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Thank you @Leigh for making sure I get on the right thread within 24 hours.... Whoops. *copy and paste* Back with the Druids after my respawn, since a lot of my goals revolve around being mindful while doing them. Along with things that keep me happy is getting outdoors… So I figured out when I respawned giving myself $1 for hitting goals that are a tad difficult has been working. Only way to keep this up though is keeping my budget to what I can live off of and side extra money, and helping to maintain myself. Main goals: - Daily DBT Dairy Card (Dialectical behavior therapy): For my therapy to checkoff the skills I use and emotions for that day. -Side goal: Will make a page in my bullet journal across from my weekly challenge page. I can make these in the beginning of the challenge but they had to be made (found it makes tracking tens times easier, even though it takes 30 mins to make the page). (2 of 4 pages are filled so far for this challenge (9/20)) 2. - “Learn to Feed Myself” -Sticking to a weekly food budget (with a grocery list), grocery shopping once a week for my main stables, writing down my main stables for the week. I learned I need to figure out how to feed myself no matter what my mood or life is at- based on this video. -Daily Bonus if I don’t buy any extra food (mainly convenient food) with reward money (basically the extra calories I want but don’t need). The exception to this rule is finding out I miscalculated on food to have at home or cooking a healthy meal with reward money (buying ingredients for making a meal to get enough calories) or stocking up on cheaper food options. -Extra bonus: Writing a list of wants and a list for needs in bullet journal. Pretty much able to break down items on paper for an extra step. Along with me remembering what I need when I do go shopping… (Become more aware of my actual budget). 3. 20 mins of Base maintenance: Picking up my apartment for 20 mins each day, can help keep my apartment from turning into pure chaos… (A fact that I questionably avoid with ninja like moves). 4. Keeping the darkness away… Hiking 3 times a week. Writing 444 words of creativity on 4thewords (attempting every day). These two things are my biggest boosters on raising my light magic that helps keep the darkness away (But like any good goals I resist). (I will be tracking each as their own, for a $1 each day.) "Screens off" (when I get home in the evening and kept off until I'm ready for the next day, or at the next location). ($1 reward for each morning and evening) 5. Work on homework during the weekdays – Every 1 hour of productive study is a $1… My goal is 10 hours, but working on it a bit every day is better than nothing. I get a a free $1 if I study at least 30 mins that day. 6. Fake it till I Make it – I’m waking up new emotions, and trying new things. Which means ordinary things for every day be even more difficult to do. From showing up to work on time and actually working at work. or staying positive when its tough I’ll give myself a point. (This is very broad but I’ll note as I go on.) (Right now I'll stick to work for the main goal to help define, else all the other goals fit in the Weekly Side goals). Weekly side goals (here I put all the goals I need to get on a weekly basis or doing for trial to be a main goal, all will have deadlines I have to report back to). Or these are also my monthly challenges. Or part of bigger challenges but challenges I’ve broken down to duckling steps. (This is combined a bit to Fake it till I Make it- lots of these goals I have a bit anxiety around and avoid until I must do it... If I don't do by myself my "negative" is asking for help from a professional) Week One: Sept. 17th – 23rd Week Two: Sept. 24th – Sept. 30th: -turn in Presentation on time, and have practiced for Presentation at least 3 times (3 different days) -figure out how to celebrate brother’s birthday (with cake and special candle) (yes I need a reminder, sadly my brother can fall into the cracks if I'm not careful) Week 3: October 1st – 7th Week 4: October 8th – 14th -MRPA conference (Tuesday-Friday) (monthly social adventure) Note: Yup, lot’s of money points. However, when I’m taking out my extra spending and relooking at my needs (whole control over my impulse shopping). It’s pretty much having me work on being more mindful on my money, instead of spending a ton of money on extra unneeded items and extra calories that make my life worst. Rewards won so far: Week 1: $5 towards school treat money.... (Earned!) $10 random chipotle money... (earned!) $2 amazing cinnamon roll.... (earned!) $25 club fee for the year (earned) $12 burger money, it was worth it.... (on deck)

This challenge, I am ready to push out of my comfort zone and have a little fun. I've been struggling with depression and while I know I have good reasons to be sad, I don't want to be defeated by it. For this challenge, I chose quests to get myself back into healthy habits that I can maintain when the challenge is over. Also, healthy habits are awesome for combatting depression! Quest 1: walk 75 miles. This is the perfect time to incorporate a walking challenge. The weather is going to be pretty cool and dry here. 75 miles is about 2.6 miles a day which is a great place to start for me. Getting out and walking in the sunshine (or partly cloudy days) is like taking a Prozac! Unless it's stormy, I'll be walking outside. On days where the weather is just too bad, I can substitute 50 minutes on the exercise bike. The goal is for walking. Exercise bike challenges can be saved for worse-weather months got my walking outfit ready!! Quest 2: 100 servings of freggies. This averages out to about 3.5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Since I'm eating that much each week right now, this will be the most challenging part, but also incredibly rewarding. A lot of my sadness is food-related. I think improving my eating habits will improve my mood. The only reason not to do this challenge is if I get the stomach flu, which Is highly unlikely, so no excuses I deserve my freggies!! Quest 3: Spend 30 minutes a day doing a pleasurable activity that isn't numbing Or avoiding. Sewing projects, practicing instruments, dancing, reading, journaling, hiking... you get the idea. I often fall out of this habit first when I am feeling bad or going through a rough time, and the days feel Like something to endure instead of enjoy. Okay let's DO THIS Rewards: 1st prize: Should I get a perfect challenge, I will reward myself with this Awesome crewel Christmas stocking kit. 2nd prize: 80% or better, I will reward myself with this Lego Robin Keychain. (This means I need at least 22 successful days ) Booby Prize: Less than 80% means I'll have earned some minty dental floss!! Whooooooo!!!!

