Do a little, it means a lot

Every morning I wake up to pain and anxiety. The pain hits first, with aching joints and sore skin. I do not really know why it hurts, but it hurts. It takes several minutes to get up and out of the bed. As I prepare myself for the first step onto the floor, the anxiety sets in. The feeling that today will be the worst day. Being a little dramatic? Maybe, but that is where my head goes. I did this morning routine for years. Day after day of waking up to pain and my brain telling me to go back to be because it is safe in bed. My dogs need me,and I need to get a hold of things. This year I am making changes to combat the dreaded mornings.

Before anything, I started with my annual physical the first week of January. My doctor and I spent an hour discussing my concerns, emotions, pain level, and my future plans. The doctor and the staff had me hopeful in finally finding a way through my problems. It would start with being consistent with my medication.

Step one on my way to life improvement was medication. I have a bad habit of skipping meds when my anxiety is high; one of those meds is directly counteracting the anxiety. So, the first thing I do when waking is take my medicine. I have water on my nightstand and greet the day with much-needed anxiety and pain treatments.

Step two was taking control of my diet. I do not mean that I am starting a "diet" like low carb or something. I mean, my everyday way of eating needed adjusting. Like many people, I crave less than nutritious food when I do not feel well. And with the pain and anxiety I start my day with, one could understand that my first food choices were not ideal. I raved sweet, processed foods. This food affected my entire day. I became hungry quickly, and my mood would dip. There were some days that I would begin to shake from the sugar crash. My day now begins with oatmeal or other hot cereal, fruit, and an egg. This meal keeps me full until lunch and is easy to make in my groggy mornings. Lunch is often something vegetarian; meat makes me feel sluggish in the middle of the day. Dinner is mostly vegetables served in many ways. Most of my food will be homemade, so I know exactly what I am eating.

Step three is to move more. Exercise is probably predictable, but it is important. And I do not just mean exercise when I say to move more. While I will be working out for at least 20 minutes, 3 days a week (on top of walking the dogs), I will also encourage myself to get more done. I love doing crafts, but I find so many reasons not to start or complete anything. I cannot keep to a cleaning schedule either. So, part of my way forward is to stop the procrastination when it can be helped. Doing crafts brings me the type of joy that cannot be found in watching TV or scrolling through social media. The feeling of finishing a new costume or scarf is amazing. What is even better is working in a clean and uncluttered space. It does not have to be perfect but getting rid of useless junk mail and old CD cases will give me more space to think and breathe. I am hoping to make the Disney Princess costumes my dogs deserve.

These steps are small and simple and will make a world of difference. I have spent a month working on these things and currently feel like do so much more with my life. I’ve had more energy to stay in contact with my friends and family. My dogs get a longer playtime with me. I have also joined a few committees at work to be more involved and gain extra experience. I was so overwhelmed with life in general, and now I feel like I have a hold of something. That feeling is the most encouraging result that I have ever had with any New Year’s resolution.