I can't believe it is the last day of 2015! This year has flown by! I had one of the best years but also one of the hardest of grad school I think, caused hitting a slump and really struggling to get thru the last couple of months because of stress and experiments gone wrong.
I traveled a lot this last year, I got to go to Boston for an amazing conference, Barcelona for another amazing conference and further growing my network, Cyprus to visit family, sequoia national park with the boy to relax and enjoy nature, and back to Boston to spend the holidays with family.
I am going to be sappy and say that I really struggled with stress the last 6 months. If I'm real with myself, it started in June when I really started to put a lot of pressure on myself to finish and advance two projects faster, and beating myself up when those projects didn't go as planned. I then went on my trip and didn't give myself any time to actually relax, as I felt I had to be productive every single day. And then when I got back, I went straight back into work mode and I was so stressed when many things went wrong (thanks, science!), my anxiety kicked in and I had lots of headaches, month long migraines, and weight gain (anxiety and stress kicks cortisol production into overdrive, leading to weight gain, in addition to working long hours, not making time for myself to work out which I love and not having time to cook healthy food). While I'm in no means fat or anything, I am unhappy with myself when I look in the mirror, and I think it stems from me not taking care of myself and not taking time to relax. I went to a neurologist and they gave me drugs for migraines, but after just resting during thanksgiving and Christmas, I noticed my migraines and headaches went away! For real! The second I started feeling stressed again I felt a headache coming on. That made me immediately tell myself relax etc. and it helped! It really shows that you have to take care of yourself! That is my number one goal and resolution this year!!!
1. Take Care of yourself - Be kind to yourself
One of my big big goals is to take care of myself and be kinder to myself. I tend to expect way too much from myself sometimes, and overextend and overbook myself. It is important to Just Say No to things, and be "selfish" sometimes. I would always say ok to things and try to hang out with multiple people and fit in things to accommodate others, and I realized I can't do that anymore. I need to put myself first, and even with work, when things don't work or I can't get much accomplished, realize that I am doing the best I can and I can't do more than I already am - I am already working to my max! I beat myself up and tell myself why can't you get this done? Why are you messing up? Why aren't you working out? You know what inner voice, shut up! I'm doing the best I can!
2. Eat healthy and have a balanced diet.
I really do enjoy cooking, I just find myself never having time to do it - and so, I get lazy and am too tired, and end up getting take out. So I spend 100$ + on groceries for the week, and then spend more money on top of it eating out because I'm too tired. I also noticed that I have been getting headaches and migraines because I am not eating right - since I started a meal plan and I am eating a lot more veggies, spinach, and some multivitamins, I am feeling much better! So my goal is to cook more often, eat healthy, and have a balanced diet. That's not saying I can't have treats and eat out, which I still will, but during the week I vow to have a focused healthy diet and splurge a little on the weekends!
3. Stop spending so much on extra things not necessary
I canceled a couple of subscriptions I had (like Ipsy, a recurring online Yoga class one [I bought a deal so its cheaper hehe]), because looking at my bank account statements especially this month, I am spending a lot of money uselessly. I also canceled a magazine subscription, and need to stop spending money on lunch and random things on groupon (guilty pleasure!). This way I can manage my finances and budget better!
4. Workout at least 30 minutes a day and work on meditation
This is a big goal for me and it fits in with number 1 of taking care of myself - I LOVE working out, and I realized I was happiest when I worked out regularly - It is just something that makes me feel good about myself. I got so strong when I was working out regularly, and it made me feel so powerful! I want to get back to that stage, which last time I was there was a year and a half ago. It is also super helpful to managing my stress, so my goal is to work out at least 30 minutes a day. I bought 21 day fix videos which are only 30 minutes long, so on days where I don't have much time to work out, I will do those, and when I need a release and a longer workout, I will head to the gym!
I also want to work on doing yoga every day (mostly nightime, helps me relax), and get flexible! I have gotten so much more flexible in the last couple of months from doing regular yoga, and I LOVE it! I'm not normally flexible! I also want to FINALLY be able to do a headstand or handstand, a goal I have been talking about for years! I am much stronger and know that with more commitment, I can make it happen this year! And lastly, work on meditation, this really helps me deal with my anxiety or panic attacks, particularly focusing on breathing and grounding myself. It is something I have to do and the more I work on it the better I am at preventing myself from getting panic or anxiety attacks.