GREETINGS REBELLION!!I am Wraiven but those whom know me well call me Mitch Jnr. I have been working on leveling up my life and developed my quest log in a way to grow, not only for me but for the benefit of those all over the world. Since I can remember I have always been a very giving person and gathered joy from tasks that not only helped me be a better man, but also to help others grow too. Since my Father (Mitch Snr) passed away started really struggling with depression and anxiety in recent years and it's truly effected my growth and attitude towards what I always believed of myself. It could be chemical or it could just be my mind trying to avoid the pain of failing... But that's not gonna happen! Since joining the Rebellion I decided to dedicate a whole year to trying to change some lives and it's really had an Impact on me too.17 has always been my favourite number soooo I decided in 2017 I was going to do a Charity Challenge called 'Songs and Smiles' to help raise funds for Kids with Cancer, Mental Illness and Poverty/Famine. This requires me to do a song a day to bring smiles and provoke thought/nostalgia every single day and then people could share and possibly donate if they could. A simple premise but alot of people seem to like it. So far we have raised over $5000 and had 250,000 views on Youtube.My Dad always wanted to help kids with cancer because when he had it he always beleived he had lived and they deserved a chance to aswell, so I am doing this all in his memory and I hope all of the rebellion can join me too and become a SMILE SAVIOUR!DONATE: http://bit.ly/2iRw2vO GOFUNDME: http://bit.ly/2jXoQ5f FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2hFp6UY TWITTER: @MitchJnrMass <3 Mitch Jnr

GREETINGS REBELLION!! I am Wraiven but those whom know me well call me Mitch Jnr. I have been working on leveling up my life and developed my quest log in a way to grow, not only for me but for the benefit of those all over the world. Since I can remember I have always been a very giving person and gathered joy from tasks that not only helped me be a better man, but also to help others grow too. Since my Father (Mitch Snr) passed away started really struggling with depression and anxiety in recent years and it's truly effected my growth and attitude towards what I always believed of myself. It could be chemical or it could just be my mind trying to avoid the pain of failing... But that's not gonna happen! Since joining the Rebellion I decided to dedicate a whole year to trying to change some lives and it's really had an Impact on me too. 17 has always been my favourite number soooo I decided in 2017 I was going to do a Charity Challenge called 'Songs and Smiles' to help raise funds for Kids with Cancer, Mental Illness and Poverty/Famine. This requires me to do a song a day to bring smiles and provoke thought/nostalgia every single day and then people could share and possibly donate if they could. A simple premise but alot of people seem to like it. So far we have raised over $5000 and had 250,000 views on Youtube. My Dad always wanted to help kids with cancer because when he had it he always beleived he had lived and they deserved a chance to aswell, so I am doing this all in his memory and I hope all of the rebellion can join me too and become a SMILE SAVIOUR! DONATE: http://bit.ly/2iRw2vO GOFUNDME: http://bit.ly/2jXoQ5f FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2hFp6UY TWITTER: @MitchJnr Mass <3 Mitch Jnr

I have seriously considered not doing a challenge at all, but decided to keep my ongoing chain of at least having some sort of presence on here. (This sentence does not make sense to me either.) The whining part is here: Things are really not going well at work. Like really not well. We have not had a single order in more than a week, and nothing to look forward to. My father was his usual unpleasant self today, so bad that I thought about suicide again. I took the dogs for a walk on Saturday, Vonk got caught in a snare, when I tried to help him he bit my hand. Two small holes and a lot of blood. It is much better now, but I could not do anything the entire weekend. Vonk is OK. I had to go to the doctor, and I had to pay him, so: An outing I was sort of planning for this weekend is not going to happen. It would have been my first time alone since February. And to make things worse this morning my hip started going funny on me, so bad that by late afternoon I had to hold onto the table to turn around. I need to focus on the small things: 1. Computer of at 21:30, bed at 22:00. I have done this before, I have gone into the habit of going to bed late, it is now 23:26 2. Keep an eye on what I eat. My weight is going up. Do not buy crap, and stop eating when I am not hungry. 3. Some sort of exercise daily. This is the difficult part. Walking with the dogs do not count, I need to do something that is work.

