Stonie

WEEK 1 WRAP UP: whoops, so I didn’t check in at all last week! The week kinda got away from me. If I wasn’t at work I was recovering from being at work or hosting or going to somewhere for dinner. This entire week was me waiting for the week to end so I could just get some sleep. EXERCISE, DAMNIT! 0/1 👎 do it on Monday, they said. Get it over and done with they said. Monday I woke up already exhausted so there was no way I was going to make it and the rest of the week pretty much followed suit. I did go to derby training on Thursday, but that’s not what this goal is tracking. ROUTINE, DAMNIT! 2/7 welp, that was a bust. The first two days were great! The rest I either completely forgot or as just too heckin tired to want to spend any time in the freezing bathroom. WATCH WHAT YOU’RE EATING! DAMNIT 7/7 this has actually been going well, and apart from Sunday where I ate one ice cream while looking at my phone before realising, I’ve watched everything that’s gone in my face hole. I had three social dinner nights (where I historically always over eat due to the abundance of food) where I didn’t feel the need to stuff everything I saw into my body. some wins: Wednesday I had family around for roast dinner, and made dessert but made them portioned so I couldn’t eat endless Eton Mess Friday i went to my parent’s place for dinner and to help make cupcakes, I had enough dinner to fill me up and didn’t feel the need to snack endlessly on baking ingredients Saturday evening was a family friend’s 50th birthday, and there was food everywhere that I ate only a reasonable amount of! Normally with cheese and dip platters and a heckin lolly bar I would have gone nuts but I didn’t. I finished all of these evenings not overstuffed and hating myself which is a definite Improvement! DO SOME ART PRACTICE, DAMNIT! 5/7 and 1/1 Weirdly the days I didn’t do this were the ones I had off from work 😂 but I did something every other day, and even signed up to Skillshare to get access to some good classes I can go through to improve my understanding of how to art, especially on procreate. Since I was only taught the barest bones of art fundamentals I’m trying to catch up with my understanding of all that while also trying to make cool pictures. I’ll try and post some stuff that I’ve done this week in a spoiler! Bonus: FINISH A PROJECT, DAMNIT

June 22, 2020 EXERCISE, DAMNIT ❌ yes, I did say I was going to do this today, but I woke up already exhausted and could barely move, even once I made it to work. 🤷‍♀️ I’m going to reschedule this for Wednesday since I have a day off and i can sleep in as much as my body desires before then. ROUTINE, DAMNIT ✅ did it! So my secret weapon for this is... Pokémon Smile. Yes, Pokémon have app for everything now. You point the camera at yourself while brushing your teeth and it watches you do it, you wear a dumb Pokémon hat and at the end you might catch another Pokémon! I am clearly terrible at it because I haven’t yet... and it’s clearly marketed at children but whatever makes me brush my teeth without hating my life I’m going to use. EATING, DAMNIT ✅ So I’ve realised I’m snacking so much at work to combat how shitty I feel at work. Especially yesterday, I was trying to find some energy somewhere. It’s not like I was even hungry. It doesn’t help that my workplace is a very mentally And emotionally draining place To be right now? So I’ve definitely been coping with food. I read through the chapter on emotional eating last night before bed too which relay highlighted this. I just need to think of something else to do that isn’t snacking that might make me feel better at work. I also definitely need to put my foot down about picking up extra shifts. I need to stop burning out. ART, DAMNIT ✅ done. Yesterday I sketched a buffalo in a trench coat. It turned out alright. this is the other reason I need to put my foot down about work. my plan was to just do my contracted days of 8 shifts a fortnight, and use that extra free day as a day of art and side hustling, which doesn’t happen if I work 5-6 days a week. I never do only my contracted days though, I just keep waiting and expecting it to be better 😂 waiting for my workplace to sort itself out is like waiting for the sun to not rise.

