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Owlet vs Demogorgon or: How I Learned to Love the Upside Down (yeah, yeah, I know, my references are getting all mixed up. Don't care) * I will do my best to avoid Stranger Things spoilers but advance at your own risk...* It's War! The Battle To Sit Up Straight did not end so well for either side and things have escalated somewhat... My neck has developed a fun habit of seizing up/going into spasm/basically not performing it's usual neck duties to a satisfactory standard. Owls should be able to swivel their heads right around after all, so I'm barely an owl right now. The nights are long and dark, the storm clouds gathered weeks ago and continue to dump rain everywhere with careless abandon. Also, general anxiety about life ,stuff, the usual. So, lately I've been finding myself venturing into The Upside Down - a darker, scarier version of this world, an alternative universe if you will: And deep within The Upside Down lurks the Demogorgon. You don't want to come across this wee beastie, trust me. He's big and creepy and has a hell of an appetite . It really is best to run when this guy turns up to the party. But as for escaping The Upside Down, that's a little trickier. The more you fight it, the further in you sink... So, to the challenge! For the next few weeks, my priority is to avoid having any sort of breakdown due to stress, anxiety, depression etc etc. The only way out of breakdown land/the upside down, is to be kind to myself, recognise my limits and stick within them, do everything I can to get fit and healthy again so I can get back on track to the land of awesome sauce. It's a work in progress, but here's the plan so far: Fitness: Walking: Since I can't do full workouts at the moment, and I'm not getting nearly enough vitamin D, it's time to ramp up the lunchtime walks again. Aim for at least 3 per week Neck Rehab: do whatever exercises and stretches the physiotherapist and osteopath give me to do Limited bodyweight exercises: work out which ones I can still do eg squats, lunges, do 2X per week Diet: Paleo-ish: avoid refined carbs, excessive sugar. Maybe reintroduce some rice. Balance: make sure meals provide a good mix of nutrients. Life Stuff: Bedtime: in bed by 10:30, lights out by 11:30. Meditation: continue with 100 day challenge Art: life drawing each monday, or at least 2 hours of art at home Getting to bed on time will be key to my escape plan - being tired gets me down and makes me fragile, keeping me in The Upside Down. Walking might turn out to be quite important too since I've been feeling very wintery and blue. Some fresh air and sunshine might be just the ticket. Other than that I will be trying to pay close attention to my mood and doing things to improve it - whether that is reaching out to friends, making a blanket nest on the couch for a night of movies, going horse riding, or treating myself to some waffles: (promise I won't shoplift though ) At the end of the day, these goals are here to make me feel better, so if achieving them causes stress than alleviating it, I will reassess. The main thing is, by the end of this challenge I'll be feeling back to my normal self and ready to take on any old demogorgon that dares cross my path.