Hi everyone!
I hope you all are doing well and had a nice, warm, and safe holiday! Since Christmas is over now, we're quickly moving into the New Year, and that means New Year's Resolutions! I usually do not put my resolutions out there because I personally tend to make them quite broad and non-specific. I also usually just don't like sharing them because I'm scared to not go through with a lot of things I said I would. But this year, I want to share my journey with all of you and maybe we can bump ideas and tips off of one another! Resolutions are not that easy, and breaking old habits and getting into the groove of a new one takes time, so don't be too hard on yourself. Let's help each other!
My overall goal for 2017 is to simply take care of myself.
I will not lie, 2016 was one of the most difficult years of my life thus far. I have been through a lot of personal battles that interfered with my mental and emotional well-being that I am not too ready to share as of yet. It felt like one thing after another threatened my sanity and my peace of mind and a lot of it interfered with my academic life. My physical health was deteriorating in front of my loved one's eyes and I am thankful for those who stuck my by side through everything, but no one can truly help me unless I make those steps in the right direction to help myself. I am ready to take those steps into helping myself and taking care of home first.
I found out I was Diabetic in early October and it has made me really take a step back and reconsider my lifestyle and overall habits. It explained so much of how I was feeling for a long time and it put a lot of things in perspective for me. I will be posting a blog post all about my diabetes and how I came to find out another day, so watch out for that. It has been very hard transitioning into a healthier lifestyle being a college student. I found out during my first round of exams and its been a bumpy road since then. I've been getting sick and having infections more often due to my high sugars. I've felt lethargic and ready to pass out where I am. It's crippling and I have even took days off of school just to recuperate and rest. This is no way to live, and although this is going to be a chronic disease I will have to live with for the rest of my life, IT IS DOABLE. With diabetes, you have the control and the ball is in your court. How you feel is a direct correlation to how you take care of yourself. It is manageable, and although difficult to get into the swing of things, I know I can do it.
The first step is changing my diet.
I'm still learning more about diabetes and although my dad has had it most of his life, I am just understanding what exactly it is. My diet has a lot to do with why I developed it, but since it runs in my family, I was definitely at a higher risk. I am not at my ideal weight, but I wouldn't say I was unhappy with what I was at. I don't think I am overweight, although some doctors would say otherwise, but I definitely am not obese. I wasn't too big on sweets, just occasionally, but always drank a lot of soda. That is definitely going to decrease come 2017. But from diabetes education offered at my hospital, I found that the big reason why my blood sugars would dramatically increase (numbers reaching as high as 500!) was due to my carb intake. I eat A LOT of rice daily. I grew up on it, I make it at my apartment, it is literally a staple in my diet, so when I found out that it is literally killing me, I was pretty taken back. I already started implementing my diet changes a month ago, but I definitely want to meal plan and eat consistent, balanced, and well-portioned meals. I am horrible at managing my meals, ranging from eating once a day/not eating at all, to stuffing my face all day. My dad, who I deem a pro at managing his sugars now, suggested eating a lot of small meals throughout the day to sustain his energy. I would like to do that as well, but starting out, I want to start eating breakfast more often, since I used to never eat breakfast. I hate breakfast. But I think eating 3 times a day will be a good start for me while checking my sugars 4x a day.
I need to start a gym routine!
If you asked me the last time I went to the gym, I'd laugh. Yep, it's been awhile. I definitely need to start working out more to help sustain my blood sugars. The more you eat, the more you workout. Exercise will help decrease the glucose in your blood, and because mine have been so high, it is the best thing for me to do. I want to start off slow and ease into it because the last time I went for a walk in the summer, I almost passed out. Habits like these take time to get used to, and I don't want to overwork myself. Easing into habits are better than just jumping straight into it because that way, you're more likely to stick with your routine.
The first step is changing my diet.
I'm still learning more about diabetes and although my dad has had it most of his life, I am just understanding what exactly it is. My diet has a lot to do with why I developed it, but since it runs in my family, I was definitely at a higher risk. I am not at my ideal weight, but I wouldn't say I was unhappy with what I was at. I don't think I am overweight, although some doctors would say otherwise, but I definitely am not obese. I wasn't too big on sweets, just occasionally, but always drank a lot of soda. That is definitely going to decrease come 2017. But from diabetes education offered at my hospital, I found that the big reason why my blood sugars would dramatically increase (numbers reaching as high as 500!) was due to my carb intake. I eat A LOT of rice daily. I grew up on it, I make it at my apartment, it is literally a staple in my diet, so when I found out that it is literally killing me, I was pretty taken back. I already started implementing my diet changes a month ago, but I definitely want to meal plan and eat consistent, balanced, and well-portioned meals. I am horrible at managing my meals, ranging from eating once a day/not eating at all, to stuffing my face all day. My dad, who I deem a pro at managing his sugars now, suggested eating a lot of small meals throughout the day to sustain his energy. I would like to do that as well, but starting out, I want to start eating breakfast more often, since I used to never eat breakfast. I hate breakfast. But I think eating 3 times a day will be a good start for me while checking my sugars 4x a day.
