How My life Improved With One Word
Lately, I have been feeling so extremely happy and balanced. I feel like my life is starting to get to a great place where health, fitness, school, and obligations are super important, yet relaxing, enjoyment, having fun, and living my life are of equal importance. I am becoming kinder to my mind, body, and soul and creating a life I never want to stop living. I’m not going to pretend that my negative self talk and impossible goals have just disappeared. That is just simply not true. My posts aren’t about me solving everything and having a life full of sunshine and rainbows. These posts are what I have learned and what I am trying to implement. This platform has always been a way for me to work towards attaining my best, most authentic self and this will only be achieved through balance. Balance is not a linear process. It is a lifelong process that we all will struggle with.
I have always been a “yes” girl, but not to everything if that makes any sense. I love to be on the move at all times, but I feel like I wasn’t stepping out of my comfort zone in this way. I would say “yes” to tennis, a second workout of the day, going out to dinner with my parents and their friends, but I wasn’t embracing the child and the teenager in me. I love being mature, however we all need to heal our inner child in some ways. Instead of just saying “yes” to the things I know I love and that feel comfortable to me, I now say “yes” to the things that scare me or that I haven’t done before. For me, it is always hard to stray from my internal plans. I wake up and a plan is immediately created in some way, shape, or form. It can get overwhelming, and I start to get hard on myself, feeling like I have to stick to the exact plan even if the alternative sounds more fun. I now think of my plans as “penciled in.” I like to at least have a rough plan because it makes the days more fun and eases my anxiety. I can fit in more of the things I enjoy and have an idea of where my day is going. However, sometimes it’s nice not knowing where your day is going. Maybe you will decide to go to dinner or sunset or a football game. Activities pop up and this life is short so we must seize the day. It’s ok if you skip a workout to go make a memory, it’s not that deep. Start saying “yes” and not only that, but seek out the “yes.” Instead of waiting for people to ask you to hang out, ask them. Why should they have to ask first? What is the worst thing that could happen? They say no? Who cares! Then, you move on.
Saying “yes” to fun experiences outside of school has made coming to school even more fun. I finally feel balanced and not drained from work. I’m ready to complete the tasks I have for the day so I can come home and go to a lightning game or go to homecoming over the weekend. Taking a rest day or two helps me feel replenished with energy, purpose, and power for my next workout.
I have been taking each day as it comes and feeling out what I want. Instead of “oh, I did something fun yesterday I should do work today,” see what you needs to be done work wise, grind it out, and then have your fun. There is no limit on fun, you just need to get the work done. What I am struggling with is feeling guilty for having fun. I can’t completely explain it, but we all need to know that no matter what we are worthy of having fun and living everyday to the fullest. Our worth is not measured by our productivity. Saying “yes” means opening up and exploring the world and the opportunities that lie within.
“Health” to me means balance, and I am trying to instill this in my life. Many times saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to another. We only have so much band-width and time to do things. We may want to do a million things, but only have time for a few. We have to prioritize. Our priorities for each day will be different. Sometimes you might want to prioritize nutrients and working out, some might be rest and recovery, and others might be partying and junk food.
If you lean more towards the side of always saying “yes,” maybe you need to balance it out by saying “no” more often. Having a good balance of doing fun things and working hard is important. The more hard work you do, the more rewarding and fun the good times are. Hard work does not mean succeeding, it means putting in the effort to work towards your goals.