How are we in 2023 already?! I feel like I've blinked and the year has finished, looking back on 2022 I haven't managed to accomplish all the goals I've set for myself during 2022 but I always set them as goals and not resolutions. During 2022, it has brought me some amazing people that I'm proud to have in my life so I'm really looking forward to what 2023 is going to bring for me.
Having multiple chronic illnesses, I try not to put too much pressure on myself every year because things can change health wise sometimes on a day to day basis and sometimes even on an hour to hour basis. During 2023, I've made the decision that my main goal for this year is to be more dedicated to myself, my health and my happiness.
Less Phone Time
Working in social media you spend a lot of time on your phone and with having increasing migraines, I'm trying to minimise how much time I'm actually spending on my phone. One thing I'm doing for this goal is making sure I spent the first hour and last hour of the day off my phone as well as also utilising the time blocking function for apps on my iPhone to help me get into the habit of spending less time on my phone.
Be More Consistent With My Social Media
This goal is something I started working on during 2022 but this year I want to have more of a plan and be more consistent with social media. A lot of what I'm going to be doing to help with this goal is planning out what content I want to go up on what date, spending a day shooting content then trying to get as in advance of my content so during last year I on and off did this where I would have 1-2 weeks of content on my blog scheduled which was great because I felt ahead of things and it gave me a buffer in case I had a flair up of my chronic illnesses I was actually able to rest. This year I want to get more into video content and start sharing more short and sweet videos on TikTok as well as posting things more as and when they happen for events etc.
Put Less Pressure On Myself
Since being diagnosed with several chronic health conditions, I've found it really hard to not be able to do things when I want to do things and that I'd have to be comfortable with having days that are less productive. As a workaholic it's something that I've really struggled with during 2022 and it's something that I'm slowly having to learn to live with. This year, I want to put less pressure on myself and actually acknowledge that I can take time out to rest without feeling rubbish about myself and how 'unproductive' my day has been. To do try and accomplish this, I've decided that I want to thin out my calendar and not try and block out every minute of every day whilst also saying yes to less things. I also want to have a rest day every week, at the moment I've been using my day off during the week as my rest day but once I'm back on my unit I'll have an extra day off so it'll give me plenty of time to rest as well as get everything I want to achieve completed.
See My Friends More & Regular Date Nights
Something I've missed with being sick all the time is not seeing people in my life as often as I would have liked. This year I really want to make the extra effort to get dates in the diary over things like work either nursing or blogging for the special people in my life so that I actually get to spend some time with them, even if it's only to get to spend time with them and having a coffee or having little lunch dates.
10-15K Steps A Day
Over the past year something I've noticed is that the amount of steps I get in everyday is very inconsistent, on the days that I'm in work it's great cause I'm walking here there and everywhere in the hospital or even when I'm on the unit I do tend to get at least 10K steps done but this year while I find walking an easy way to get my steps in that I can do even when I'm struggling with my health conditions. This year my goal is to consistently get between 10-15K steps every day which is a fairly achievable goal especially when I've got Rosie cause she can easily go on walks for over an hour several times a day. To help with this, I've already been looking up some great podcasts cause I find it so much easier to go on long walks and get my steps in while listening to them.
Consistent Sleep Routine
Something that's becoming apparent from 2022 is that my sleep routine massively needs to be consistently improved. This year I'm going to be doing a lot of trial and error with finding the sleep routine that works best for me including going to bed and getting up at consistent times all week. During 2022 I've been adding in either sleep gummies or a melatonin spray to help me to drift off and that's really helped. I'm hoping that being consistent with when I sleep and for how long it might help to improve some of the symptoms which is also something that my various Dr's have recommended.
Improve My Diet
As we are all probably aware of I am the most fussiest eater so this year I am trying to improve and add more variety into my diet. With the help of my PT Suraj, I am trying to vary my diet and include more whole foods with less processed stuff, not only to just help me feel better in myself and maybe help improve how some of my health conditions currently are. I've really been trying to research some good recipes that I can start adding into my meal plan that aren't super complicated so that while I'm getting into the habit of meal prepping more I am more likely to stick to it.
Workout Consistently
I had a sit down with my PT Suraj just after Christmas and we discussed my workout goals for 2023. By the end of 2023, I want to be firmly in a routine of working out every other day, whether that's my full on gym workout with all the weights or my more less intense stretching style workout. The main goal is to be doing some movement and raising my heart rate every other day with a rest day in between. I am working very closely to slow build up my 90-year old body to get used to it to prevent me for getting injured or having a flair up so for the first couple of months I'm going to work on one PT session a week and one of the above workouts a week whilst getting movement in every day by getting my steps in with the dog while I form the habit and get my body used to more intense workouts regularly and then slowly build up my progress so by the end of the year I'm consistently working out every other day.
What are some of your goals for 2023?
Speak to you next time!
