I like the idea of a ‘wellness journey’

[MuddyWalk5007]

I think I need one. I’m going a bit loopy.
Comfort eating has brought me discomfort. My clothes, when I get changed into them from my ‘loungewear’ feel rather tight.
All the doom and gloom all over the internet has made me feel gloomy.

I want to feel well again.
What do I need to do? I think I could do with more yoga and soup in my life. I can start off with that. That sounds like it belongs in a ‘wellness journey’
What else can I do?

Well I've massively overindulged over the last few weeks and let lots of things slip again. Feeling pretty good after lots of family time and managing some garden meets. Going to try and use being off work for the next couple of weeks to really get back to taking care of me again.

Afternoon all.

Just completed my yoga and meditations for the day. Supposed to be going out later for a walk around the Liverpool waterfront; a lot of the buildings are lit up; but it is soooo cold. I laughed when someone told me we were due snow this week, but it is that cold, I can believe it.

Had a lovely couple of days; continuing with running - I am getting faster! Had a garden meet yesterday which was lovely; albeit bracingly cold in parts - and am slightly hungover today. I've even spent time doing some studying for a professional exam I want to sit.

Work is going to be busy this week - I will finally get to meet some colleagues this week that I haven't seen for a year which I am really looking forward to: different faces!

Hope everyone is having a relaxing long weekend.

It's years since I've been to Liverpool @EastofEdna, I think there's been a lot of investment since then! We had snow here today but only in the morning, then by the afternoon it was really sunny again, albeit still cold.

I'm hoping to see my family again soon, but it's tricky as they're a good 200 miles away and my sibling is CEV, so I haven't been able to visit for ages... maybe by the summer.

Hope your time off work is productive @MischiefManager!

I am biased @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl, it is a lovely under-rated city, but there are interesting times ahead with a local government property scandal brewing for what seems like years and there is a lot of development which seems to have been abandoned - C-19 not helping I am sure. I am looking forward to voting in local elections.

Back at work today, but looking at the sunny spot to go and meditate and do some yoga shortly!

Feeling a bit grotty today; I didn't get a chance to do any of the little routines for food/exercise I have been gradually building up as I was out most of yesterday with a visit to my old office - as expected it was deserted and spooky. It was good to finally meet up with some colleagues after a year of working remotely.

Am looking forward to getting some meditation and yoga in later and am back on track today with water and fasting.

I think the Albert Dock had just been done up last time I visited @EastofEdna (yes, it was that long ago!) but as I recall we had a great time looking around the rest of the city too. I was hoping to take the DC on holiday to Southport this year - I have fond memories of visiting the red squirrel reserve as a child, and I understand it's still there? - but I'm waiting a bit longer before booking anything.

Not much wellness going on here I'm just so exhausted from looking after the DC 24/7. DS1 (borderline ASD) is particularly hard work - hates sleep but then has massive meltdowns from exhaustion - I'm incredibly fed up of dealing with him TBH. He can be such a sweet, kind little boy but not today...

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl - I hope your son gets some sleep soon and you get some respite.

I had a busy week with routines pushed off kilter. We now have a puppy at home and she is a bit of a handful. She is downstairs at the moment being quiet. Someone is with her, but even so the quietness is unnerving.

Am planning on getting back into my routines consistently this week; the gym is back open so we will try and work out best times to go.

Waves to all.

I need to get back on this. We have a new puppy who is a handful and has taken up a lot of time and is also a very early riser. On the upside; it is nice to sit in the yard first thing with an cup of coffee and listen to the posties in the sorting office behind my house - one of them likes to sing along loudly to music - and watch her pootling round, but I am now we are in week 2 I want to get back to my own goals.

Today I am going to do:

1. A nice cleanse and moisturise of my poor dehydrated skin
2. a new meditation and yoga again
3. Prepare my gym kit for session tomorrow - make sure it is not covered in puppy fluff.
4. Log my food on MFP.

How is everyone doing.

A new puppy @EastofEdna!!! Is she very cute indeed? The DC would love a puppy, but I know who would end up doing all the walking/ poo picking up/ training, so I'm resisting...!

I've ordered some new moisturiser and have started using fake tan again, always makes me feel a bit better. My haircut is booked for a fortnight's time - can't wait! - and I've lost a few more pounds. I'm down by a stone in three months, but still have 2.5 stone to go, unfortunately.

Hope everyone else is well? @MischiefManager @MuddyWalk5007 @ThatOtherPoster

Hey ClaraTheImpossibleGirl - she is impossibly cute. Let's see if the picture I've attached uploads. It is hard work and there is a lot of cleaning up and mopping up after her. I was up at 5:30 with her this morning - she needed to stretch her legs, but I wouldn't be without her! The early start meant I did my head and neck yoga really early.

Been to the gym this morning and had a weights work out.

