Launching a New Life

Last week I shared that I don’t have a job anymore. I had a job I loved one minute and then Covid-19 rolled in and changed so much for so many, including me. I’ve spent the past week grieving, figuring out personal logistics for Hot Mess Hubby and I, and making plans for projects that have needed my attention for quite some time. There are soooo many projects to share, but I’m not quite ready to dive in to all of that. Today, I’m sharing the first two projects to be launched…and what this week will look like.

Project #1: Wellness

Quarantine pounds happen – but while everyone else is working off their “Quarantine 15”, it looks like I will be working off the Quarantine 29. YIKES!!!

Luckily for me, I know how to handle this since I’ve already lost more than 130 pounds. This little detour was brought on simply by the mental funk that quarantine has brought to so many of us. I can right my ship fairly easily by returning to mindful eating and getting more activity. I’m not at all worried about getting rid of the weight, just rather pissed at myself for gaining so much in the first place. It’s a detour that takes time to get around and it’s one entirely of my own making.

The FitBit is back on my wrist, logging my steps and tracking how many hours of sleep I get. I am back to logging every bit of food that goes into my mouth. Last night, I asked Hot Mess Hubby to take all the chips and snacky things that tempt me and put them upstairs in the Man Cave…a scary place, full of weird smells, mismatched furniture and total chaos where this Princess rarely dares to venture. The snacks will be safe up there and he can still enjoy them.

It’s not all about weight loss, though. I’ve neglected my own wellness for ages. This is just the start of the master plan, which is an all encompassing, bad-ass mission to return my mind, body, and spirit to wellness. I’ll share the whole scoop this week under a new theme called Wellness Wednesday. This week, I’m all about a gentle approach to change. But first…I need to calm the hell down.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever gained weight, made yourself sick eating junk food, felt guilty, went to the grocery store and bought kale and tofu, woke up the next day lamenting the lack of Pop Tarts in your pantry, forced yourself to eat crap you don’t really like, nearly killed yourself with 60 minutes of sweating and panting through strenuous exercise and then crawled into bed at the end of the day in tears because you were in such pain just trying to slip into your jammies.

Yep. Me too, friends. Me. Too.

It’s in my nature to get very “Clark Griswold” when I make a change, but I’m finally beginning to understand that overdoing something is not really the way to succeed. So this week I’ve been making lists and deciding the order in which I’m going to build my new universe. That way I don’t feel like I have to do it all at once. I can create gradual, gentle change that has a lasting effect.

My journey into wellness starts with meditation to help me bring some calm back into my life. I use the Headspace app, which is great for beginners and has a lot of courses where you can learn to apply meditation in various parts of your life. There’s a ton of free content available.

The past few months have heaped stress and uncertainty onto my shoulders like never before. That’s where the Tasmanian Devil-like snacking came from. When you’re trapped in your house because of a quarantine and you have to spend 8 hours a day on a laptop working from home, eating healthy and getting exercise can be a challenge. At least for me. So now I’m free of that work laptop for awhile…and this week I’ll make some simple changes that will be the foundation of my return to wellness:

  • Throw out all the junk food
  • Consistently log my food intake
  • Get at least 15 minutes of gentle exercise a day
  • Get at least 30 minutes of sunshine a day…and put my toes in the grass once in a while
  • Start each day with 10 minutes of peaceful meditation
  • Venture into yoga basics and strength training
  • Make a plan for my Ambien detox

If you’re wondering what the hell I mean by “gentle exercise”, don’t worry…I’ll explain it all on Wednesday. This list is just the beginning of a huge project to return to wellness. We’ll get to it all, I promise.

Project #2: Home Sweet Home

The second plan I’m starting this week is all about home organization. Clutter and mess really bother me, but I seem to have a real talent for creating them. It feels like the perfect time to create a little order…and maybe even a little beauty. Each week, I’ll focus on decluttering, organizing, and deep cleaning one room in the house. When that’s done in the entire house, I’ll work on the beauty part. This week is all about the stitchy room. Are you ready for a tour of one of the worst disaster zones in my house?

Here you go!

I know, I know, I know…there is NO excuse for this. This is not unusual for creative people, however. Bottom line: the disorganization and clutter drive me nuts. I can’t get anything done because there’s no space to do it, and I can’t find anything I need to complete a project because nothing is put away.

I can be very Clark Griswold with cleaning too, so I will focus on a different room in the house each week. No, every room in the house is not this bad. I promise.

I have a week to get this mess cleaned up. Will I do it? Yep. Can you follow along? Yep! If you follow my Facebook Fan Page or follow me on Instagram, you’ll see the updates I post this week. And I’ll be back next week to share the next steps in both the Wellness and Home Sweet Home projects…and maybe launch another. There are MANY projects, but I’m taking baby steps to get started in order to ensure as much success as possible.

So here’s to the beginning of launching a new life. I’m glad you’re here with me.

10 thoughts on “Launching a New Life

  1. I’ve missed your blog posts!! I’m so happy you’re back at it! I’m very Clark Griswold with things too…so I can relate. I have been slowly decluttering rooms and closets since April between working partially from home and office. I discovered that selling things on the Offer Up app realllly motivates me to keep cleaning and organizing because I’m making money doing it lol…so I can buy new decor 🤣

    I see you on FB regularly because I’m there the most, but really excited for you and your new adventures! and

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