This post was updated on 21/09/20
Who can believe it is September already? The Summer has gone so quickly. There are still some sunny days to come, I’m sure. Also though, September is quite a lovely time of the year. With the change of season comes a sense of a new start, a last push for your goals before the year is out. I’ve even seen comments recently about turning over a new leaf!
I love this point in the month when I plan for the month ahead. I value self-care more and more. People who spend their time only taking care of others and neglecting themselves are in danger of deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem, and feelings of resentment. Taking time to care for yourself regularly can make you a better caretaker for others. Not only that, taking a break from the outside world ensures you relax and allows you to get back to life feeling refreshed. You are then more able to handle life’s stress when we are feeling at our best, physically, mentally and emotionally.
So to add to my daily and weekly routine, I like to take a day each month to concentrate on my mental health and wellbeing for the month ahead. I focus on what healthy activities I plan to put in place and prepare for the month ahead. Read on to see the areas it includes.
Food and Fitness Goals
I reflect on my food and fitness goals, review how I have been doing and I might need to amend them for the month ahead.
As a follow on from last month, I am still living most days with fatigue. Notice the word there, LIVING. When I need to rest I do exactly that and depending on my energy levels, that might mean reading, watching TV or napping. When I do have a little more energy I am working on my health goals. Exercise currently is mostly dog-walks with a couple of HIIT workouts thrown in. I have-reluctantly-accepted that I can only do what I can I’m also working on other tasks to get me closer to my goals;
- I am always trying to drink more water, aren’t we all? I’m going to buy myself a fancy new bottle. This should encourage me to drink more and hopefully improve my energy levels.
- To develop a list of menu ideas, this makes menu plans easier to do but also it serves as a list when stuck for something to eat last minute.
- Create menu plan for September. Rather than a few days at time, I’m going to blitz the month.
All positive steps in the right direction, even when my actual step count isn’t as high as usual!
Books I will be reading
I love reading but never seem to read as much as I would like. One of the ways I resolve this is to choose two books in my Wellbeing review, that I wish to read in the month ahead. As I am passionate about self- development, one book falls into that category. I’ve recently found out about the Law of Attraction so I’m going to see what I can find on that.
Socialising and seeing friends
Seeing friends can be a form of therapy. I’ve grown to enjoy my own company but nothing beats a girly catch up, putting the world to rights, as they say. I have two lunches planned; both overdue both I’m really looking forward to.
I think seeing friends is so important for wellbeing. In fact, recent Harvard study found that having solid friendships in our life helps promote brain health, helps us deal with stress, make better lifestyle choices that keep us strong, and allow us to rebound from health issues and disease more quickly. So that’s why I’ve decided to make sure I see friends every month, where possible. I’ve booked the times in the diary, which means it is easier to stick to. Life gets so busy sometimes; days turn into weeks and even weeks into months.
Hopefully this gave you some ideas on how to set yourself up for the month to ensure self-care is a priority. I would love to hear your comments below.
