted (Similar)
Sweater: Thrifted (Similar)
Skirt: ThredUp (use code LEETHRIFTS to get 50% off $50!)
Shoes & TIghts: Target
What have you been doing to make 2018 off to a great start?
Let me know in the comments!
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