I know I’ve said it before, but I really don’t know where this year is going…and particularly this month…it’s just flown by!
They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I have to say that pretty much sums up this month…overall it’s just been a load of fun!
So, tell us all about it!
As I sat to take a look at the month gone by, and the goals I set myself at the start of the month…I realised that I haven’t really “achieved” that much.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being self-deprecating here – I have achieved some very cool things this month, it hasn’t been the big “groundbreaking” things I have maybe expected of myself in the past, but it’s been filled with fun little moments.
Body Positivity – it’s definitely too bloody hot for jeans!
This could not be more true today as I finish a day working from home in temperatures above 25 degrees. Funnily enough, I started the day in jeans, but that lasted all of 5 minutes and I sit here writing this in a nice jersey crop top and tube skirt.
The old me would have never worn this outfit…I would be far too worried that it didn’t “suit” me and that it would show off all of my wobbly bits…and that would then mean I am not “beautiful”.
But this month I have really worked on embracing every part of me, the bits I love and the bits I don’t love so much. I’ve experimented with my style and tried some new things which have been really fun, I feel like I’m finding my style now which is pretty cool.
It’s been such a liberating experience – the relief of not obsessing over the “does this make my X look big” or “I’m showing off too much skin” but to wear what I like and what makes me feel fabulous. It’s something I haven’t had for a long time and I’m loving it!
That doesn’t mean to say that I don’t have the occasional wobbles (physical and emotional) but instead of changing straight away into my “safe outfits”, I give myself time to get used to the new look. Sometimes I’ll get to the end of the day and decide I won’t go for that combo again, and in some cases, it sticks…like my current favourite combo of a crop top and jeans!
Reach my 5k running target… smashed it!
If you’ve been following my social media channels, you’ll know that last weekend I reached my 5k run target. It may not seem like a lot, but for me this was a pretty huge achievement…not just that I could do it, but I did it on my own.
It was in no way an easy journey, and there were definitely times where I wanted to give up or I (Alice) would tell myself that I couldn’t do it….but I fucking did! I won’t go into too much detail here, if you want to know more take a look at my You totally can! post, but what I will say is that the mind is a truly powerful thing. You put your mind to something and really put in the discipline, patience and effort, you can achieve anything!
Go on some adventures & Learn how to use my fancy camera
Thanks to the lifting of some lock-down rules, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to start seeing more of my friends and family over the past few weeks, I’ve been quite the social butterfly!
Whilst I may not have been on any big adventures, I’ve explored some lovely woodland walks, beaches and parks this month – all with the best company.
So at the start of the month, I spoke about exploring new places and taking my camera to take some snazzy/artsy pictures…suffice to say that hasn’t happened. I just haven’t had the time, and that’s the best/only excuse I’ve got. You know, sometimes it isn’t about capturing the perfect moment, it’s about experiencing the perfect moment. My nephew sitting on my lap eating strawberries, my niece and I spending the afternoon painting or having a picnic on the beach with the familam…these are just a few of the fabulous adventures I have had this month and memories I will treasure for years to come, fancy photos or not.
Gotta have a bit of Gratitude – Finding joy in every day!
So recently I have joined a group – I spose you could call it a coaching group – with the focus of self-development. Each month we have activities to complete/explore and so dar I’m really enjoying getting to know myself better. For July the theme was simple…Joyful July…or so I thought!
Each day we would have a series of questions posed to us, and we had to share a positive memory/thought/experience in response to each question.
Some questions were pretty easy, like “what’s your favourite book/film” or “your favourite song”, you know – things that you can easily think of something that will make you smile. Then there were some questions that I found a little more challenging like “name an unforgettable happy day”.
That specific one was a hard one for me and brought up a mixture of emotions. For anyone that has gone through a break-up can probably relate, and without going too much into it, let’s just say that some of my unforgettable happy days are also tinted with a little sadness.
Whilst going through this exercise I realised something, is that that’s perfectly ok… just because you’re not with that person anymore, it doesn’t make the memory any less happy! When you re-frame your mindset you start to see them for what they are, memories. No matter what happened after that point, that was a moment in time where you were happy, there is nothing wrong with that and I feel very blessed to have felt such love and happiness in my lifetime.
I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for about 1yr now, and every night (without fail) I write in there the things I am grateful for. It’s split into 3 categories
- Things I am thankful for
- Things that made me smile today
- Things I want to remember about today
After this particular trigger, it made me think about my journal so I decided to have a look back over my entries over the past year. What amazed me was the reminder that even in the darkest days (early stages of the break-up) I still managed to find positives to hold onto.
It’s not always to see, and this isn’t me trying to preach “positive mindset 100% of the time” as that’s not realistic. We have to acknowledge, experience and process difficult emotions – quite often those dark moments teach us a valuable lesson. Sometimes it’s something as small as a good meal, or a cuddle with the dogs…but regardless of how crappy the day was, there was always a positive that I could find.
What the “Joyful July” exercise really taught me, is to be more present in the joyful moments as they are happening, you don’t have to wait for the end of the day to feel grateful for something.
For someone who has always had their head stuck in either the past or the future, worrying about the what if’s – this has been a pretty big turning point for me. It doesn’t mean to say that I don’t sometimes overthink over the past, or ponder over the future…but I am now able to put that aside and focus on the present moment, which is much more fun!
So looking forward to what Awesome August has in store… yes I know, I’m hilarious! 😜