Long Term Ranger...first time Monk. Long post but it's mostly for me so skip to the goals if you like I won't be offended I've been away from NF for a few months. I haven't told anyone IRL...and I haven't said it out loud...but privately I'm fighting through a sea of work stress and other issues and I've been dealing with it by internalizing and self sabotaging and I've been mostly aware of it the whole way. Ridiculous I know but also irresistible, a cycle I have seen over and over in my past, very damaging but hard to resist. I've been working 60 to 70hr weeks the last 4 months, something I could manage as a young man but these days at 42, I've reached the edge of my limits and teetered on the cliff. Compromised my health without a doubt and knowingly.However I've made some serious coin, and I mean serious coin but I signed up for 5 months of this and was done after 2. Now I have 6 weeks left, I don't need or want the money but I have to deliver and finish the project, I always follow through on my commitments. Integrity is above all else for me. The challenge is I need to look after myself at the same time as I push myself up to and sometimes beyond my limits. I'm in the worst physical shape in years as a result of this situation but it's my mental health that has really suffered. Strange I have never been in this position before...I'm "strong". Bringing years of work stress coping mechanisms to bear and finally finding strength to admit to work colleagues "I'm taking a weekend off and I'm not answering my phone, I'm not working". I slept for almost the whole weekend and needed more. I've put work first, neglected my wife, I've called my borderline OCD (it's really OCD but I don't want to admit that) into it's full power to devastate my mortgage, at the cost of my health and friendships. I haven't seen my friends for months. On Tuesday my sacrifices come to fruition, the mortgage on a dream house will finally be paid off at age 42 and I will begin to set myself up for the rest of my life. A 25 year goal achieved, but at what cost? We'll see. Well here I find myself, at the doors of the Monastery. I need help, I need to help myself. I'm not really sure yet what that means. As a Ranger and a Crossfitter I am multi-faceted and I can bring a lot of skills to bear but the time to meditate, stretch and be with myself is upon me. A strange feeling indeed after pushing so hard for so long, I'm still finding my way in this new head space but initial goals are: - 1 hour of yoga per week (complete beginner) or 1 hour of swimming or 1 hour of "mobility" (crossfit stretching) - 1 float tank this challenge (haven't done one for years but has been revitalizing in the past) - 4 days with no alcohol - 4 days with no sugar These are meager goals compared with previous achievements but they are real goals for now. I can't tell you right now the last day I had with no sugar or alcohol. Times are tough but we will fight in the shade. @zenLara @BarefootDawsy @DarK_RaideR I'm in a hole and I need accountability, if you can spare some time to check in on me occasionally I will be very grateful. Side note, this is what drew me to NF all those years ago and hence the reference here:

Jakkals vat dit dag vir dag. This coming month is going to be hectic. We have got a deadline at work with an order that needs to be delivered before the 25th of July. We are also expecting visitors around then, and I have to make and finish my competition knife before 1 August. So, keeping this challenge small, one of the most difficult ones I've ever done: No time wasting on the internet before 20:00 in the evenings. If I do that, hopefully the important things will get done.

Hi, so I've hard the worst year so far. I graduated out of one of the most premier colleges in my country with an engineering degree but I wanted to pursue writing/filmmaking/game design. So I quit my first job and joined a screenwriting gig and then moved to writing for videogames. Things were great but then the game I was working on flopped and I was laid off. Meanwhile, I had 4 string of flames that ended so terribly and iconically they can be part of a movie. Also, because I was so disorganised, I was dead broke. I had to move out of my home and live with my friend for a while. I went for several interviews and none worked out. Meanwhile, people kept talking how I was wasting my prestigious engineering degree. I had to leave town and go back to my parents where I'm currently stationed. Dad's giving his usual shit talk about how I'm a disappointment to the family so atleast that thing is still normal I guess . Due to severe depression, I lost all my gym gains and have ended up weighing 90 kgs (I'm just wee bit under 6 ft tall). I was ready to give up on life, but things changed when I took a flight for my last interview. I grabbed three books from the store there with last few bucks of cash I had. Those were: Mastery by Robert Greene 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris I had never considered self-help books before and these certainly changed my life. I realized I was giving an interview for a job I'd have hated. I did not want to get away from gaming industry. I called a few friends and luckily, one of them told me that he got his idea for a gaming event company seed funded and was actually going to approach me to be a content marketeer. But that startup won't be live till 2 months from now. I saw that as a great opportunity and decided to dedicate these two months to correct all my faults and turn everything around. I've been taking courses, polishing my speaking skills, practicing daily chores, everything. As for fitness, I was looking at fasting techniques and that's how I found this site. I've tried intermittent fasting with a bit of paleo diet involved. Sufficed to say, I've lost more than 1 kg already in a week! (not faking it) I'm tired of life just happening to me as I sit back, feeling victimized. I'm tired of this feeling of helplessness. I seek to have control. I look towards turning this year into my best by ascending and becoming another person altogether. I have never been more driven to give it back to the world. I'm glad to be a part of this rebellion. Thank you for having me!