It's a lovely day here, always makes the list of things to do much more doable.

My face is feeling quite lovely and moisturised! Must do again today.

Waves hello to everyone

Hi, thanks for the mention. I've had a tough couple of weeks so not been on much. In reality I probably need this thread more than ever! Will make the effort and try and get remotivated to take better care of myself. Hope everyone else is well.

@MischiefManager sorry to hear things have been tough. Anything we can help with?

@EastofEdna please send your super cute puppy to my house immediately!! (although preferably after 5.30am...) My DC would adore her, unfortunately their attention span doesn't extend to actual puppy care though!

Things are tricky here, DS1's meltdowns are getting worse (they are at least daily now) and I'm walking on eggshells around him because something and nothing will set him off. Plus my sibling has been diagnosed with a potentially life limiting illness and I'm not sure what the outcome will be, or how it relates to me. I have to be a bit vague as I know my DM is on MN; I was hoping to post for help but think she'd probably recognise me as it's quite a rare condition, so even name changing wouldn't be any good! I'm waiting for a call back from the charity for this condition but nothing so far...

Placemarking for later!

@ClaraTheImpossibleGirl both of those situations would break me! Hope you can get some support here regardless of DM and that your son’s meltdowns decrease in velocity. Hope you can carve out a bit of space in your day for you.

Puppy has been asleep at my feet all morning- seems to have a mad half hour at six-ish in the evening when she is definitely a handful !

@excelledyourself welcome to the thread

How is your puppy @EastofEdna? Hope the cuteness is making up for lack of sleep!!

DS1 has been slightly better, DM seems to have forgotten I exist even though it's my birthday next week don't think there'll be a present or even a card forthcoming. I know I'm an adult and these things shouldn't bother me so much - it's not like she doesn't have form for it, she sent zero for me or the DC at Christmas - but I make the effort for every Christmas and birthday, and all I get back usually is a half-arsed "I've been busy but tell me what you'd like and I'll order it". (I often don't even bother replying as it's even more disappointing when I ask for something and it never turns up!)

Apart from that I'm just bored, really. Can't find a job, can't even find an interesting volunteering role! I'm still trying to do a workout every day (still have a couple of stones to lose) but even that's tricky when DP is around, he won't leave me alone to just get on with things. I'm hoping that by the end of the year I'll have shed the unwanted lb's, decided what I'd like to do for a living - whether that's 'just a job' or retraining for something - and generally have more zest for life. Not much to ask, eh?!

Hope things are better for you @MischiefManager

Thank you @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl things are starting to improve a little. I really do need to prioritise my well-being again. Things have been a bit tricky with my youngest daughter who has some additional needs and behavioural challenges. In exhausted but eating too many biscuits, drinking too much coffee and doing too much thinking is not going to help me feel any better! Back on it this weekend!

I completely re-evaluated my life a few years ago after being very ill and would have died if I hadn’t been rushed to hospital.

As I eventually got better I divided the time in my brain into willing myself to get better, reflecting on the past, contemplating the future and understanding that my current life would never be the same and the changes I needed to make to make my life the best it can be for me.

Sounds selfish and it is, but by making me number one instead of putting everyone else first it has actually made a much less stressful life for all of us.

I do not worry about getting things done and putting time limits on things. I do things at my own pace, I take time to enjoy things. I appreciate what is around me and I have removed from my life anyone that causes me stress.

I hope you are recovering well @Chatanooga1, you have a lovely philosophy on life now!

I completely empathise with the difficulties of challenging behaviour @MischiefManager, DS1 is borderline ASD and hard work sometimes. His poor sleep alone is... aaarrrggggghhhhh. It's hard to even think straight sometimes when all I'm doing is trying to avoid him having a meltdown! I know PIL find him tricky to look after too, which makes me feel even worse because I don't have anyone else to leave the DC with.

Still bored here, looking for jobs/ volunteering opportunities and thinking of how to make my life more interesting but preferably no more stressful. It's a tough one!

Thanks @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl it can be really tough sometimes can't it.
So back on with taking care of myself this week. To start me off I plan to...
Find half an hour for myself every day to take time to have a hot shower and take care of me on the outside.
Drink more water and less caffeine.
Eat 5 fruit and veg each day.
Read a few pages of my book each day.

Hope everyone is having a lovely bank holiday weekend.

Have you managed your aims today @MischiefManager?

I'm having a look round Pinterest for some summer clothing ideas, I'm about a third of the way through my weight loss at the moment and have no idea of what I can wear that would be even vaguely flattering. Don't want to spend £££ as hopefully I will drop a couple of dress sizes between now and next year, but equally I have nothing that fits well, so I look even more like a potato than I need to! I just have no idea what looks good on me any more; I don't want to be too 'mumsy' but equally I don't think my old pre-DC clothes would be flattering any more even if I could fit into them so I need to give it some thought!