Things from 2018 you're going to continue

[cannotmakemymindup]

I am intrigued to see what people have learned and/or started to do in 2018 that they're continuing to do this year. As it is not all new beginnings for lots of us.

Mine are pretty lighthearted:
Use soap not shower gel on underarms so as to not get smelly quickly. Thank-you Mn for that one especially the science behind it. Felt like a granny taking my bar of soap wrapped in a flannel on holiday but worth the freshness!

Giving my hair a break to try to help it back to natural. Hello plaits/braids and Shea Moisture. Loving it lots so far. I naturally have afro/mixed hair so long journey to loving it.

Love to hear yours. Any MN inspired?

Drinking sod dry January...
Also cleansing acid toning and moisturising every morning and evening, my skin is so much nicer since doing this.

I agree about the soap!

Also, keeping up the habits of reading instead of TV in the evenings and getting off the bus early.
Lastly, since New Year 1992 I have done a Brownie 'good turn' for others every day! It is by far my favourite resolution.

One vegan day per week
2 dry months per year
Running
Devout skincare routine
Driving lessons!

Hmmm maybe I should have a new one and get back to reading, plus that in the evenings instead of what haven't I yet watched/recently

Continue being a vegan.
Continue being blonde.
I started Instagram in 2018 and I'm not going to stop any time soon.
Buying tat. I've failed in the January sales a little bit with this one, but tomorrow is a new day.

Not drinking - love it.
Soap.
Words with Friends.
Higher levels of housework and cleaning
Using my wheelie trolley to shop

Not being afraid to tell people to piss off instead of pretending to like them for the sake of politeness.

Not drinking as much
Cooking from scratch
Housework every day
Be more picky with my clothes, friends and time
Say No to things I don't want to do and don't make excuses

@namechanger22 do you mean not buying more tat?

Saying no to things I don't want to do. I'm the least anxious I've been in so long.
Running; I try to run 5k at the gym at least twice a week and hope to continue as it's benefited me in so many ways.

Intrigued about the science behind the soap...

Yes, I meant buying tat and all things in general. We don't need more stuff.

I made lots of progress with decluttering in 2018. The rooms I’ve done are so much nicer, and easy to keep tidy. And the more I do the more ruthless realistic I’ve become. still not sure how to tackle the dc’s toy mountain though

I read How to manage your home without losing your mind and it’s the only housework method that I’ve ever been able to stick with.

I tried doing a big stock-up shop and then a weekly trip to butcher and market for fresh food, and milkman to deliver. Really saved time and money. I’m terrible at meal planning but because I only buy in bulk stuff that we actually do eat instead of stuff I wish my dc would eat, or think I should eat, or see on special offer etc, I’ve cut back on food waste. I’ve been tracking roughly how much we’re using in a week so that I can stock up more accurately and efficiently and I’m going to clear out space for storing staples.

I gave up sugar completely for a couple of months and felt fabulous so I’d like to climb back on that wagon again, but I’m not ready for that just yet!

alana tell me more about giving up sugar.

How long did it take you to feel better? Did you give it up completely?

Wearing expensive shoes, make-up and clothes. Really made a difference to how I felt about myself and I have been complimented on my looks and style a lot - something that never happened to me before!

Having a "don't like it - change it" attitude to my job; I am so much happier in my new place and am lucky to have the ear of one of the big bosses, meaning I have already been able to change things I'm unhappy with in my current workplace.

I am also working on being a bit more selfish and less pleasant - ironically, I am more popular now than I was as a people pleaser.

Oh, I also managed to read over 30 proper books last year after starting to try to read more in 2017 - I ribtwd out a blank bookshelf and stuck it by my bed.. I fill it in when I've read one and it is surprisingly satisfying. Printed out my new one for 2019 and already filled in one.

*printed

@IAmAlwaysLikeThis I gave up chocolate and decided to try and eat more mindfully, rather than just automatically taking a biscuit, or eating junk for something to do. I realized that most of the time I was craving chocolate and that other sweet stuff wasn’t hitting the spot so I didn’t eat it. I might have a bit of cheese or nuts or cold chicken as a snack instead to distract my tastebuds. I was focused totally on getting off chocolate (I’m very like an alcoholic in my relationship to chocolate) rather than dieting or anything else, but after a couple of weeks when I stopped craving chocolate all the time I realized I wasn’t really craving sweet things either. So I decided to give up as much sugar as I could too.
I will say that I ate more carbs, especially potatoes. And to be absolutely honest I didn’t so much notice that I was feeling great for being off the sugar. It was more that when I fell off the wagon a bit before Christmas that I noticed I was more sluggish, not sleeping as well, my skin is dull, I’m more achey in my joints and headachey and I have little itchy spots on my scalp and a weird itchy/skin crawling sensation on my arms and neck at times, digestive issues....I could go on and on but basically lots of little things that I took for granted until they all reappeared together when I started eating sugary stuff again. Looking back, the months where I was off sugar, I had more energy, and I was keeping on top of other areas in my life.

I don’t have the willpower to give it all up so I’ll start with the chocolate (in a bit) and take it from there. I hadn’t got to the point of worrying about the sugar content if a can of beans or studying the list of ingredients in everything.

Love all the shares thanks