seven things sunday

today’s seven things sunday is unlike any i’ve ever posted before.

earlier this week, i mentioned feeling really overwhelmed lately, and that i’ve made some tough decisions about places in my life where i’ll be cutting back for a while in an effort to maintain some sanity and hopefully stay healthy.

hopefully once i’m finished with my dissertation, life will settle down a bit. (a defense date has finally been set for november <—yay, now that i have a deadline, hopefully i’ll feel some urgency to make more progress on my writing!).

anyway, today’s theme is 7 things that i’ve done (either made more of a priority, or cut down on) to help myself get through this busy period.

1. i’m saying “no” more.

mostly this has come in the form of saying no to new product reviews, promotions on the blog, etc. it might not look like much, but organizing a product review/giveaway takes a lot of time. add in a deadline and there’s more stress in my life.

unfortunately, i’ve also been saying “no” to some social events that i’d really like to go to. not everything. i think it’s important to keep up a social life to relive stress, but sometimes it’s better for me to take a night off than to hang out with friends. it’s a bummer, but i think it’s worth it in the long run.

this has honestly been huge for helping with my stress. not adding things to my to-do list faster than i can cross them off is amazing.

2. eating lots of fruits and veggies and taking my supplements.

smoothies with fruit have made a comeback for breakfasts and i’ve been trying really hard not to let any csa veggies go to waste!

even with an amazing diet, though, most people are not getting all of the nutrients they need for optimal health. that’s why i take my supplements! i’ll share more on what supplements/why i take them soon!

3. resigning as a fitfluential ambassador.

(haven’t been lacing up my sneakers much lately…)

this kind of ties in with number 1, but i have been feeling less and less “fitfluential” lately. i haven’t been working out as often as i’d like and sharing my “#proof every day like other ambassadors do.

it was becoming a comparison trap that i could never win, so i had to cut my ties. i still believe fitfluential is a great company with a very cool mission, but it’s not a good fit for me right now.

4. turning down a health coaching client.

i’m not going to go into many specifics with this one, but i had to say no to someone who i was really excited about working with as a health coaching client.

i just couldn’t keep that on my plate.

5. eating easier meals.

instead of beating myself up about not coming up with creative recipes to post on the blog, i’ve been making larger batches of other people’s delicious recipes and eating them for a few meals.

there’s less variety and it’s not as exciting, but i feel accomplished knowing that at least i’m cooking much of the time.

we still have the occasional packaged meals or ice-cream-for-dinner night, but they’re rare!

6. making lists.

of course!

my lists are keeping me focused and organized right now. i’d be even more of a mess without them.

7. finally, i had been volunteering as an advisor for the alpha phi chapter here in madison for the past 6ish months. i have taken a step back from that position indefinitely. again, it was just another thing on my list that wasn’t a big priority.

there are other volunteer positions that i’ll be excited to jump back into after graduation!

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so there you have it.

i think it boils down to defining my priorities right now and saying “no” more.

hopefully this plan helps me do few things well instead of doing many things poorly, which is how i feel things were going until recently.

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this also means that i may not be blogging as frequently in the coming months. don’t be alarmed if i miss a day or 5. i’ll be back!

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have you ever had to say “no” to things, even though you’d really like to be able to do them?

any other advice for staying healthy in a stressful time?

Tagged as: busy, healthy habits, organization, seven things