Alright I tried to act today like I’d actually started the challenge (since it starts tomorrow) WEEK 0, DAY 7 EXERCISE, DAMNIT ❌ not today. I did walk to and from work and all around work today so there’s that. I am planning on being at the gym by 9.30am tomorrow before I start work at 11.30. ROUTINE, DAMNIT ✅ did it! I think my secret weapon for brushing my teeth is helping, Also I moved my meds into the bathroom so when I walk in there I see them and HAVE to take them. Not taking them wrecks my sleep schedule and makes me feel like shit the day i start taking them again. I also have another sneaky idea that I should be able to implement tomorrow so I’ll let you know how that goes. EATING, DAMNIT ✅ i did watch what i ate, since it was mostly pancakes. Had friends around for breakfast / DnD / hanging out before work, and we had all the trimmings you could possibly want for pancakes, I definitely did not over indulge so that was hella good of me but i probably didn’t Pay as much attention as I could have... however I was acutely aware of how shitty I felt later on at work being powered solely by sugar so I’ll take that as a win. ART, DAMNIT ✅ done. I finished a sketch of a friends doggo. This is the paid commission, which I’ll probably paint irl over again with acrylic on canvas, but it was fun to practice on procreate.

following along again!

Following! Steward of your own house sounds SO MUCH BETTER than "homemaker" or "house spouse" It's wild how much different it is trying to get yourself to do things when you don't have things like work to keep your routine in check. This is set up great, I can't wait to see how you go! and also all these craft projects you have going! am excite!

Also following for gardening! (and other support as well obvs)

Hi y'all, I'm Stonie, I like collecting hobbies and thinking about learning stuff. I've been around here for ages, in and out; I'm back currently to find some sort of normalcy in a new life I'm building for myself. I play DnD, video games, read... all the things. I like plants and pets and crafting.

yay! Welcome. welcome, damnit! thank you! Welcome! and then I run away and avoid all confrontation together 😂 yeah I’m not expecting this to be a short term fix (the best ones never are, boooo) but I got nothing but time! yay! We can hide from our UFOs together!

Right!? I'm not a self-motivated person for sure xD I need a deadline or someone hounding me constantly for something to get done. the things that i make just for me tend to just... loiter with intent in my craft room I've been a little MIA this week since I came back to work and straight into a 6-day work week (boooo) but I've tried to be mindful of some of the things I have planned I've decided to try for Mondays as my gym day as that was previously my other roller derby training night, but also should get it done and dusted out of the way for the week so I can focus on everything else. I definitely haven't been doing my evening routine but I think i have found a solution for that... I'll let you know what it is if it works xD I've done a few sketches throughout the week and the other day on my one day off work I sat down and learnt how to work animations in procreate. I keep bringing my iPad to work with the intent of sketching on my meal breaks but instead I'm here updating this xD Good intentions are a start I guess. Mindful eating is still going well. I'm still in the phase of allowing myself to eat whatever i want without restrictions so that I can shrug off the previous diet brainwashing my mind has been fighting. So I'm trying really super hard to not stress about what my weight is doing and how my body looks which i think is the hardest part? I did however throw my scales out today which I feel good about. I'm definitely aiming more for feeling healthy then looking buff at any cost... My negative body issues just need time to catch up. I am definitely noticing more how full i feel and have put things down or thrown food away when I'm full or just straight up not enjoying it as much as I thought. I've even stopped myself buying things a few times after thinking about how it's probably already stale and not as exciting as it looks and not worth eating if i'm not going to even enjoy it. The book keeps assuring me I'll break through the period of wanting to subsist only on delicious sugary things so we'll just have to wait and see! And I even started on of my pet painting commissions - albeit not in the original medium I had planned xD Procreate has my creative heart wrapped around it's little apple pencil at the moment so everything i do creatively is in that. I will probably definitely paint this same picture in good ol' acrylic on canvas like I planned (since that's what my friend asked for) but i am rediscovering my love of digital art - one i've not been able to indulge properly until recently.