5. Get organized!
This is a big one for me, not saying I am disorganized, but I have to prioritize things and help prevent my stress at work! If I can plan things out and organize my thoughts, I can more easily get things done and prevent getting stressed out, work fewer hours because I can be more efficient, and not get headaches, etc. See? It's definitely a cycle!
6. Blog Goal - Start Youtube channel
I can't really think of a definite goal for my blog, since it has greatly skyrocketted this last year and I have improved so much, in photo quality, regular posting, working with so many brands and making great friends, growing my following. Of course I want my following to grow even more (who doesn't!) but I vow to not let it get to me. There is so much competition with other bloggers on Instagram and people buy followers, likes, comments, etc., and I just want to do me and grow my following organically. I got pretty upset a few months ago when I was rejected from a campaign because I didn't have a certain number of followers. Then I realized having a certain number of followers to appease brands - that is not why I started blogging - I started it to keep it as an enjoyable outlet to write and post creatively about outfits and other things I love - It gives me balance when I am tired of science and work - and I am proud of myself for keeping up with blogging even though I was stressed out and having a hard time with work. It really did help even though I still struggled, I wonder how difficult it would've been without this outlet! So another goal of mine for this year is to start my Youtube channel. I have a channel and have a few videos that I attempted to make, but they aren't great quality and I haven't posted in a while. I have a few ideas for a new series to start, and I enjoy snap chatting videos, so I thought why not try to get organized and start youtube videos! I don't want to compete with other youtubers, as there are so many make up artists, etc. on youtube, so I want to start something unique and not focus on the numbers!
Thanks so much if you have read all of this all the way down to here! I'm impressed :)
I think the way to really set yourself up for success with new years resolutions is to make them something attainable, and something simple like taking care of yourself, which encompasses working out, eating healthy, and whatever else it takes - instead of saying I want to lose weight or I want to do 100 pushups. Does that make sense?
What are your thoughts on these goals? What are your goals for the new year? I'd love to know, leave them in the comments below!
Have a splendid, lovely and beautiful New Year's eve and upcoming 2016!!
Thanks for a great year and thanks for reading!
xo
Andrea
1. Take Care of yourself - Be kind to yourself
One of my big big goals is to take care of myself and be kinder to myself. I tend to expect way too much from myself sometimes, and overextend and overbook myself. It is important to Just Say No to things, and be "selfish" sometimes. I would always say ok to things and try to hang out with multiple people and fit in things to accommodate others, and I realized I can't do that anymore. I need to put myself first, and even with work, when things don't work or I can't get much accomplished, realize that I am doing the best I can and I can't do more than I already am - I am already working to my max! I beat myself up and tell myself why can't you get this done? Why are you messing up? Why aren't you working out? You know what inner voice, shut up! I'm doing the best I can!
2. Eat healthy and have a balanced diet.
I really do enjoy cooking, I just find myself never having time to do it - and so, I get lazy and am too tired, and end up getting take out. So I spend 100$ + on groceries for the week, and then spend more money on top of it eating out because I'm too tired. I also noticed that I have been getting headaches and migraines because I am not eating right - since I started a meal plan and I am eating a lot more veggies, spinach, and some multivitamins, I am feeling much better! So my goal is to cook more often, eat healthy, and have a balanced diet. That's not saying I can't have treats and eat out, which I still will, but during the week I vow to have a focused healthy diet and splurge a little on the weekends!
3. Stop spending so much on extra things not necessary
I canceled a couple of subscriptions I had (like Ipsy, a recurring online Yoga class one [I bought a deal so its cheaper hehe]), because looking at my bank account statements especially this month, I am spending a lot of money uselessly. I also canceled a magazine subscription, and need to stop spending money on lunch and random things on groupon (guilty pleasure!). This way I can manage my finances and budget better!