This is the beginning of my journey, and I need your help. My name is Lindley. I am an ICU nurse with a really shitty night schedule. I am 5'1" and the heaviest I have ever been at 163 pounds. I was in a very unhealthy five year relationship, had two sons with the individual, and am now a single mom. I struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder, depression, anxiety, binge/purge, and PTSD. Now for the thing that sent me over the edge... June 12, 2016, I woke up and discovered my 5 week old son (Ronin August) had died from SIDS during a nap. Needless to say, it was the single most traumatic experience of my life and it's left me with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and apathy. Any kind of will to live just went out the window, let alone any king of will to get healthy and back in to shape. Now, just waking up and doing day-to-day things is a struggle. I live in Oklahoma and have a very limited support system (one friend within physical proximity, and my mom and aunt available via telephone). I'm maxed out on my antidepressants and I go to hypnotherapy 4 times a month (which is not cheap!). Also, I'm now hypertensive and I just FEEL the toll this is taking on my body. I don't feel good. I used to be very in shape. I loved being active and eating clean. But now, the smallest things are a challenge. I don't want to live like this, but the sadness overwhelms me. I am reaching out to this community because there is still a sliver of something inside of me that wants me to "get better". I'm searching for support. I've tried to be mentally healthy, thinking my body would follow suit, but that obviously didn't work. And now I need a different approach. I want to be healthy for my remaining son (Olin Anthony). We all have struggles. We all have our crosses to bear. I would love to hear what others have overcome and how they did it. Tell me your story.

I'm late but I'm here! I took an extended week zero thanks to traveling. I got home a couple hours ago so figured I should put up a challenge thread. My spreadsheet will be added to this post when I create it, lol. I'm actually going to be doing my challenge officially for the month of June, but since the NF challenge started yesterday (oops) I'll still post along. I knew starting a challenge on vacation just wasn't going to happen. My depression has been bad, and I've identified one reason was my efforts to date go in waves and the current waves have been super crappy. So I am taking a break from attempting to date for the month of June. If I meet someone organically, cool, but I'm not going to try (dating sites, etc). That should help with my depression. I'm also going to try a little less hard to do ALL THE SOCIAL THINGS. That will also help with my depression. So, goals for the challenge: I now have a 24 hr access pass to my gym. Huzzah! This means I don't have to avoid going because I feel guilty for giving up time with my son (which was a cop out, since he's out on his bike anyway). I can go after he's in bed if I want (since my mom lives with me, he wouldn't be unattended). So the goal is going to be hit the gym three times a week, and I'm roughly targeting Tues/Thurs/Sat, with allowances that life happens so I can reschedule if need be. While I would love to lose weight after spending the last two months re-gaining a bunch of what I had lost, instead of eating at a deficit I'm going to make my nutrition goal be to not go above maintenance calories period. No eating back the calories I "earn" from activity/exercise, no exceptions for special occasions. If I do lose weight, I will readjust MFP to recalculate my new maintenance level. If I do well with this, I expect to lose some weight just because of the activity level I have on a daily basis at work. This will seem really weird to put as a goal, but, I will play at least two hours of video games per week. Because I keep avoiding playing WoW with my family and friends due to stupid anxiety/perfection/depression reasons, and I want to get back into it. I also still haven't touched the Steam games I got for xmas/bday. So yes I am actually setting a goal to play games! LOL! Side benefit: video games are the one indoor hobby I have that I don't like to eat during, because I don't want to get food on my keyboard/mouse. So the more I game, the less I snack, which is a score. My fourth goal is going to be to read for at least two hours a week. I have barely read a page in the last month. It's been all Netflix all the time. I'd like to get back to reading. My fifth goal is going to be to get at least one hour of outdoors exercise a week. This can be walking, hiking, biking - but I know I feel better when I am getting out in the sunshine. I think five goals is enough, so, now I will build my spreadsheet, edit in the link, and then I'm all set to unofficially start tomorrow. Edited to add: Challenge Spreadsheet

Hello, well after saying I wouldn't do a challenge... And then I started to procrastinate on the forums... Craving the community, and being on the forums is a little better than binge watching anything that seems appealing. With the start of a new challenge, I'm also realizing how much I need to narrow down my goals.... Back to the basics challenge! Week 1: 1. Powering up my Light Magic: 0/7 A walk in unpaved nature and 444 words of writing a day, helps keeps the worst of depression away. 2. Check in with my BuJo Daily: 0/7 BuJo is happiness of all planners for me, now to just use it every day and keep it with me... 3. Finish the Semester with my Head Held High 0/7 (every day I work on it, may add another count for how many things I get done) This is a boss that I'm fighting that I decided to skip some of the grind in eight levels, and ended up with not enough time and too many levels to muster up quickly in a short amount of time... Tuesday is my last day in my favorite class for Rec & Park, next Tuesday is my final presentation of a research paper that is barely on paper. I'm going to need some accountability help! So posting on here on my next goal and when I get it done.... (Other goals maybe thrown in here if I find myself procrastinating...) 4. Get to work & Class on time... 0/5 (bonus for leaving apartment 2 hours before shift on Janitor job, and 1 hour before Museum job). Things are broken in my mini-van where I'm dealing with the loveliness of having to pull over sometimes because my security system is going off with the horn... (just sounds like I'm honking the horn, not one of those cool siren type sounds....) And I found heat makes it worst.... So leaving early gives me enough time to deal with it, show up, and some down time to cool down a bit before going in... For the month bonus: Survive my van's problems, and hit my other goals every day! (Really feeling this meme at a few points). 0/28 I found out a car horn is the number one sound that can bring my Willpower to zero... I am in my final countdown. I need to get moving, and fly by my pants. Boom! First intro challenge post with all gifs... (While chilling at work...)

