A Switch Turned On
Do you know one of the main things that has hindered my progress in creating habits and sticking to them? Motivation. It comes in flows but usually I only get it for a day. Two tops. I can start my week off well, then by Wednesday things are back to where they started and I feel defeated once again. Weekends are my "days off" in terms of routines and keeping the house running, unless we have people over, which we then tidy up pretty quickly. But usually what happens is things get left for me to deal with on Monday. Monday's really haven't been my favourite day because of that. But Monday is usually the day I have a kick of motivation to get things running smoothly again. I use up all my energy and have none for the rest of the week!
However, something changed in my brain over a week ago. I will admit that I have struggled mentally for quite a few years in terms of feeling like there was something wrong with me. I didn't feel "normal", I felt stupid, distracted, almost numb in certain situations. I always forget things, I miss appointments - I was late to a close friend's wedding because I got the wrong time in my head!! - I can't think things through properly, I struggle with what I would think was easy, I couldn't stick to any good routines or habits. It was just too much. I read up on some information about symptoms of ADD in adult women. I ticked most of the boxes. I have done this previously a few years ago but I tried to deny it as it made me feel worse. But this time I decided to search for ways people with ADD thrive and came up with some good strategies. They are simple and quite obvious, but it was enough for me to decide that I was going to succeed; that this is who I am and it's part of me. I just needed to do things differently. This gave me a push of determination which has stayed with me so far. I'm two weeks into my new way of thinking and I'm feeling so positive about my days, my routine/habit progress, and I am really liking this 'new me'!
I went back to the drawing board with my routines and once again, for the umpteenth time found the FlyLady system. Check her out if you want to know more. Her website is a bit busy and full on, and if you sign up you get a TON of emails, so take what you want and leave the rest. I don't subscribe to her emails anymore as I was seriously getting up to 10 emails a day, as I wasn't willing to pay a subscription to get her once-a-day emails! But, I do follow two channels on YouTube who I just love. My absolute favourite is Diane in Denmark. She is so positive, encouraging, and goes through the Baby Steps. You can follow her on Instagram as well I also follow The Secret Slob. She is a mum of 3 young kids so a bit more realistic in terms of what her house looks like.
So, back on track a bit, I have been working on my Morning Routine and my Zone Cleaning for almost two weeks. When I get to a Zone that needs more tidying/decluttering then I don't do the actual cleaning, I do decluttering and tidying instead. So far I have given my kitchen a good clean, Mr 3's bedroom, and almost finished the main bathroom. There are things I'm cleaning that I haven't cleaned since moving in 3 years ago.. I am loving it! I feel like I have more focus, energy, and strength to actually get my jobs done.
On another note, my physio appointments are still happening to strengthen my back and core, and I am having really good progress with that. I have exercises to do daily, or every 2nd day, and I am working on my posture. My posture wasn't bad, she only needed to suggest a couple little tweaks, but it has honestly made the biggest difference to my pain level!! At the worst part of my day, which is first thing in the morning, my pain/stiffness level has been about an 8-9, depending on how I slept and whether I had my baby in bed with me. Now I'm probably at a 6-7 and I recover to a 3-4 within an hour, whereas normally it has taken up to 3 hours to get back to a state of being able to bend and pick up any sort of weight. Then for the rest of the day it probably hovers around 2-3, sometimes higher depending on what I have been doing. I also have plantar fasciitis pain which makes it hard to walk when my back pain level is high, or if I've been sitting down for a short length of time. I'm hoping that starts improving too.
What is something you are battling with or struggling with? Has it impacted how you view your day? What steps have you taken, or could take, to focus on striving in life rather than just surviving? I'd love to hear your stories!
However, something changed in my brain over a week ago. I will admit that I have struggled mentally for quite a few years in terms of feeling like there was something wrong with me. I didn't feel "normal", I felt stupid, distracted, almost numb in certain situations. I always forget things, I miss appointments - I was late to a close friend's wedding because I got the wrong time in my head!! - I can't think things through properly, I struggle with what I would think was easy, I couldn't stick to any good routines or habits. It was just too much. I read up on some information about symptoms of ADD in adult women. I ticked most of the boxes. I have done this previously a few years ago but I tried to deny it as it made me feel worse. But this time I decided to search for ways people with ADD thrive and came up with some good strategies. They are simple and quite obvious, but it was enough for me to decide that I was going to succeed; that this is who I am and it's part of me. I just needed to do things differently. This gave me a push of determination which has stayed with me so far. I'm two weeks into my new way of thinking and I'm feeling so positive about my days, my routine/habit progress, and I am really liking this 'new me'!
I went back to the drawing board with my routines and once again, for the umpteenth time found the FlyLady system. Check her out if you want to know more. Her website is a bit busy and full on, and if you sign up you get a TON of emails, so take what you want and leave the rest. I don't subscribe to her emails anymore as I was seriously getting up to 10 emails a day, as I wasn't willing to pay a subscription to get her once-a-day emails! But, I do follow two channels on YouTube who I just love. My absolute favourite is Diane in Denmark. She is so positive, encouraging, and goes through the Baby Steps. You can follow her on Instagram as well I also follow The Secret Slob. She is a mum of 3 young kids so a bit more realistic in terms of what her house looks like.
So, back on track a bit, I have been working on my Morning Routine and my Zone Cleaning for almost two weeks. When I get to a Zone that needs more tidying/decluttering then I don't do the actual cleaning, I do decluttering and tidying instead. So far I have given my kitchen a good clean, Mr 3's bedroom, and almost finished the main bathroom. There are things I'm cleaning that I haven't cleaned since moving in 3 years ago.. I am loving it! I feel like I have more focus, energy, and strength to actually get my jobs done.
On another note, my physio appointments are still happening to strengthen my back and core, and I am having really good progress with that. I have exercises to do daily, or every 2nd day, and I am working on my posture. My posture wasn't bad, she only needed to suggest a couple little tweaks, but it has honestly made the biggest difference to my pain level!! At the worst part of my day, which is first thing in the morning, my pain/stiffness level has been about an 8-9, depending on how I slept and whether I had my baby in bed with me. Now I'm probably at a 6-7 and I recover to a 3-4 within an hour, whereas normally it has taken up to 3 hours to get back to a state of being able to bend and pick up any sort of weight. Then for the rest of the day it probably hovers around 2-3, sometimes higher depending on what I have been doing. I also have plantar fasciitis pain which makes it hard to walk when my back pain level is high, or if I've been sitting down for a short length of time. I'm hoping that starts improving too.
What is something you are battling with or struggling with? Has it impacted how you view your day? What steps have you taken, or could take, to focus on striving in life rather than just surviving? I'd love to hear your stories!
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