Most of my posts on here are about our family life and the kiddies especially. Inevitable really as they are the most important things in my life but for now I thought I would write a little post about me. I’m not particularly setting new years resolutions as I don’t think you have to start something new just because it is the new year. The being said there are changes that need to be made and things about me that I want to focus on and now is as good a time as any to start.
Diet and exercise
Yep, starting with the obvious one. I have been eating way too much for quite a while, even before Christmas and have definitely not worried about indulging over the Christmas period. I am not beating myself up over this, life is too short and I have enjoyed myself. But, and there is a but, I am not happy with the added weight I am carrying at the moment.
Our scales broke a while ago and we haven’t replaced them so I don’t know how much I actually weigh (I find it better to judge based on how my clothes fit anyway) but I am carrying it a bit differently at the moment. I’m pear shaped and have always carried extra weight around my hips and bottom. Now though, I guess as a result of being stretched from having 2 children I am very much expanding around my middle and ooh do I hate it! I have been wearing legs and tunics and dresses loads as it is more comfy than squeezing into jeans and it is time to tackle it. I’m a big believer that if you are unhappy about something then you are the one who needs to change it. So that is what I am going to do. No matter how much I enjoy eating, I don’t enjoy carrying around the extra weight so need to change.
Of course the main thing is going to be watching what I eat again. I have done weight watchers before and find the points really help me be aware of how much I am eating etc. so I will be doing that again. No fad diets here, just sensibe eating. Exercise is going to play a big part too though. My friends and I have been swimming once or twice a week for a while (thank goodness or I don’t know how huge I would be) so that will continue and I want to make it a definite twice a week thing. I also want to do more yoga or pilates as I really need to strengthen my back.
I’ve always had a few problems with my back, especially my lower back but since having kids my upper back can get terrible too. (All the carrying and stooping over etc.) It gives me horrific headaches from the referred pain and I know I need to work on strengthening my core and my whole body. There is a great pilates class nearby I was supposed to start a couple of months ago but, well, it hasn’t happened. The first week I didn’t go as LM had croup, the next week hubs Grandpa died that day, then I was ill, then I was preparing to host hub’s grandpa’s wake, then Monkey had croup, then I did actually go but the woman running it had the flu and cancelled the class! Then I was out for a meal and then it was Xmas week and they closed. So it has been a catalogue of disasters but I really want to try and go in January.
I’ve also been wondering how I can squeeze some yoga in to my day as I have a couple of good dvds and even 10 mins of good stretching here and there would be better than nothing. Every evening at the mo hubs does bath time with the kids and because I am shattered, unless I am sorting laundry I am generally lying on my bed playing candy crush until LM gets annoyed and I play with her while hubs carries on bathing Monkey. I am trying to make this a bit of yoga time instead and I have managed 2 days so far! Hopefully I can improve on that and hopefully it will contribute to me feeling better, fitter and stronger.
Postnatal Depression
I haven’t talked about it much for a while because I have being doing so much better on antidepressants but the time has come where my doctor has suggested trying to see how I feel about coming off them. There’s no rush obviously but it has been over 6 mths and I guess you don’t know if you don’t try, right? So she has suggested taking them on alternate days to see how I feel. I started this right before Christmas and sadly it didn’t go well. I would skip a tablet and feel fine all that day, but the following morning I was feeling very stressed again. I wondered if it was psychosomatic but I would have thought that if that was the case then I would have felt anxious on the day I skipped a tablet, rather than 24hrs later?
Anyway I got quite anxious and stressed and after a chat with my husband, who was concerned about the way I was reacting to things, we decided I wouldn’t try this until after Christmas. Christmas can be stressful enough as it is and he didn’t like seeing me reacting the way I was when things were at their worst. I am trying again now though and so we shall see how things go this time. If I react the same way again then I will tell my doctor that I don’t feel ready yet, as I don’t want to pressure myself into coming off them until I am ready.
I also hope to make a bit more time for me and my friends this year as it is all too easy to be consumed with family life, though I know it does me the world of good to just be me from time to time. It’s a difficult one as my kids are the most important thing in the world to me but I know it is good for them to have time with their Daddy and with their grandparents and good for them if I feel fresh from having a break. The doesn’t always make it easy to leave them though or take away the guilt when Monkey gets sad about me going. Which happens.. even some time afterwards and even if he had a lovely time at the time, he just comes out with the fact that mummy going somewhere made him sad. Talk about pulling my heart strings! But I know he has so much of me that it isn’t a bad thing for me to do things for myself sometimes too.
As for the blogging…. I um and ah about it a lot and think about stopping but the truth is enjoy it. I am always thinking about what else I can blog about. I am never going to be a huge blogger, I just don’t have the time or energy. I don’t contact pr companies or fight to get what I can… If someone would like me to review something and it is something I would genuinely use then I will review it. Otherwise again I just don’t have the time or energy. But that’s OK because it is a hobby I enjoy and the rest doesn’t really matter. I am going to make more of an effort to engage with the blogging community though and my favourite bloggers in particular. I can be very insular by nature and tend to hide away rather than joining in with things but this can mean I miss out so I want to try a bit harder with that.