So I've been a little MIA this week since i returned to work and hopped straight into a 6-day work week (booo) but I've tried to be somewhat mindful of what I'm planning to do from next week. CHAPTER II: Resolute 1.EXERCISE, DAMNIT Do a full body exercise routine At the gym 1x weekly Push, Pull, Press, Squat, Deadlift, Core, Cardio. I go back to Derby training this week so I’m excited for that, and I figure since my gym is open again and I am paying for it I can go once a week without feeling like I’m overwhelming myself. That’s two days of serious exercise. I can hopefully stick to being somewhat active by just existing the other days. I'm going to try for Mondays as a gym day - get it out of the way early and that used to me my other derby day so that spread my two big exercise days out in a way I'm used to. 2. STICK TO A ROUTINE, DAMNIT Do your evening routine at least 5 nights a week. Last challenge I found that if my evening routine fell down the next morning was much rougher. The problem I have with this is my evening routine was mostly things I greatly dislike. Like doing the dishes and brushing my teeth. I have also struggled with Finding a suitable trigger to begin my routine. So I’m going to work on that. I’m going to drop doing the dishes from my routine and trust myself to do them at other times of the day. For now all I want to do is; take meds brush teeth do skincare Go to bed at a reasonable time that’s literally it. 3. WATCH WHAT YOU’RE EATING, DAMNIT Continue eating mindfully, continue working on intuitive eating. This has been working well for me so I’m going to continue doing it. For now I’m working on eating without distraction and honouring my hunger cues. Due to a side effect ofmy anti-anxiety meds my stomach doesn’t gurgle and I don’t feel hungry but I do get light headed and stop thinking straight. So I just need to be more aware of when I need food and when I no longer need to keep eating. Previously I had been eating mindlessly and not stopping until I was overfull. But when I pay attention to eating I find I don’t need to eat as much. 4. DO SOME ART PRACTICE, DAMNIT A. 30 minute sketch or painting 5/7 days a week B. 1 x weekly learning a new art techniques. my long term life plan involves being a full time artist and paying my bills like that... which doesn’t happen if I don’t practice said art. I have always been one of those “naturally talented” people but that is nothing compared to people who have studied and practiced and have the knowledge of basics of art. I also picked up Procreate recently for my iPad and I’m having a great time playing with that. [Bonus] FINISH A PROJECT, DAMNIT’ work through this list of half finished craft projects that you would like to do. Get as many done as you can. Half finished knitted sweater half finished crochet mittens 1x paid pet painting commission 1x free pet painting commission 1x painting with a set colour scheme 1x crochet wombat macrame coasters I collect half finished projects apparently. I’d like to get some of them done.

Challenge #2 is up!

FINAL CHALLENGE WRAP UP So overall i feel positive about this challenge. For the days I had to work I found having routines in the morning and afternoon really super useful, and when I wasn’t at work I found i didn’t need them as much. I also decided intermittent fasting wasn’t for me and Tank wonderfully suggested Intuitive Eating Instead and turns out, that is exactly what I was looking for, even comes with it’s own instructions for how to re-learn how to eat according to what your body wants. Amazing. It also turns out that I have zero interest in any exercise when no one is telling me to do it so that was interesting. I do go back to derby training next week so I’ll be glad of that, and my gym is back open so I’m wondering if maybe I go there again once a week too? I’ll have I think about that. And, unsurprisingly, doing a little bit of self care every actually does make you a little happier. Who’d have thought? I won’t do this as a challenge again but I’ll definitely keep trying to do it Since my therapist literally said I need to. Onto the Scoring! 1. STICK TO A ROUTINE. A. Morning 25.5 /30 I’ve counted my zero week scores as well cos fuck it, why not. this fell down when I stopped working for a week and a half since I had nothing pressing to go to or do except for the things I wanted to get done around the house. I do enjoy a good cold shower after a workout so that’s a thing I learnt. Will I be continuing to do them every day? No. Definitely not over winter that’s for sure. But I learnt that so that’s good. I also learnt that no amount of preparation can make getting up at 4:30am easy for my night owl chronotype. I actually started hating my early shifts more when I got up too early so that didn’t really work how I planned but again! I learnt something about myself. B. Evening 18/30 This I’m definitely going to work on again! It quickly became apparent that the next day didn’t go as smoothly if my evening routine was messed up. Especially if I didn’t get enough sleep. I also just hate the dishes and brushing my teeth. 2. EAT A VEGETABLE. STOP EATING CONSTANTLY. A. Meal Prep 6/6 This was easy and I won’t need to track it again next challenge, since it’s my preferred method of feeding myself now that I’m living on my own and ca do whatever I want. B. Intermittent Fasting Eating Mindfully 34.5 /42 As I said above I replaced Intermittent Fasting for Eating Mindfully - focussing on what I eat instead of mindlessly throwing food into my face And expecting it to do something (I.e. intuitive eating is a thing apparently) part way through the challenge and I’ve made some good progress getting back in tune with how my body wants to eat and paying attention to when I’m full, instead of eating until I’m uncomfortable. I will be revisiting this next challenge since I’m only partway through the book anyway and paying attention to the food I put in my body is not a habit yet. 3. MOVE YOUR BODY 25/21 Nice! For the past few weeks I did less actual workouts and more moving my body while living my life but I’m going to pat myself on the back for that since I used to think I was just a lazy little shit. I think I’ll attempt once a week at the gym for next challenge since they are back open now and I go back to derby training next week too so that’s fun. 4. LOOK AFTER YOUR DAMN SELF 40/42 turns out this probably actually helps my mood somewhat! Amazing, who’d have thought. I won’t be doing this as a quest next challenge but obviously I’ll be continuing to care for myself. These challenges are a part of that too. Looking at those numbers I’d say this challenge was a heckin success. I definitely learnt some things about how I like to function so hopefully next challenge I can get the basics dialled in and then... do something... amazing from there?

