If you’re not familiar with the concept of this happiness project (and the book I was inspired by), be sure to check out this post!
Welcome to the third month of my happiness project! Before I jump into my plan for March, I want to do a review of February. If you’d like to skip this over, click here to jump down to March.
In February, I worked on incorporating mindfulness into my everyday life. Although I made many joyful memories with family and friends, I also encountered some stressful situations. The habits I incorporated I felt alleviated much of that stress and kept me focused on what mattered. Not only that, but I made a conscious effort to not let the bad overtake the good – which I felt really made a difference. Here’s a breakdown of how each goal last month turned out:
Daily meditation in the morning.
We’ve had some very sudden changes at work lately, which will lead to some major changes over time. I’m massively uncomfortable by uncertainty by any means, so this has left me bogged down. The day I found out the news, I had no idea what this meant and I had to travel to company headquarters the next day along with everyone else in our region to find out. That night, I couldn’t sleep. But in the morning, I continued with my routine meditation and reciting my mantras I feel helped me keep calm. Sure, the day was still crazy, but I was able to reassure myself with just a few minutes every morning.
I applied meditation to my cloudier mornings as well. In the past, I convinced myself that staring at my phone screen would be enough light to wake me up. I can’t say that’s true anymore – and I’ve since ditched the habit of browsing my phone when I wake up.
Daily journaling in the evening.
As I mentioned when I set these goals, I was already journaling fairly regularly. But I did want to set the time to sit down and break down my thoughts. I am overall fairly uncertain about who I want to be and what I want to do. I have a general idea, and I don’t really dislike any path in software development so far, so I keep my mind open and continue to learn. But I’d like to have an idea of where I’d be my best and what my future plans are. This is not limited to my career – it extends to every aspect of life. Sitting down to journal is helping me discover what my qualities are. That way, I can apply them to my life to be better at whatever I set my mind to.
Readily dismiss negative thoughts and energy.
It’s amazing what a change in mindset did for me. The second half of February wasn’t as great as the first. But when I was faced with negativity I thought of how great of a year I’ve had so far despite it. Happy memories should be here to stay, and I will keep them present whenever the rough patches come back.
In my last post in regards to this project, I mentioned how easy it is to work up a group in conversation over a past negative experience. I was able to realize this and how it affected my mood. As I also mentioned, I can’t control the flow of conversation. But what I can do is recognize how negative conversations make me feel in the end, and how it’s worth it, in the end, to change the subject, when possible, to something more positive. Why get worked up over something bad when you can be excited over something great?
Embrace my thoughts without distraction.
I’ve faced this issue for many years. Yes, it’s good to focus on the good parts of life. But sometimes, when something’s stressing you out or making you feel down, you have to face that instead of ignoring it, because it’s not going to go away. Browsing or reading was always my distractions from these things. But in the end if I asked myself what I was feeling is and why, I wouldn’t end up with the long-term dragging feeling for trying to push those feelings aside. It’s just as important to understand our own feelings and sources of stress as it is for us to understand that of others.
MARCH
When I originally spread out a plan for this project, I already designated goals that I wanted to tackle for each month. This month, I’ve decided to make some changes to some of those plans.
There are two reasons I have for doing this. For one, I feel that I’ve prematurely set the goals that I originally intended for this month, as well as the goals I had set for some months in the future. Since I set myself on this path of personal development, I ended up opening myself to many areas where I can improve myself, because why wait for that month? I can now either move to a new goal for that month or set new challenges.
My other reason has to do with more recent changes, and remembering that, although my word for this year is growth, it is still a happiness project. And this month’s focus has to do with something I’ve been unhappy about for most of my life – my weight.
I’ve struggled to gain (and keep) my weight for as long as I’ve ever been aware of it, and in the past few years, I’ve been discovering why this has been such an issue for me. With my weight gain missions in the past, I’ve been bad at listening to what my body tried to tell me, and I’d end up sick constantly. But this time, I want to gain weight the right way. I need to give my body the proper nutrients it needs so I can consistently eat above my maintenance every day. And in the coming months, I want to confirm the suspicions that my doctors have about my condition so I can make the lifestyle changes I need to, making me healthy and able to thrive.
So this month is – you guessed it – health and fitness! My goals will be more centered around food and eating habits than exercise. I already have a routine that I know works for me (which is mostly weights). I also know that most of my success is driven by what I eat, and to reflect that I have created these goals for March:
Have several lists of meal plans and snack options.
This is more of a pre-planning goal, but an important one for sure! Keeping a running list of snacks, meals, prepped foods, etc. is crucial to my success. Sometimes I’m looking for something to eat and will give up or eat something small because I’m not prepared. But if I have ideas for what I should be having, this should save me time and help me consume calories quicker, without opting for unhealthy options.
Follow weight gain goals.
Usually, I advocate for being more specific when writing down and committing to goals. But for this goal, I’m going to leave it a little vague. Over time, I want to gain more weight. And in the span of one month, I probably won’t gain that much. It takes time to make changes to your body, and I don’t want to rush that. I also don’t want to commit to a number on the scale, because I know that, as long as my number is not underweight, that it won’t matter. A certain weight on two people of the same height can look completely different. I will check the scale for my progress, but for the most part, it will not determine my success.
What I will plan out in detail, however, are how many calories and macronutrients I intend to consume per day. Following these numbers and recording my results should lead me to my goal, and if I need to add a couple hundred calories more at the end of the day, I will change my numbers and start again.
Increase frequency of workouts.
Although this was already in my plans, I’m going to list it here anyway. I changed my workout regimen in the winter, and now I’m excited to do more frequent and intense workouts! With the right fuel, I hope to see performance better than ever in the coming months.
Have at least 10 cups of water a day.
Why ten, you ask? Over time, I found out that this was the right number for me. I feel hydrated, my skin glows, and I’m more energized. Usually, I hit this goal more than half of the time, but making this more consistent should help with the other goals. I also intend to drink a little more water on the days I work out.
Listen to your body.
For a long time, I’ve been trying to figure out why my body just loves making me sick over certain foods, or even after sticking to the same diet constantly. I’ve been figuring this out with the help of doctors, but if I’m especially trying to make my body gain weight despite this, I need to listen to when something’s not right. I need to keep track of my diet and routines to see when something goes wrong. And hopefully, this won’t put me in the cycle I usually have. I’ve always ended my trials with “Well, my body just wants to be where it’s at so I’m gonna give up.” Nope. Not anymore.
Don’t let the number bother you.
I hinted at this earlier, and I want to state it again. My doctor says that he’s not necessarily concerned about my weight as long as it doesn’t drop. And I know that if I’m constantly checking the scale that I will drive myself nuts. I have to remind myself that it’s not about the number. It’s about how I feel and the comfort I have with myself. I want to feel happier and healthier, and my happiness will not be determined by that number. Most people cannot guess my weight. Since I started this cycle and since I started working out, my body has looked different in many ways over the past few years. In those years I gained more muscles to my lower body, my legs, my back, my shoulders. But you know what? I was the same weight, give or take a few pounds.
Again, I will be checking the scale as a measure of my progress and to see if I need changes in my diet. But that’s not the end goal for me. If I feel better and healthier, that’s what matters the most.
Thank you for reading! If you’d like to continue reading about my project, click here to see what my goals are for April. Do you have any health and fitness goals that you’re working towards? Let me know below.
Sincerely,
Julie Anna