I am also going to try and be a bit more organised. While Hubs has been off we have done a lot of sroting round the house, the loft and garage are much more organised as are many of our cupboards and the conservatory is possibly the cleanest it has ever been. So this should help. I have aso been rubbish at doing things like sending thank you cards over the past year which I hate so I am going to try and be more organised in that respect too.
So I say I am not setting new years resolutions… but I guess I am. I just hope that they are realistic and achieveable though rather than pie in the sky objectives that will fall by the wayside after a few months!! Over all I think I just want to be happy this year and I hope that by making a decision to change the things I dislike that I can achieve that and feel better overall.
Are you setting yourselves any resolutions this January? What would you like to achieve over the next year?
Great goals hon, and the theme I felt throughout this post is that you aren’t putting too much pressure on yourself. I’m also sure that once you get your diet and exercise to where you want it, you’ll start feeling better mentally. I know it makes a huge difference to my own mental health wellbeing. Hope that coming off the meds goes a bit smoother second time around. Hugs xx
Happy New Year! These are great goals, nice and fluid and things that really will make a difference to you. I think that’s what they’re about. I think you made the right decision about your tablets, Christmas is crazy, busy, stressful, non-stop, you really only want to try changing them when you really are at a calm moment with no big events (I know this from my crohns meds as it can be triggered by stress (or way after a stressful event), and the doctors always want to be very sure I’m at the right place with the rest of my life before reducing tablets etc).
Oh and please don’t give up blogging, I do enjoy your posts!! X
I have also put on weight and I hate my new ‘flabby’ look, but I also love food way too much… I would also love to manage squeezing in some yoga. It’s really important to try and find time for ourselves, isn’t it?
Postnatal depression is a tough one. I’m also rather quiet about it, but gosh it is tough. It takes (a lot of) time to recover and I am not even considering coming off medication yet. Just about managing to keep your head above water is nice, but learning to swim takes ages. xx
Ah sounds like a good plan Hun! Agree totally with the diet and sensible eating 🙂 I also reckon right decision with the tablets; think you need to feel really ready to cut them down and no hurry is there! Glad you will keep blogging; would be sad if you stopped xx #thetruthabout
These are great goals. I have my fingers crossed you can decrease your antidepressants but you have to do it at the right time so it’s not a set back. I am with you on the blogging, I tried last year to do loads but it just got all too much and at the minute with the two boys it’s got to be a hobby. I don’t have the time or energy for it to be any more at the moment. #twinklytuesday xx
Good luck with your goals, I hope they go well for you! Like you, I don’t like New Year Resolutions, but also like you have some goals that I’ve set which also include getting fit, cutting down on my wine intake (!) and writing more. #thetruthabout
Looks to me like you have set yourself achievable and realistic goals. Wishing you all the best (especially coming off the antidepressants).
Dosh, forgot the hash tag #truthabout
Happy New Year Caroline and wishing you all the best for trying to achieve your goals this year. Sounds like it was a good decision to stay on the meds in the run-up to Christmas and hope that trying to come off them will be easier the next time, especially if you feel more ready to do so. Good luck with trying to lose weight and get a little fitter and getting more organised too x
I think these are good goals. It is so important to find time for yourself even for just 10 minutes to pamper yourself. This is my 2016 goal too – to find 10 minutes everyday for me time only. Where I live there is a children creche, they can look after your kid for just an hour or two while you can get things done. I haven’t try it yet – but I think I will give it ago as my youngest is now getting a bit older – coming to 2yrs old. Is there something like this in your area? I agree with your decision with the meds. Take it slow – you’ll know when you are ready. Big hugs. xx #TwinklyTuesday
Good luck with your goals and hope 2016 is filled with happiness X #thetruthabout
Health, exercise, mental health, being a better friend, engaging as a blogger, being more organised – all fab goals but just remember not to try and do everything all at once! That’s my problem with resolutions, you can never just have one and once you have a few it becomes a juggle to try and achieve them all. Lovely to feel so motivated at this time of year though – I guess that’s the best bit of January! Thanks for linking up hon Xx #thetruthabout
Good luck with your goals!
There’s nothing wrong with not fighting to become a ‘huge’ blogger. We all blog for different reasons – for some it is a valuable source of income, for others it’s therapy, and for some (like me) it’s just for the sheer joy of writing. The most important thing is that you enjoy it and consider it a worthwhile use of time.
My one big goal for this year is to actually get my book written, rather than just talking about getting it written, which is where I have been for the past six months. I’ve mapped out a plan of exactly what I’m going to do (and, just as importantly, what I’m going to stop doing). Now to get on with it … #twinklytuesday