This is how God works with me.
I seek his face, my own expressionless, staring out the window
Smeared mascara, tears wiped away with a swipe of my wrist while doing dishes.
Heart sad, my spirit so discouraged.
My lack is in my face.
I go upstairs and gather my tools to enter into His presence.
Coffee, journal, blanket, fan, pen, books, phone…
A habit that carries me into the only thing that brings hope.
This post was sponsored by a mattress company. All words are mine.
As a breast cancer survivor, I strive to live well in all ways. One of the most important ways to make this happen is to make sure I have a good night’s sleep.
If I don’t get good sleep, I not only feel unproductive, unfocused and grumpy, but my sweet family gets to bear the brunt of a Mom who is not herself and needs more sleep! This is not ok with me!
Not only is sleep so important for everyday life, but as a cancer survivor, sleep is so important for continuing to do what it takes to pursue my best health.
I so desire to take care of this amazingly resilient body that I have been gifted with, so being purposeful with getting enough sleep is a priority to me.
I am now a morning person, but I have not always been. The key to waking up early in the morning for me has been simply this:
HAVE A REASON TO GET UP THAT IS MORE APPEALING THAN STAYING IN A WARM COZY BED
Yep. That is it. Sure there are tips and tricks that can help the process…but really it comes down to what you personally desire and what is most appealing to you at that moment when the alarm goes off.
On days that I repeatedly hit the snooze button (which is pretty rare), it is a sign that all is not right in my world and I need to look deeper and reevaluate. It is a personal heads up for me.
So what is more appealing to me than staying in a warm cozy bed?
Rachel Hollis and her #Last90Days 5 Things To Do To Thrive challenge started today and Instagram was lit with people using the hashtag.
It was inspiring to follow along and see so many people wanting to live their lives in a purposeful way.
5 Things To Do To Thrive #last90days is a challenge that is meant to motivate and keep you accountable for finishing the last 90 days of the year strong.
Why wait for the new year to start? I love the do-it-now approach of this challenge.
{Image via Moms & Beyond}
When my sister shared the challenge with me, I told her I was pretty much already doing those 5 things. I didn’t mean to be arrogant or boastful, but last June I started getting up 1 hour early.
Honestly the other 5 things just kinda fell into place, just by being purposeful with getting my bum out of bed! A snowball-type effect.
It is fun to have a challenge that will help solidify and zero in on these simple, already life-changing things that help me in my pursuit to live new, live well and live with purpose!
Want to do it too?
1. Wake Up An Hour Early
Rachel Hollis is quick to add that this does NOT apply to new Mama’s, or those in seasons of life where extra sleep IS caring for yourself.
BUT… if you find yourself saying, “I don’t have time to read” or “I can’t find time to work out” or if you know that things like prayer, journaling or meditation would benefit you more than sleep right now…then get on up!
I started doing this thanks to advice from The Miracle Morning, and after hearing it over and over from people like Brendon Burchard, Lewis Howe and Tony Robbins, it has been a goal on my mind that I wanted to pursue.
I have been doing it regularly since early June and it has been life-changing.
I’VE BEEN WAKING UP EARLY IN ORDER TO LIVE SLOW. A PURPOSEFUL SLOW.
I spend the early morning time doing things I already was doing on a regular basis, but now I am not rushed and have a head start…it has become my favorite time of day!
I get coffee, light a candle, journal, pray, use my Bible app and meditate. By doing these habits an hour early, the rest of my day is so much more calm, focused and productive.
I am getting up regularly at 6, and there was even one week in August that I got up at 5:30 to do some extra writing for a project, and goodness was THAT ever a productive experience!
I had no idea my brain could be so clear and focused that early in the morning, but it was and is. I will write more about this discovery in another post.
Not a morning person? My advice is to try it anyway…you may be surprised and find out (like I did) that maybe you are a morning person after all. It takes time to create a habit, 20 days they say…so try it.
Wake up to do something that you REALLY, really look forward to! This is key for me.
2. Workout At Least 30 Minutes a Day
By getting up an hour early, I found myself being able to fit workouts in and quite motivated to do so. The challenge to myself was to simply move my body every day.