I have depression. It is bad. I am coping. I will get over it. For this challenge: 1. Keep a mood journal. This will be a little pen and paper exercise. I have seen some patterns in how I feel, it will be an interesting exercise. 2. Work on my battle log. My battle log has been ignored for too long. It is time to tick the boxes again. The normal rules apply, there are no minimums, as long as I do something. Onwards and upwards

Hey y'all I've been a member of NF since 2013 but I usually stick to the Facebook group. Well, I introduced a friend to NF last night and we decided we're going to rock the next challenge together. Since I've hardly ever been active on the boards over the past four years, and because people change over time, I figure I might as well reintroduce myself. I used to be "salambander" but I've been using that name since I was 14 and I'm a little tired of it. I'm a kindergarten teacher in China, and I review books on my blog in my free time so that I can read for free. I'm into scifi (these days the Expanse, Legion and Black Mirror are my favourites although I'm pretty happy with the new season of Doctor Who). My non-NF Texan fiance is a gamer, and I dabble in a bit of Stardew Valley and some Lego games but never very seriously. I do counted cross stitch, knitted a 14ft Doctor Who (Tom Baker) scarf, and I have been an expat since I was 3 years old so home is... somewhere. I like art and making stuff. I was born in Johannesburg, grew up in Mauritius, lived in South Korea where I met my Texan (on a trip to Japan) and we moved to China together so he could teach music. He proposed last spring in Malaysia. I've eaten a lot of really weird food (including bullfrog, live sea urchin, dog, duck intestine, cow butt, silkworm pupae, mopani worms, warthog (YUM), and crocodile). I speak English, French, basic Korean and toddler Chinese. Working on my Texan metaphors, and sweating for the wedding dress (date to be determined).

I'm going a little backwards. My week zero I am being super strict. Don't throw things, but it's my "detox" week. I'm not going to take detox tea that gives me diarrhea or anything - I'm going to hardcore clean up my food. Then, for the actual challenge, I'm going back to more reasonable goals, so that I'm not setting myself up for failure. I can do one week. I CAN DO ONE WEEK. Spreadsheet here

I'm up for this challenge! It's been several rough months for Harihead, and my brain and body are out of whack. I'm desperately seeking stability. What I'd like from the Rebellion is high accountability. There is no hiding or shirking. We are serious unto the death!!! Life Goal: Return to the weight and fitness I had when I worked from home, instead of in someone else's office. 4 Week Challenge Goal: Restore stability. I have suffered wounds of body and spirit. This is the challenge to reclaim myself. Diet: Lo carb, high good fat. Per the doctor, I must eat high good protein/fat breakfast and lunch, smaller veggie dinner. I'll allow 1-2 oatmeal substitutes for breakfast per week (deprecated). A = <=3 fails/week, CON +3, CHA +2 B = <=6 fails/week, CON +2, CHA +1 C = <=10 fails/week, CON +1, CHA +1 Exercise: Must be mild to avoid relapse. Targets: Tai Chi and yoga 4x/week each, 1x biking, 1x step goal. A = 10+/week, DEX +3, STR +1 B = 6-9/week, DEX +2, STR +1 C = 3-5/week, DEX +1 Refresh: My brain chemistry is out of whack. I need to do some form of mental health 3x/week. Do some form of activism 1x/week. A = 4+/week, WIS +3 B = 3/week, WIS +2 C = 1-2/week, WIS +1 Something with Fiction: Because I gotta. A = 4+/week STA +3 B = 3/week STA +2 C = 1-2/week STA +1

I hope this subject is not too taboo. I was diagnosed with clinical and situational depression years ago. I'd rather not get into what happened, but I found normal routes of therapy nad drugs not working for me. Instead I found being busy, and engaged the best way to keep it at bay. Works great for a Nerd Fitness mentality when it is constnat challenges and improvements. Sometimes things happen and I slip, I have found that I must take small steps to get back to a regular routine before I can accept new challenges. Jumping back to a regular routine is overwhelming and can cause a recession into depression again. If anyone else on here has a similar issue/ finds this approach helpful, what do you do to keep from getting overwhelmed coming out of depression? If people consider this to be too taboo, I have no heartache in removing it.

I had a bad last challenge, and my brain is not really cooperating. I wanted to do all sorts of things, but I know myself well enough and are aware that while I am in this condition I am lucky if I just cope with life. So for this challenge I will only do one big thing at a time. And I will start tomorrow with an Input Deprivation Week. For one week: No reading books. No reading blogs. No reading newspapers. No going on Facebook (even just to post). No watching TV (shows, sports, news, anything). No watching movies. No listening to talk radio. No going on Reddit. No going on Twitter. No information input – only output! My evenings has become consumed with Youtube, Quora and Facebook. I have done it before and I have wanted to do it for a while now. I will however allow myself to read in the mornings and at night in bed. I am not sure kicking off a challenge by telling people I would not be around is a good thing, but I will see you next week.