I need to start a gym routine!
If you asked me the last time I went to the gym, I'd laugh. Yep, it's been awhile. I definitely need to start working out more to help sustain my blood sugars. The more you eat, the more you workout. Exercise will help decrease the glucose in your blood, and because mine have been so high, it is the best thing for me to do. I want to start off slow and ease into it because the last time I went for a walk in the summer, I almost passed out. Habits like these take time to get used to, and I don't want to overwork myself. Easing into habits are better than just jumping straight into it because that way, you're more likely to stick with your routine.
Take a step back, be positive, relax, BREATHE.
Things have been quite overwhelming for me this past year. My relationship with my parents felt like they were hanging off a cliff, my academic life was rocky, I was pushing the only man who has supported me through everything away; I was unhappy.
I want to go into 2017 with a more positive attitude.
I need to relax when it comes to schooling and my future goals in life because how will I achieve anything if my health is deteriorating? College students sacrifice their well-being for school. We sacrifice our mental, emotional, and physical health just to pass a class. I will no longer let school get the best of me. I think I handled my most recent semester a lot better than I have in the past. I didn't do anything too last minute, I made a planner and stuck with it to help organize my responsibilities and obligations, and it helped me tremendously. I want to continue implementing using my planner and keeping myself organized for school to help my sanity. I will do another blog post about making my own planner!
You only see what I show you on social media and from the outside looking it, my relationship may look like "goals", but behind a lot of what you see, was a lot of ugly as well. I hit a new low in my relationship and we have done a lot of different things to try to save it. I found that a lot of our misery was due to the personal battles we were fighting in ourselves. Through everything, we knew we still loved each other and we are each other's best friends, so we knew we could get through it together. In the New Year, I want to leave all the ugly, the sadness, and everything else that was weighing me down in 2016. There is no place for that negativity in my relationship. He has been there for everything and has never once told me he wanted to leave, even at my lowest point. Although we may disagree about a lot of things, we also agree on a lot as well. Love is about balance and accepting one another, even through the differences.
I want to give myself a little more peace of mind next year and find ways to ease my anxiety. I think little things like working out, having a healthier diet, and maybe even meditating will help me a lot.
Simply put, I just want to take care of myself, and you should too. 2017 by no means will be better than this year if you don't change yourself and your mindset first. My 2016 was miserable because I allowed it to be. If you change how you react to the inconveniences in your life, your life in turn will change. Relax and Breathe!
I need to relax when it comes to schooling and my future goals in life because how will I achieve anything if my health is deteriorating? College students sacrifice their well-being for school. We sacrifice our mental, emotional, and physical health just to pass a class. I will no longer let school get the best of me. I think I handled my most recent semester a lot better than I have in the past. I didn't do anything too last minute, I made a planner and stuck with it to help organize my responsibilities and obligations, and it helped me tremendously. I want to continue implementing using my planner and keeping myself organized for school to help my sanity. I will do another blog post about making my own planner!
You only see what I show you on social media and from the outside looking it, my relationship may look like "goals", but behind a lot of what you see, was a lot of ugly as well. I hit a new low in my relationship and we have done a lot of different things to try to save it. I found that a lot of our misery was due to the personal battles we were fighting in ourselves. Through everything, we knew we still loved each other and we are each other's best friends, so we knew we could get through it together. In the New Year, I want to leave all the ugly, the sadness, and everything else that was weighing me down in 2016. There is no place for that negativity in my relationship. He has been there for everything and has never once told me he wanted to leave, even at my lowest point. Although we may disagree about a lot of things, we also agree on a lot as well. Love is about balance and accepting one another, even through the differences.
I want to give myself a little more peace of mind next year and find ways to ease my anxiety. I think little things like working out, having a healthier diet, and maybe even meditating will help me a lot.
Simply put, I just want to take care of myself, and you should too. 2017 by no means will be better than this year if you don't change yourself and your mindset first. My 2016 was miserable because I allowed it to be. If you change how you react to the inconveniences in your life, your life in turn will change. Relax and Breathe!
I wish you all a very happy & safe New Year
and I hope you take on 2017 with an enthusiastic outlook!