So Last challenge went surprisingly well? I did set the bar very low but I still exceeded my expectations. I am going to do much the same this time around with The main focus being on my day to day routines to set the framework for an awesome life. I also want to work in a teensy bit more exercise and art this time around to work towards some long term goals. 1.EXERCISE, DAMNIT Do a full body exercise routine At the gym 1x weekly Push, Pull, Press, Squat, Deadlift, Core, Cardio. I go back to Derby training this week so I’m excited for that, and I figure since my gym is open again and I am paying for it I can go once a week without feeling like I’m overwhelming myself. That’s two days of serious exercise. I can hopefully stick to being somewhat active by just existing the other days. 2. STICK TO A ROUTINE, DAMNIT Do your evening routine at least 5 nights a week. Last challenge I found that if my evening routine fell down the next morning was much rougher. The problem I have with this is my evening routine was mostly things I greatly dislike. Like doing the dishes and brushing my teeth. I have also struggled with Finding a suitable trigger to begin my routine. So I’m going to work on that. I’m going to drop doing the dishes from my routine and trust myself to do them at other times of the day. For now all I want to do is; take meds brush teeth do skincare Go to bed at a reasonable time that’s literally it. 3. WATCH WHAT YOU’RE EATING, DAMNIT Continue eating mindfully, continue working on intuitive eating. this has been working well for me so I’m going to continue doing it. For now I’m working on eating without distraction and honouring my hunger cues. Due to a side effect if my anti-anxiety meds my stomach doesn’t gurgle and I don’t feel hungry but I do get light headed and stop thinking straight. So I just need to be more aware if when I need food and when I no longer need to keep eating. Previously I had been eating mindlessly and not stopping until I was overfull. But when I pay attention to eating I find I don’t need to eat as much. 4. DO SOME ART PRACTICE, DAMNIT A. 30 minute sketch or painting 5/7 days a week B. 1 x weekly learning a new art techniques. my long term life plan involves being a full time artist and paying my bills like that... which doesn’t happen if I don’t practice said art. I have always been one of those “naturally talented” people but that is nothing compared to people who have studied and practiced and have the knowledge of basics of art. I also picked up Procreate recently for my iPad and I’m having a great time playing with that. [Bonus] FINISH A PROJECT, DAMNIT’ work through this list of half finished craft projects that you would like to do. Get as many done as you can. Half finished knitted sweater half finished crochet mittens 1x paid pet painting commission 1x free pet painting commission 1x painting with a set colour scheme 1x crochet wombat macrame coasters I collect half finished projects apparently. I’d like to get some of them done.