I took a break from some cancer medication that I have been on, and my joints felt so much better, so I was extra motivated and thankful to be able to move!
I walk daily for at least 30 minutes, with a goal of seeing my Fitbit reach 10,000 steps by the end of the day. These walks are so enjoyable thanks to nature and podcasts and my favorite Voxer app.
I decided not to put pressure on myself to jog or run, simply because I don’t enjoy it. Because of this I actually looked forward to my daily walk and it became a habit.
I also have added yoga to my ‘move everyday goal’ as it is so good for my joints and learning how to breathe is so good for anxiety. This simple 10 Minute Morning Routine is a fav, and I am on day 6 of this 30 Day Yoga Revolution series on Youtube.
I am going to use the 5 to Thrive Challenge to go from 5 days a week to 7 days a week. Eek! Good thing I really love walking and yoga. Wish me luck!
3. Drink Half Your Body Weight in Ounces of Water Each Day.
This is easy for me. Whoo-hoo! So nice to have something in the challenge that does not feel like a challenge. I drink black coffee, matcha or herbal tea, and then it is water the rest of the day.
The key for me has been my inexpensive Bubba waterbottle because it keeps my ice from melting and has a huge straw which makes getting water in a breeze. Easy to gulp gulp gulp!
It is 24 ounces, so if I refill it 4 times a day I’m pretty much there…especially if I count my herbal tea for hydration.
4. Give Up One Food Catagory You Know You Shouldn’t Be Eating
The food category I have been working on is all the white things. White sugar, white carbs –white pasta, white flour, white bread etc. I am great with this until the weekend.
I’ve made exceptions for pizza on Friday family nights (although we have been trying out cauliflower crust pizza the last few weeks) and date nights or social outings.
I’m trying to decide if I am going to give this up completely. I think if I commit to this, I will fail…just being real and honest.
I am good with committing to 90% giving this up, but leaving space and grace on certain family nights and social outings or date nights.
Those really only come on Friday and Saturday evenings, and an occasional extended family get together on Sundays (once a month), so 90% it is!
This is doable and already something I have been putting into place, although saying no to a fun Pumpkin Spice Latte during the week will take some discipline for sure!
5. Write Down 10 Things That You’re Grateful For Each Day
I started writing what I call lists of ‘gifts’ in 2010 when I was diagnosed with cancer. It changed me and made the fight bearable. I listed them in an ongoing fashion on this blog and surpassed 1,000!
I have been listing 3/day on a daily docket I use each day and gather them at the end of the week into my journal and reflect on all the amazing things I have to be thankful for.
I can up my game on this…but it bugs me that I only left 3 lines on the daily docket I made…now I wish there were 10! Guess I will need to re-design it.
By the way, I will be sharing this docket with you in the coming weeks. It is another simple tool that creates habits that bring about purpose.
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So there it is. My thoughts on the 5 to Thrive Challenge. I’m 90% in for 90Days. 🙂
How about you?
Let me know if you are participating.
I will share my progress with you and give glimpses of what I do on my Instagram stories. Find me @Amy_NewNostalgia
Self-care is not selfish. It is quite healthy to know yourself and know what feels caring and rejuvenating to YOU, so that you can love others well.
This is how I keep self-care from being selfish:
My purpose is to serve and love others well and glorify the God I Iove in the way I live. I need to be purposeful in doing things for myself that gives me the energy to do this.
Oh, how I have come to love the early morning and the sights, sounds and routine it brings. Sideways sun shining through trees creating haze.
I marvel at sunrays filtered through limbs extending faded light lines all the way to the ground.
It stops me mid-jog. It is amazing to see something that is usually invisible and only felt, not seen. I take a few pictures, trying to capture the fleeting visible…I zero in.
I am more in tune in the morning, at least once I am verticle for a few.
A pen, paper and a resoluteness to find my thankful. This is the most simple way I have found to boost my mood.
I know, I know. You have heard it before, it is nothing new — make a list of things you are thankful for and it could change you. It has even been studied. It may seem simple. but sometimes the most simple solution can be the most profound.
Even in my hardest days of cancer and chemo, even in my darkest days of anxiety, choosing to find something to be thankful for and deliberately writing my finds in list form changed me and helped get me through.