Echocheanic calms down

[Echoceanic]

Time for a new challenge I guess!

 

This challenge is not gonna be very structured - I know exactly what I need to do and said goal is, as it seems to happen with me, more about improving every day than it is about fulfilling an arbitrary lit of mini goals.

It's to be calmer in general.

The more I've been paying attention to it, the more I realise how much stress I add to myself for no reason. It's bad for my health, might be a reason why my skin and sleep are a wreck (and everyone will tell you, having that happen is a pain) and in general I'd like to be as chill to myself as I am to other people. As this is a thing that I can conquer with self-awareness and just in general taking care of myself, I don't have an actual goal for it. But it is a thing I will be paying attention to.

 

To help with this I will:

 

Fitness

• yoga days - aiming for 2 days a week,
• darebee daily dare days - 4/7 days a week I will check the daily dare on darebee and make an exercise out of it. This is so I can learn which exercises target which muscles. If the daily dares wind up targeting a lot of the same muscles I have the option to switch it around. I can also switch this up with a workout I like from there, which is what I've been doing mostly. 
• runs - I miss running. I should do some of it now, if it actually stays warm enough. I have half a mind to stay up all night Saturday and go and run at like 6 am Sunday cause yeesh  miss it (but this is a bad idea so I won't do that)
• meditation - this is pretty much a standard tracker for me. I don't do it every day - hell I barely do it once a week - but I also do it without having made it a 'goal' that I push so yeah

 

Book, exams and classes

Follow the schedule, remain calm and don't freak out. I got this, I know I got this, everyone else knows I got this, it's not worth the stress.

 

Habits and discipline

I am tackling this on an 'improve from last month' basis. I have far less trackers this month.

Sleep cycle is a bust. I like the ringtone, but don't like the alarm that much. It's not really for people whose biggest problem is getting up even if they've had a nice night of sleep. But using it for over 30 days has taught me something - I need for more sleep than I'd like to need. 

Curbing procrastination one site at a time. This is going well, and it's a part of me wanting to shake up the few sites I go to for leisure and procrastination.

 

I will try to update a bit more these days, I kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a while there.

[Elastigirl]

Great challenge. I  find myself adding stress to my life for no reason too, that's sort of an ongoing project for me to stop doing that

[shaar]

I find I'm struggling to update consistently too.  It's ok, we got this!

[Salinger]

Great challenge, i may take your thoughts, i need to calm down too!!! Looking forward to following you xx

[Echoceanic]

2 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Great challenge. I  find myself adding stress to my life for no reason too, that's sort of an ongoing project for me to stop doing that

 

2 hours ago, shaar said:

I find I'm struggling to update consistently too.  It's ok, we got this!

 

1 hour ago, Salinger said:

Great challenge, i may take your thoughts, i need to calm down too!!! Looking forward to following you xx

 

Thanks guys. Your support means a lot. I like how fitness has made me focus on my health in general a lot more.

 

Week Zero

 

Fitness for today - Close Contact Express from darebee - 5 sets with a 1 minute rest in between, and I could do more, but my sweaty feet slip on the floor - I love knee and elbow strikes, something about the movement makes me aware of my body in a way nothing does, and when I feel that I'm moving at exactly the right way it's kinda amazing. The daily dare was dragon push ups, which I did try just because I wanted to know how it feels. All in ll, a good amount of exercise,and I'm not super tired.

Tomorrow will be yoga cause I'm taking a trip.

 

Been watching youtube videos and fighting off feeling sleepy and headachey all day. For today I wrote in my journal, I talked to mom and did some organising and planning (which always makes me think I have a handle on things and calms me down - funny enough cleaning doesn't do the same). I'm just gearing up for a bunch of waiting and asking questions tomorrow.

[Maggie-Miau]

Calm is always a good thing to strive for your quests sound like a good way to get there. I absolutely feel you on adding unnecessary stress...it sounds so easy in theory to just not worry about things, but in practice it can be a real struggle.

[NicTheRugger]

Love your challenge goals!  following along to cheer you on. And good luck with your exams! You've got this. 

[Echoceanic]

49 minutes ago, Miaulin said:

I absolutely feel you on adding unnecessary stress...it sounds so easy in theory to just not worry about things, but in practice it can be a real struggle.

 

I always worry, or plan, or expect, or prepare. I really didn't even think about it being something harmful to me until I took note of how much stress it adds to my body. Over these few years I've shed some of my hang ups, so I am ready to just take care of myself without thinking that I should just be productive. Also, if I don't move in some way during a day I tend to get twitchy, which then turns to dullness and apathy after a few days and then I get morose and do nothing.

 

39 minutes ago, NicTheRugger said:

Love your challenge goals!  following along to cheer you on. And good luck with your exams! You've got this. 

 

Glad to see ya here! I guess we both have something we're striving for.

The exams themselves are pretty easy (at least for me). Scheduling and waiting is the stressful part.

[Novaurora]

Challenge looks good! following!!

[Echoceanic]

Damn it's windy!

 

After about a week of spring March has decided to dump winter on us again and I froze my butt off.

I got up at 5:20 am fully awake after less than 6 hours of sleep, but now (4 pm) I feel like I want to go to bed already. Upside everything is done, and after a small yoga break I can just relax and start studying from tomorrow.

[jonfirestar]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:02 AM, Echoceanic said:

 

The more I've been paying attention to it, the more I realise how much stress I add to myself for no reason.

I really relate to this  Following along Echo! 