FINAL CHALLENGE WRAP UP So overall i feel positive about this challenge. For the days I had to work I found having routines in the morning and afternoon really super useful, and when I wasn’t at work I found i didn’t need them as much. I also decided intermittent fasting wasn’t for me and @Tanktimus the Encourager wonderfully suggested Intuitive Eating Instead and turns out, that is exactly what I was looking for, even comes with it’s own instructions for how to re-learn how to eat according to what your body wants. Amazing. It also turns out that I have zero interest in any exercise when no one is telling me to do it so that was interesting. I do go back to derby training next week so I’ll be glad of that, and my gym is back open so I’m wondering if maybe I go there again once a week too? I’ll have I think about that. And, unsurprisingly, doing a little bit of self care every actually does make you a little happier. Who’d have thought? I won’t do this as a challenge again but I’ll definitely keep trying to do it Since my therapist literally said I need to. Onto the Scoring! 1. STICK TO A ROUTINE. A. Morning 25.5 /30 I’ve counted my zero week scores as well cos fuck it, why not. this fell down when I stopped working for a week and a half since I had nothing pressing to go to or do except for the things I wanted to get done around the house. I do enjoy a good cold shower after a workout so that’s a thing I learnt. Will I be continuing to do them every day? No. Definitely not over winter that’s for sure. But I learnt that so that’s good. I also learnt that no amount of preparation can make getting up at 4:30am easy for my night owl chronotype. I actually started hating my early shifts more when I got up too early so that didn’t really work how I planned but again! I learnt something about myself. B. Evening 18/30 This I’m definitely going to work on again! It quickly became apparent that the next day didn’t go as smoothly if my evening routine was messed up. Especially if I didn’t get enough sleep. I also just hate the dishes and brushing my teeth. 2. EAT A VEGETABLE. STOP EATING CONSTANTLY. A. Meal Prep 6/6 This was easy and I won’t need to track it again next challenge, since it’s my preferred method of feeding myself now that I’m living on my own and ca do whatever I want. B. Intermittent Fasting Eating Mindfully 34.5 /42 As I said above I replaced Intermittent Fasting for Eating Mindfully - focussing on what I eat instead of mindlessly throwing food into my face And expecting it to do something (I.e. intuitive eating is a thing apparently) part way through the challenge and I’ve made some good progress getting back in tune with how my body wants to eat and paying attention to when I’m full, instead of eating until I’m uncomfortable. I will be revisiting this next challenge since I’m only partway through the book anyway and paying attention to the food I put in my body is not a habit yet. 3. MOVE YOUR BODY 25/21 Nice! For the past few weeks I did less actual workouts and more moving my body while living my life but I’m going to pat myself on the back for that since I used to think I was just a lazy little shit. I think I’ll attempt once a week at the gym for next challenge since they are back open now and I go back to derby training next week too so that’s fun. 4. LOOK AFTER YOUR DAMN SELF 40/42 turns out this probably actually helps my mood somewhat! Amazing, who’d have thought. I won’t be doing this as a quest next challenge but obviously I’ll be continuing to care for myself. These challenges are a part of that too. Looking at those numbers I’d say this challenge was a heckin success. I definitely learnt some things about how I like to function so hopefully next challenge I can get the basics dialled in and then... do something... amazing from there?

WEEK 5 WRAP UP Morning routine: 1.5/7 Yeah I’m not surprised this fell apart while I wasn’t at work. It is much less necessary while I’m not working though so I’m not too upset. I will however be revisiting this for the next challenge since I’m back at work and I would like some sort of routine that helps me instead of hinders me. Evening Routine: 1/7 this definitely stops my morning from going smoothly ( again, not that that’s a problem when I’m not working) but I will also be revisiting this one next challenge. Getting a good nights sleep is one of the main things I need to do to have a good day every day. Eating Mindfully: 7/7 This week as real good. I didn’t gorge myself on endless sweet foods ( my ultimate nemesis) and listened to my body when it said it was hungry and full. eating without distraction is still hard but it’s making a huge difference so this will also be in next challengeS list of goals. I have in fact got the intuitive eating book now so while I’m still reading that I’m definitely still working on that. Meal Prep:1/1 I prepped stuff to make crunchwraps or burritos at a moments notice. So good. Workouts: 4/3 so I did no real workouts but I was surprisingly mobile while off work so again, props to me for doing that, turns out I have exactly 0 interest in doing any exercise if I’m not prompted by something else ( going to training, friends etc) I am however much more active in my general daily life when I’m not chained to a desk at work so that’s good to know. I’ll probably chuck this goal out for next challenge to focus on other things, but I’ll be going back to derby training next week too so I will be forced to exercise a little bit. Self Care: 7/7 this is super easy to do when you are at home all day every day. I’m definitely much, much happier when I can live my own life free of the shackles of work ... but for now I need it to pay off my mortgage so I can’t just abandon my job. As much as it hurts my soul to be there some days. I’ll do a final tally up of the challenge in a hot minute.