30 Day Challenge

Check Out the Bottom of the Page for a Running List of Daily Challenges!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Day What???

Day who knows is what this is all about. I frequently find myself thinking that Monday MUST be Wednesday, and that if Thursday isn't Friday then I will never make it through the week!!! So as far as the 30 day challenge went. I struggled - and continue to struggle - but this is reality, and I did the best I could. Having a baby is wonderful and the most tiring thing you will ever do if you decide to do so. I just kind of assumed this little munchkin would be sleeping through the night by now....HAHAHA. Silly Erin, apparently this little one is just not a sleeper. He doesn't get up and cry, he gets up and jumps up and down in his crib like a maniac. And while amusing for the first oh, say, 10 months, Mommy hit a wall entering month 11. And with that wall came exhaustion, irritability, horrendous stress management, and a great deal of self doubt. So, I think my blogging is going to be sporadic until this babe falls asleep for longer than 3 hours at a time. I will continue to post, just don't judge me if my spelling and grammar is less than perfect. I am operating on very little sleep!!!!
And what is the best thing you can do if you are stressed?? SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someday - this is only temporary - Right?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Day 19 & 20 -Love What You Have and Who You Are With

Instead of always wishing for something else or someone else, why not try appreciating what you have? It is ok to dream and great to have something to work toward, but sometimes we work so hard at getting the next big job or the addition on the house, that we miss the beauty in what we have in front of us and what really is important. Open your eyes to what you have. Want a bigger house? Well, that means more cleaning, so enjoy the little one you have. Wish you had a cool boyfriend? Going to the movies solo is actually pretty fun - you choose the movie, the seat, AND you don't need to share the popcorn. We forget to enjoy what we have. Go enjoy it.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Day 17 & 18 -Listen to Your Body! (and Stay in Bed!)

No, I didn't stay in bed all weekend, but I really should have - and although I would normally feel guilty about missing yet another blogging day, I don't! My poor husband is fighting a crazy fever, and I came down with an infection I had once before that is also known as "the body's way of telling mom she is doing too much." It is quite unpleasant, but reminded me for the second painful time, that I must slow down, take my own advice, relax, and stop trying to do it all. Ugh. I hate being sick - especially when I know I could have avoided it if I just treated myself better, listened to my body when it said, "please go to bed and stop looking at facebook." Well, I think I learned my lesson. I hate antibiotics and I don't like being in pain, so I will listen (at least for a little bit!)
So, do as I say, not as I do. Listen to your body, take a rest if you need to. Don't push it when you feel yourself starting to get run down. Recharge by taking care of your needs, sleeping, eating healthy food, hanging at home, and surrounding yourself by positive peeps.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Day 16 - Don't Judge

Tough to do!! It is so easy to judge others in all areas of life - her children misbehave, she doesn't walk her dogs enough, can you imagine wearing that???? So easy to do, but it really only adds to our stress levels. First of all, judging others doesn't help anyone better themselves and it tends to mean. Second of all, if we are harsh in judgment of ourselves, we will just stress ourselves out and make ourselves feel bad. Try to go a day without judging anyone including yourself. It will be harder than you think!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Day 15-Treat Yourself

Treat yourself? Indulge? I just told you to minimize! But seriously, indulge yourself for 5 minutes each day - just do so healthfully. How about a foot massage? 5 minutes of quite time? Think about things that you don't usually do for yourself but would encourage others to do- sit down while you eat, paint your toenails, spend an extra 5 minutes prepping for the day, read the paper--take time for you!
We are half way through, remember the focus is you!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Day 14-Reassess

It is Wednesday already!!! Are you doing everything you hoped to do? This seems kind of silly this week, since I totally slacked last weekend, but are you eating a fruit and veggie every day? Why not eat 2? Are you moving your body for 15 minutes every day? Try twenty! Are you keeping up with prioritizing, writing stuff down, and organization? Spend 10 minutes and see how you are doing!
And how is sleep???? Still the number one factor to work on if you want an improved mood (in my opinion!!) Aim for 10 more minutes of shut eye a night.
Now go chill out!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Day 13- Minimize

There are many things one could often stand to minimize - the size of your coffee, the size of your behind, the amount of "stuff" you can't throw away, and many more fun things that have reached maximum capacity. Your goal for today is to pick one section of the house, your car, your schedule, your closet, your butt, anything and make a plan to minimize it. If it is clutter go through it, put things in their place, and throw out or freecycle anything you don't need. If it is a body part, make a plan on exercises to attack it. If it is your schedule - look back at how to prioritize and pare down your commitments. Minimizing one thing each week can be very helpful and keep you from overburdening or overstressing!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Day 9,10,11 and 12 - A Memory

Ooops. I wish I could say that I had some wild and crazy vacation where I was unplugged from everything technological, but alas, I just forgot my password and then couldn't remember which email was linked to this account so I found myself trying all sorts of crazy combos. Obviously I finally figured it out!! So this brings me to an interesting topic - memory. When you are stressed your memory takes a hit - actually your ability to acquire anything new really takes a hit. That is one of the reasons it is so important to destress if you are in school, learning a new skill, or need to think fast. When you are stressed your brain really does get all fuzzy. If you find that you are stressed out, write things down so you don't forget them! (Like passwords....)
Until tomorrow, practice some destressing techniques.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Day 8 - Be Happy

Goofy -yes. But, if you can find something that consistently makes you smile every day - do it! Maybe it is a picture, maybe going for a run, maybe a certain song. Whatever it is, bring it with you, have it readily available, and give yourself a good dose of it whenever you start to feel stressed. Don't have something? Well, then you need to find something. Do you have a favorite picture? Put it in your daily planner. Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Find a postcard and put it in your office. How about a favorite smell or food? Find a candle that smells like it and keep it close by (you don't have to light it, just sniff it!!). So today's challenge is to find that thing that makes you happy and do it!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Day 7 - Check in!

Well today is an easy day - and the next three Wednesdays will be as well. Wednesday is mid week, so today is the day you check in with yourself. Go ahead and ask yourself how you are doing? Are you eating a fruit or veggie every day? Moving every day? Is anything making you feel a little better? Is there one part of the challenge you find better than others? Sit with yourself for a few minutes - all by yourself - (escape to the bathroom or hide in a closet if you have to) take your emotional temperature. Stressed? Happy? Sad? Mad? Give yourself a few minutes of you time to see how you are. Now, do 15 pushups (the real ones) have a fruity snack(not skittles), drink lots of water, check caller ID and don't answer when you don't want to, prioritize your to do list, and get to bed!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Day 6- Stay Hydrated

I was going to talk about something totally different today but it was so gross and sticky and icky out, I thought I would remind you to stay hydrated on days like today! Sounds silly, but getting dehydrated can make you cranky, tired, hungry, irritable, short-tempered, headachey, and more. So get a nice big water bottle and keep hydrated all day long! A note about pets- make sure you keep fresh water available for them too!!! Hot days like today can really wear them out!