This is a big goal for me and it fits in with number 1 of taking care of myself - I LOVE working out, and I realized I was happiest when I worked out regularly - It is just something that makes me feel good about myself. I got so strong when I was working out regularly, and it made me feel so powerful! I want to get back to that stage, which last time I was there was a year and a half ago. It is also super helpful to managing my stress, so my goal is to work out at least 30 minutes a day. I bought 21 day fix videos which are only 30 minutes long, so on days where I don't have much time to work out, I will do those, and when I need a release and a longer workout, I will head to the gym!
I also want to work on doing yoga every day (mostly nightime, helps me relax), and get flexible! I have gotten so much more flexible in the last couple of months from doing regular yoga, and I LOVE it! I'm not normally flexible! I also want to FINALLY be able to do a headstand or handstand, a goal I have been talking about for years! I am much stronger and know that with more commitment, I can make it happen this year! And lastly, work on meditation, this really helps me deal with my anxiety or panic attacks, particularly focusing on breathing and grounding myself. It is something I have to do and the more I work on it the better I am at preventing myself from getting panic or anxiety attacks.
5. Get organized!
This is a big one for me, not saying I am disorganized, but I have to prioritize things and help prevent my stress at work! If I can plan things out and organize my thoughts, I can more easily get things done and prevent getting stressed out, work fewer hours because I can be more efficient, and not get headaches, etc. See? It's definitely a cycle!
6. Blog Goal - Start Youtube channel
I can't really think of a definite goal for my blog, since it has greatly skyrocketted this last year and I have improved so much, in photo quality, regular posting, working with so many brands and making great friends, growing my following. Of course I want my following to grow even more (who doesn't!) but I vow to not let it get to me. There is so much competition with other bloggers on Instagram and people buy followers, likes, comments, etc., and I just want to do me and grow my following organically. I got pretty upset a few months ago when I was rejected from a campaign because I didn't have a certain number of followers. Then I realized having a certain number of followers to appease brands - that is not why I started blogging - I started it to keep it as an enjoyable outlet to write and post creatively about outfits and other things I love - It gives me balance when I am tired of science and work - and I am proud of myself for keeping up with blogging even though I was stressed out and having a hard time with work. It really did help even though I still struggled, I wonder how difficult it would've been without this outlet! So another goal of mine for this year is to start my Youtube channel. I have a channel and have a few videos that I attempted to make, but they aren't great quality and I haven't posted in a while. I have a few ideas for a new series to start, and I enjoy snap chatting videos, so I thought why not try to get organized and start youtube videos! I don't want to compete with other youtubers, as there are so many make up artists, etc. on youtube, so I want to start something unique and not focus on the numbers!
Thanks so much if you have read all of this all the way down to here! I'm impressed :)
I think the way to really set yourself up for success with new years resolutions is to make them something attainable, and something simple like taking care of yourself, which encompasses working out, eating healthy, and whatever else it takes - instead of saying I want to lose weight or I want to do 100 pushups. Does that make sense?
What are your thoughts on these goals? What are your goals for the new year? I'd love to know, leave them in the comments below!
Have a splendid, lovely and beautiful New Year's eve and upcoming 2016!!
Thanks for a great year and thanks for reading!
xo
Andrea
Some smart goals!! I wish you the best for 2016 babe!
ReplyDeleteAdi xx
www.fancycorrectitude.com
Great goals! I hope you'll achieve everything you want!
ReplyDeleteEva
The Rococo Style
Andrea, I watch your snaps all the time. They are so funny, but at times I was concerned about how tired & sometimes frustrated you became. I've been there girl! Science can be so stressful and tedious. Especially when you don't have updated equipment. With stress, it's important to know WHAT is stressing you out. Once you know, you can take steps to reducing it. Exercise always helped me. I would come home from work and jump on the treadmill. I felt so much better. I also like the way you're cutting back. Many subscription boxes are just taking people's money. I feel better just saving that money every month and buying what I really want instead of taking a chance. Can't wait to see your YouTube videos! Take a relaxed approach to blogging and it will all fall in line.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
Great post! I'm glad I'm not the only one who sets annual goals each year on their blog. Must be something about those of us who are higher education inclined. :D Because there isn't enough stress along in being an academic?
ReplyDelete-Rebecca
http://mn2nz.wordpress.com