Hey guys, I kinda just abandoned my last challenge and then skipped the next one. I fell into a really bad depressive episode so I didn't have any energy - never mind motivation - to work on the challenges (or get out of bed really). I'm feeling a bit better now, so hopefully I can do this one. I wouldn't say it's the last time I get one of these episodes, they tend to come and go in cycles. Also I'm nearing the end of my degree, so I'm experiencing a ton of stress between doing my assignments and thinking about life after graduation. (You guys must get so sick of my FT gifs and pics lol, I should probably try to mix them up with non-FT gifs in the future). Anyway, on to the challenge: Strength: I'm on Level 6 now of NFA, will be working on that. Also, that article NF made on grip strength may be useful for climbing, so I may try that out too. Diet: Since I was in a really bad state, my diet flew out the window. I'm going to have to recover from that by weaning myself off junk and fast food. Week 1: No chocolate or gummy sweets Week 2: '' and no crisps Week 3: No junk or fast food Week 4: '' Education: Devote some time to each module's assignment per week. (I have a habit of only focusing on 1 or 2 modules and then forgetting about the rest until it's too late). House: Hoover hallway carpet once a week (the carpet gets filthy so easily). I don't really care about dirt, but I live with different people so I suppose it's fair to try keep the house a little tidy.

Huh, this one's a bit tricky to start, because I have so much to say...! I'll just start somewhere and see where it goes. It's been a long winter, and I've been struggling with unhealthy beliefs and depression. I have gained 5 kg during the winter, been sad and anxious, and felt very scared of graduating and landing a job after graduation. I've been trying to be perfect at everything, and look good and successful. I've also had a rather toxic crush on a guy, which has been difficult for me. Despite this, I've handled my studies extremely well, and landed an internship for the summer. So, things are going like a dream, but I've felt lost and lonely. A couple of weeks ago, I broke down tired, and travelled to my parents' place to rest. I talked about my feelings and beliefs with Mom, and she helped me to fix my perspective. All the time, I've been asking, "What does the world want from me?", and never asked "What do I want from the world?" This means that I've been just trying to please everyone (possible employers, guys, relatives, EVERYONE) without a proper focus, and been scared of not knowing where to put all my energy into. So, for the past couple of weeks, I've asked myself, "what kind of work do I want to do?" and "what kind of things do I want in my relationships?", and it's been really helpful. So helpful, actually, that today I stepped on the scale, realized that I've gained 5 kg during the winter, and got frustrated. Which is a great feeling to have after months and months of "meh" @deftona helped me turn this frustration into positive energy (thank you so much for this!), and now I'm joining the rest of this challenge! I'm not going to make this a big "WOOHOOO BACK IN BUSINESS B**HES" kind of a thing, but a calm return to my own vibe. The focus will be especially on the next week, the 3rd to 9th. I want to return towards my Druid vibe, breathe and be happy in the present moment. I'm going to go back to daily yoga with the help of Adriene's Revolution. MORNING ROUTINE - bike trip around the town - Yoga With Adriene NUTRITION - no processed foods or sugar - no grains or dairy - eat mindfully, mind portion sizes I will have harder times, because the stress and depression have messed up my hormones, but I need to be extra kind to myself when those low feelings hit. I'm currently at my apartment, Fort Foxy, and travel back to my parents' place in Winterfell on the 12th of April to spend the Easter with them. Now I have 10 days to focus on myself and regain a sense of ease and calm. But it's only the start, and this will keep on going my whole life. Time to get started with yoga for the day ED; The topic sounds a bit different from the tone of this challenge... But all this is also very much about giving less fox about things

First off - challenge spreadsheet here! Keeping things kind of simple, but I think these are some good goals, and would be helpful habits to get into (keep into, in the case of my step goal). Goal 1: 15k steps work days/10k steps other days Last challenge, I just went with the default 12k every day goal I have set on my fitbit. I decided to increase the goal for work days, because I'm very active on work days. I lowered it on weekends, because I really struggled to hit 12k, and I don't want to step a goal that is unrealistic to attain. The plan is to increase again next challenge (maybe something like 17k work days, 12k other days). Goal 2: 5 new recipes The last two challenges, I've had goals about how many different dinners (instead of repeats, leftovers, or takeout) in the four weeks. I started at 15, then I did 20. What I learned is that with a three person household, it's really hard for me to not have at least one (usually two) leftover nights a week. My freezer would fill up so fast. And... eating leftovers isn't really a bad thing. Eating out? Yeah, I am still trying to avoid that. But, I do want to continue to encourage my cooking creativity and to grow my skills as a cook, so over the course of this challenge I will make at least five new recipes. Goal 3: leafy greens 3x week I've noticed that while I eat a ton of veggies, I don't eat a lot of leafy greens, and I know they have lots of health benefits. I also know that the weeks I increase them, I seem to feel better. So this challenge I will eat them at least three days a week. Goal 4: Turn off TV at bedtime Honestly, this will be my hardest challenge goal. I have a LOT of trouble falling asleep. I typically either have something playing on my TV or laptop to fall asleep to. It helps to distract my brain away from thinking. Well, the last few weeks this has shifted into me staying up way too late because I get too interested in what is on the TV/laptop. So for this challenge I will work on turning the stuff off and just falling asleep.

