Hannahlaneblogs

Happy Halloween! I hope you all had fun weekends with halloween themed activities whether it was halloween parties, dressing up, or just watching a Halloween movie in bed. This year, I had a pretty relaxed halloweekend with field hockey games, catching up on sleep, and a night playing cards. As we move into the second to last month of 2022, I decided to return to my goal setting to finish 2022 off on a good note and set myself up for some successful 2023 resolutions. Over the summer, I worked on my healthy eating, fitness, finances, and anxiety. 

As the season winds down, different anxieties subside and new ones appear as with any form of change. The end of the season returns my afternoons back to me and I gain lots of time back into my day. However, that time gain is only a plus if I use it correctly. Which leads me into my first goal- Take less naps and develop a better sleep schedule. I love a good afternoon nap, a good morning nap, or a good night nap (6/7pm). However, I have a hard time sleeping at night and waking up in the morning which is something I desperately need to start working on. My ability to wake up to an alarm is concerningly low- it takes multiple alarms and multiple snoozes for me to get out of bed for class. At least I can acknowledge it, but that means I need to take the second step and initiate a change in my habits. This also means, I should start going to bed earlier, reading before bed and putting my phone down earlier. Furthermore, I should not be using all of my free time to sleep! That will set me further back in realigning my sleep schedule.

In addition to working on my sleep schedule once the season ends, I will also need to maintain my fitness and start going to the gym and running on my own more. The rec center offers lots of yoga and spin classes that I plan on attending. But, in order to keep myself on track like my workouts at home, I will be aiming to go to the gym 5-7 times a week. I will utilize at least three of those days for lifting (an arm day, a leg day, and a full body day.) Then, I will use the other two-three for more cardio and metabolic conditioning similar to the classes I take at home. I know this will also help me feel better mentally and physically. During this period of time last year, I struggled to get myself to go to the gym and I believe that’s part of what attributed to my anxiety and me not feeling like myself. 

As crazy as it is to say, winter break is right around the corner and I will need to set myself up with another job. I hope to use the middle to end of November to find an on campus job for the second semester and an Amazon job at home so I can make a little extra money. Since we are in our off season in the spring, I have more time to pick up a few shifts throughout the week which will help me with my finances and thrifting addiction while I’m away from home. Also, having a job that generates more money during my extended winter break will allow me to save more money that I may need during the second semester as well. 

Overall, my lifetime goal is to maintain my mental health and analyze my self care and acknowledge my own emotions in order to create a healthier and happier lifestyle. The entire reason I started this blog was to document and journal my self care journey. No mental health journey is linear, but keeping track of my goals and my growth helps me to continue growing moving forwards. In the last six months of therapy, I’ve been working on becoming more self-aware of  my own anxiety and emotions and the way I deal with my anxiety. This work has been a day in and day out grind, but every single day that I wake up I believe that my life is worth it. I work hard to surround myself with positive influences and become one myself. If you ever believe that all the work you’re putting in isn’t worth it, just look back to where you started from. You matter! There’s always someone out there who wakes up and is happy you’re alive and happy to be in your presence. Never forget that!

Xoxo,

Hannahlane