[Echoceanic]

I'm climbing back after falling

 

Yesterday I was basically asleep for the entire day because of poor decisions I made the night before. The good thing is I didn't beat myself up over it, or think to. Basically I just decided to fix the problem and get up early today. Which is something I've been steadily working on for a few months, and I think it's finally paying off.

Today I am back on track, I finished a chore I needed to, and I should be excising and getting ready for my newest exam - for the first time I know in advance when it's going to be so it's taken a lot of the pressure off - after I have lunch in about an hour.

 

On 3/13/2019 at 11:34 AM, jonfirestar said:

Following along Echo! 

 

Glad you're here John!

[shaar]

Getting sleep on track is HARD but you're totally frickin' doing it!!!  I wish it was easier to stay in a healthy sleep cycle routine but we know how THAT goes....

[Salinger]

Hope you are ok today Echo xx

[Echoceanic]

1 hour ago, shaar said:

Getting sleep on track is HARD but you're totally frickin' doing it!!!  I wish it was easier to stay in a healthy sleep cycle routine but we know how THAT goes....

 

I am still not there yet, but I am not freaking out over it and that is amazing.

 

1 hour ago, Salinger said:

Hope you are ok today Echo xx

 

Pretty good, had a pretty chill day with some productivity. Not everything I wanted to do, but pretty much.

[Xena]

On 3/11/2019 at 7:02 AM, Echoceanic said:

Sleep cycle is a bust. I like the ringtone, but don't like the alarm that much. It's not really for people whose biggest problem is getting up even if they've had a nice night of sleep. But using it for over 30 days has taught me something - I need for more sleep than I'd like to need.

 

This is a useful realization. It lets you try to work with the demands of your body rather than fighting it.

On 3/14/2019 at 9:11 AM, Echoceanic said:

Yesterday I was basically asleep for the entire day because of poor decisions I made the night before. The good thing is I didn't beat myself up over it, or think to. Basically I just decided to fix the problem and get up early today. Which is something I've been steadily working on for a few months, and I think it's finally paying off.

Today I am back on track

 

Good work!

[Salinger]

On 3/14/2019 at 7:08 PM, Echoceanic said:

 

 

Pretty good, had a pretty chill day with some productivity. Not everything I wanted to do, but pretty much.

 

Great!! Keep going xx

[kcaleece]

I really like your idea for this challenge! I'm always a little jealous of the simple "just do this thing" type challenges (I've learned the hard way I can't handle the unstructured ones myself - I lose all accountability) but I especially like how the goal even plays into the way you've set it up Following along!

[NeverThatBored]

Hey Echo - following! Sleep is so hard. You mess up once and you feel the effects for days!

[Salinger]

How you doing Echo?xx

[Echoceanic]

Echo talks weird patterns.

 

So, right in the middle of this challenge's void (as in the part of it where Echo doesn't keep up with anything, stops exercising or being determined in any way and only goes through the motions while wishing she were asleep) I realised something weird.

This not only happens every month, but happens at the same time every month, give or take a few days (if the last three months are anything to go by). Which means I can predict it next challenge. So that's a good idea.

 

On 3/18/2019 at 4:30 PM, kcaleece said:

I really like your idea for this challenge! I'm always a little jealous of the simple "just do this thing" type challenges (I've learned the hard way I can't handle the unstructured ones myself - I lose all accountability) but I especially like how the goal even plays into the way you've set it up 

 

If I do the big complicated type of challenges I think I'd be too stressed to complete it.  

 

On 3/18/2019 at 7:12 PM, NeverThatBored said:

Hey Echo - following! Sleep is so hard. You mess up once and you feel the effects for days!

 

And I mess up a lot. But at least I'm not being myself up for it now.

 

On 3/19/2019 at 7:01 AM, Salinger said:

How you doing Echo?xx

 

Pretty good. I'm right now in the middle of preparing for another exam. 

[NicTheRugger]

You've got this!!

[Xena]

On 3/22/2019 at 10:48 AM, Echoceanic said:

Echo talks weird patterns.

 

So, right in the middle of this challenge's void (as in the part of it where Echo doesn't keep up with anything, stops exercising or being determined in any way and only goes through the motions while wishing she were asleep) I realised something weird.

This not only happens every month, but happens at the same time every month, give or take a few days (if the last three months are anything to go by). Which means I can predict it next challenge. So that's a good idea.

 

Smart to figure this out. Sounds like it will be much easier to deal with if you know to expect it.

[Echoceanic]

13 hours ago, Xena said:

Sounds like it will be much easier to deal with if you know to expect it.

 

We'll see how I do next month. I'd need to pay close attention.

 

Echo updates

Well, not all of the titles can be elaborative.

 

I've had a pretty productive week... wow only week two? It feels like week four- but maybe because it's the end of the month.

Anyway, I finished an exam that had the potential to be really annoying, but because I made sure to go into it with a 'you got this' attitude and a large share of stubbornness I managed to a) not have to go home having completed nothing and basically waste my bus fare, b) got an A c) the subsequent treat was because I made it not because I needed a bright spot in a day full of stress. So that is a milestone I like and am super proud of. My bane are inconsistent and flaky people.

Now I'm trying to not take a nap - I've been asleep for only 4 hours. Attempting to get back to exercising more and more too, and fining a way to make my studying easier. I will be taking on editing duties again as my book is back. All in all, taking these few days as a breather trip-wise as I start all over again next week, but pushing for other things.

 

On 3/22/2019 at 6:02 PM, NicTheRugger said:

You've got this!!

 

Thank you!

[Xena]

Congrats on acing you exam!