Month: January 2016

Weekly Check-In

On By beinggoodeIn Self Care, WeeklyLeave a comment

I can’t believe it’s the end of January. This week flew by with all the working. I’m really tired but feeling good that I can work this hard and be this tough. I also got to test out the American Red Cross Blood donor app. It’s pretty cool and great for tracking info and setting up future appointments. Now if I could only get them to stop calling me all the time.

Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line (we were busy this week and it’s the first week of my new shift which is an hour later).
  • 1+ Hours donating Blood (sticking to my new years resolution)

Charitable Giving

  • Zero

Personal Kindnesses

  • Even as I’m on an extended job search I really make sure to be supportive of others who are starting new jobs or interviewing. Someone came up to my desk looking for a certain room and mentioned they were interviewing. I made sure to congratulate them and wish them luck. There is enough success to go around and someone else’s success should be celebrated like your own.

Self Care

  • I managed to get a run and a couple of workouts in this week.
  • When I have a rare free night I spend at home snuggling with my dog. She’s a sweetie and doesn’t like that I’m away from home longer hours.
  • A friend reminded me to find time for myself too. I feel like the blood donation really was for me. It was sticking to my resolution, something I really want to do. Plus I saved up to 3 lives!

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Exercise as Self-Care

On By beinggoodeIn Self Care, ThoughtsLeave a comment

So one of the self-care topics that is really important to me is exercise. I feel like it’s an under used and under rated resource.

 

One of the reasons that January posts have been a little scattered is because I took time to take a vacation. My first one in years! I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon and took a week to enjoy Walt Disney World with my friends. It was wonderful. It was my first marathon and I finished (not very fast)!! I wore a princess costume and took a ton of pictures. It was such an amazing feeling to accomplish such a big goal and wear a nice big medal to match!

 

I started running over a year ago. I ran a couple of half marathons, a 5k, and a 10k. I really enjoyed it and my dog really really enjoyed the training. I plan on doing a couple more half marathons, 5ks, and 10ks this year and haven’t really ruled out doing a marathon again.

 

I view my running as a self-care project from start to finish. I’m not trying to set any speed records (which is good because I’m slow) or beat anyone or even really to lose weight. I run to clear my head and get into my body. I run because it makes my dog happy and that makes me happy. I run because I live right by one of the most beautiful parks in the US. I run Disney races so I can dress up and see the parks with other happy people. I run to feel accomplished. I run for an excuse to travel. I run to leave stress in the dust.

 

I grew up dancing and doing gymnastics and I’ve practiced yoga most of my adult life. I got into running because the races came up and it was something I could do pretty easily. Exercise is one of the easiest and fastest self-care activities. You can sweat out your problems so easily. I understand it gets hard to get started when you’re feeling down or stressed or just lazy but I’ve seen for myself the benefits.

 

I went to see Temple Grandin speak at the LA Library. She took a question from the audience and a teenage girl with autism asked her for advice. “Exercise, everyday even if you don’t want to.” Exercise heals our brain as much as it improves our body. I’ve seen it working at the Special Olympics World Games. Sport can have such a positive impact no matter what level you are.

tumblr_mhp5rdle9W1s2r3qgo1_500

What is your exercise routine? Do you have a physical resolution? Do you feel the same way about exercise as self care?

Weekly Check-in

On By beinggoodeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I realize this is late and I hope you’ll be understanding. I’ve had to go back to working 2 jobs – 7 days a week, 50+ hours to try to kind of make ends meet. I’ve been hoping a full time job was right around the corner for quite a few corners now. Hopefully just a couple more corners to turn and I can focus more on philanthropy and fun. 

Weekly 
Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line

 
Charitable Giving

  • As you’ve probably gathered from the first part of this post, charitable giving really isn’t in the cards for me right now. 

 
Personal Kindnesses

  • I’m not sure what I did this week but I really appreciate all the kindness directed at me. My friend helped me get my second job and listened to me vent after my first shift. 

 
Self Care

  • Self care in January has been going really well. Mostly I’ve focused on exercising and eating right. But also spending time with friends. 

 
Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Talent Inspires

On By beinggoodeIn ThoughtsLeave a comment

It’s been a little while since I updated and I’m working through the guilt of that. Self-care isn’t always easy. I took my first weeklong vacation in over 3 years and ran my first marathon; lots of great self-care and lots of things to work on. More on my trip and my race in a later post.

 

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! A beautiful speaker with a beautiful message. What resonates with me as I think about his work and influence is that he empowered everyone to be caring, to make a difference, and to change what we see. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that your impact is a choice and comes from hard work not circumstance. “How easy it is to say, ‘I would have been better if I had had better hereditary circumstances.’” You don’t have to be a millionaire or a princess to be kind to someone else, to help someone get a healthy meal, or to make someone feel like they matter.

He shared this and so many other inspiring messages.  Dr. King Jr. had a talent for speaking and motivating others, he was one of the greatest orators of the 20th century. He used his talents to excite a nation and continues to excite us today.

I hope you take some time in this three-day weekend to check in with yourself. What are you talented at? Looking at our talents is a great way to navigate philanthropy. Often what we’re talented at we love to do. And when we do what we love to help others we nourish ourselves along the way. I know that I love to knit and sew and it’s a fun hobby of mine. But over the past couple of years when I’ve directed my projects to donation, knitting has become a lot more enjoyable. I challenge you to think about something you love and do a little research to find out how you can pair your talent with service. I think today is a very appropriate day to think about that. Hopefully you’ll share some ideas in the comments.

Maybe you’ll use some of those talents today to volunteer. I know that this holiday inspires many service events across the country.

 

doright