TW: depression, anxiety, hopelessness What. An. Incredibly. Shitty. Day. Let me just start by saying that I have depression and anxiety. It's relatively mild, in fact the official term for my level of depression as explained to me by my doctor and therapist is "sadness". It seems to be mostly manageable and I have good days and bad ones. Most of my bad days correlate with work. I really do not like my job. I work in a retail store in a mall, we sell mostly household items. It is a mindbogglingly boring job that mostly involves dusting and human communication, both of which I don't enjoy unless in very certain circumstances. I feel guilty for hating my job so much, after all it's a pretty basic, alright paying job. My boss is kind and some of my coworkers are fun to be around (others not so much) but still I am emotionally drained after each shift and dream of quitting every single day- even though I only work 3-4 days a week! I'm ashamed that I feel this way. After all there are other people in much worse situations complaining much less. But feeling guilt over my sadness because others are sadder is the logical equivalent of not allowing myself to be happy because other people are happier. Now isn't that just ridiculous? I'm tired of my life. I have a BSc in psychology, a field I don't like at all and shouldn't have studied to begin with. I wasted three years of my life and haven't progressed at all towards any kind of meaningful work. I don't know what I want to do with my life but I picture it involving some kind of performance, theater, writing, stand up.. But when I mention that people constantly remind me that performance arts are difficult - as if the only reason I would pursue them would be out of laziness. Then there's the added anxiety of actually being on stage, what if everyone laughs at me? Assuming if I even get into a theater program, which I'm not even sure I truly want? There are three things you need to make it as an artist: talent, discipline and passion. And I am scared that I only have an ounce of each. Passion especially. Life seems dull and grey and I don't even know if I have passion for anything. I just feel like an ungrateful, spoiled little brat who doesn't want to work for anything. I don't know if I have what it takes to be an artist, and if even I don't fully believe in myself why the hell would any producer or director? I just hate this feeling of not having a purpose, a goal, something! Frodo didn't feel like he had a purpose and then bam! Take the ring to Mordor. There's your ultimate life's mission. Can someone give me a quest, please? I want to change my way of life, figure out what I'm supposed to do, and I want to do it right now! Because otherwise I have to go back to work tomorrow and continue leading my boring ass life until I eventually kill myself.

Last challenge went well, but I am going to do better on this challenge. This is all just a follow up with most of the same things, concentrating on the little things that make life better. I am on a good roll, and I am doing all the right things, I should just get better at it. 1. Yoga Yoga every day. It is part of my battle log, but I know it goes better if I keep it part of my challenge. And it is relaxing 2. Squatting Do squats every day. And keep improving and just maybe one day I will get this hips of my sorted out. And for the past week I've also been doing push-ups with the squats, so doing those as well. 3. Be nice I am dangerously close to depression, and I am getting angry about humans. It is time (again) to police my brain and have nice thoughts about people. Relax. 4. Money Lack of money and lack of interest in money is not good. Check all my balances every day to keep on top of the finances. 5. Knives. Jip. And this one again. 6. Sleep Bed before ten, up before five. I've been doing this for the past two weeks, it is good for me to get enough sleep.

Experience Tranquility! Why hello, Challenge #2! I'm glad that I have the challenge weeks on my calendar because it keeps me going! My first challenge of the year died off at the end. I was still (sort of?) tracking most of my food choices, but I could tell that I was only giving 50% of the effort. I realized that I don't really like putting heavy time constraints on myself. Having a routine is one thing, and something I am going to be working on, but I don't like doing things in time blocks. I am more of a "Make a List and Do each of the things as they come but not necessarily in any order" and I'm successful with it! I also realized that I sincerely miss doing yoga. I miss having it be part of a daily routine whether it was in the morning, in the afternoon, or bedtime yoga. It helped me keep a calm mind, fight fatigue, sleep better, and just have an overall better outlook on life. All of that said, lets jump right into it: The cycle begins a new... Quest One: "Repetition is the path to mastery" My first quest revolves around establishing a routine. There are not set time slots, but it will be important to maintain the routine as close as possible. Given that life will sometimes throw you lemons, or commitments, don't fret! Just plan accordingly. Daily Routine Brush teeth/wash face/shower Change clothes (don't hang out in pjs all day!) Take out items for dinner If crockpot meal, prep and set to cook Prep items early if possible Breakfast/Coffee with one or two shows If appointments are scheduled, consider breakfast/coffee on the go for both myself and Mom At least two-three housekeeping events (because using the word chore makes it look ominous!) Kitchen always Vacuum Dust Bathroom up-keep Recycling Bedroom de-clutter Maintain an active laundry cycle as to keep from getting behind Daily exercise Lunch at a reasonable time Plan snacks if appointments/errands run long Carry water at all times Play time Computer time Reading time More shows Dinner ready, at the latest, 6:30 PM Kitchen clean-up I think that this will be a great routine to work to establish. There are things that may change, or may be finished prior, which is why not having time constraints work best for me. I am also going to get back into the habit of grading myself! I think it's a good way to keep myself accountable, because who likes seeing a failing mark on anything they do? This particular quest is a Pass/Fail. Along with keeping it here, I am making myself a habit chart so that I can manually check off each time I successfully complete an item. It will also let me see how often certain things need to be done, and if they do not have to be done. I can also note if I substituted something else in an items place. Maintain Routine for Four Weeks: Pass Not Maintaining Routine: Fail Quest Two: "Life is more than a series of ones and zeroes" While the above is to help me establish and maintain a routine, this quest is going to help me remember that there is more to life than fretting over said routine. Once it has been established, and repeated, it will begin to feel like second nature. However, I find myself once again neglecting things that I was very excited to jump back into at the beginning of the last challenge. Therefore, this quest is to help me keep a steady foot on the road of art, photography, silly selfies, writing, and reading. Not to be confused the the play time part of the above routine, I want this to help me continue to build the enthusiasm I had just a few weeks ago. I was drawing, sketching, and just playing around with a variety of art media. I haven't done that in a while, and I can see a drastic difference in my state of mind. I was also sharing things that I was doing, and it really felt good doing so. Even if pieces weren't completed or, in my own opinion "good", I shared them. Not only was it building my confidence, others were voicing their enjoyment on seeing them! So my goal here is to share at least one piece of art every week during this challenge. If there is more, great! It can be in any state of progress and any media. As long as I am doing something and sharing it (here on the forums, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, DeviantArt, etc!), it will count! One Piece of Artwork Shared a Week: Pass No Artwork Shared: Fail Quest Three: "One cannot survive on strength alone" And here we are at the actual fitness part of my challenge. For a long time, I was so intrigued my Yoga. It not only looked cool, but I had always heard how much fun and relaxing it could be. I finally tried it, and actively did at least 15 minutes a day for a while. I was not only losing weight, but a lot of the aches and pains I've regained weren't there. My lower back didn't bother me, my hip joints weren't always sore, and I just felt better. It was good for both my mind and my body, and that is what I need more than anything. So, I am going back to it. Why I left it, it's hard to say. I tried to think about the reasons the other day, and while I did run into some life-related complications, I should not have let it stand in my way. Then again, at the time, I wasn't strong enough mentally to battle it. My ultimate goal is to start and complete Nerd Fitness Yoga Water A, which I believe is the beginner course. I was very close to being able to complete the first one before everything went belly up. While I work toward that, I will be working on the foundation and basic poses of Yoga to establish stamina and do some core strengthening. I know of some great Yogis on Instagram, and also found some good beginner Yoga routines through Pinterest. So, my quest for this challenge will be to do, at least, 10 minutes of yoga a day. It can be more, it can be in two different 5 minute intervals, but I MUST do at least 10 minutes. Even if it's working on one or two different poses. Repetition! 10 Minutes of Yoga a Day: A 10 Minutes of Yoga 4 Days/Week: B 10 Minutes of Yoga 3 Days/Week: C 10 Minutes of Yoga 1 Day/Week or None at All/Week: F Like Zenyatta, my ultimate goal this time around is to balance discord and harmony. Take the discord and throw it back to battle the enemy. Take the harmony and use it to heal wounds overtime. "We walk in harmony, my student." "I know the doubts that plague you."

I guess I'm doing 3/4 of a challenge this month. But that's okay because it's better than no challenge at all. I'll flesh out my goals a bit but I wanted to make a mark here while my mood was up and I had time. Gym) 3x per week, get back to my program Food) Eat reasonably. No calorie counting, no macros, nothing fancy. Just eat reasonably to promote my goals. Life) Plan things better. On Friday, plan the next week. Food, gym days, etc. Get myself organized and actually pack lunches and gym clothes and all my gear for rugby practice. For the last 2-3 weeks I've just been floating through life like a leaf in floodwaters. The chaotic life feeds the depression/anxiety which locks me up from being organized which leads to more chaos, etc. Gotta turn that ship around.

Balance Restore Energize Accomplish Transform Humor Engage I really love how much this has helped people, and I'm going to continue carrying it on! Shaar has been keeping this alive, and I think it has really helped others during past challenges. Even if they weren't participating in a challenge, I think people have found this to just be a great place to let things out when they need a sounding board. Fitness is just as much mental health as it is physical health. Just as we struggle with hurdles during our exercise routines and diets, we may have an on-going battle with demons, skeletons, and shadows in our minds. They can be just as troublesome at keeping us from achieving our goals. That is why we need to take that moment to take a breath and re-center. We have to remember not to keep things in so deep that it tears us apart. These things can weigh heavily on us, and that added weight can be detrimental to any form of health. That said, this is where we can talk, vent, cry on digital shoulders, scream, and yell about anything and everything. Get it out, release the tension, free the beast that is threatening to rip you apart. We are here to offer support by any means necessary. We are here to pick you up when you're feeling at your worst. We are here to do whatever we can to ensure that you remember every day that you are worth it and that you are an amazing person.