Stepping it Up

I mentioned in an earlier post that, rather than making resolutions, I’ve decided to adopt a mantra for the year. This year’s inaugural phrase is “step it up”, by which I mean making tiny, incremental adjustments that will support me in achieving my goals, living in line with my values, and just generally maintaining an upward trajectory. I realized recently, in a scan of my journals for this year, how these little tweaks, sprinkled in over time, have transformed my life. It may not be noticeable to others, but it sure feels different. Happier. Healthier. More creative.

Here are some of the tweaks I’ve made:

TOWARD MY GOAL OF STAVING OFF COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL DECLINE

·I put on my big girl pants and switched from gummies to the real supplements suggested by my doctor. Because I was no longer ingesting all sorts of sugar, I no longer hesitated to take them every day.

·I started actually flossing my teeth by making it an after-dinner thing (and had my first good dentist visit ever).

·I made a point to get out of my chair every half hour while working, just long enough to throw in a load of laundry, put something away, make a quick call, but not long enough to get off track.

·I put a set of hand weights on the coffee table to use while watching TV or passing through the living room on a break from my chair.

·I began walking around the house or yard while on phone calls.

·I started putting on my bathing suit under my clothes several times a week to make it effortless to get in the pool after walking the dog.

·I instituted nap time after lunch. Sometimes I sleep (for 20 minutes at most), sometimes I meditate lying down, always I feel recharged.

·I bought a digital clock for my nightstand so I can turn my phone off at bedtime and leave it in another room. (One of my favorites.)

·I changed my morning routine to put exercise, meditation, and journaling ahead of screen time. Now these linchpins of my mental and physical health get done consistently and I notice a decrease in anxiety and an increase in positivity. (My very favorite.)

·I’m trying to be more intentional about my alcohol consumption; to be more mindful to indulge in celebration rather than as consolation or medication.

·I try to find ways to combine boosts. Like a long walk to buy healthy food or a special meditation while swimming laps.

TOWARD MY GOAL OF TAKING MY WRITING SERIOUSLY

·I instituted work hours during which I don’t schedule appointments or answer the phone.

.I stopped constantly editing and just wrote just wrote my little heart out.

·I added a shorter afternoon session for editing, admin, learning more about the craft, or more writing if the spirit moves me.

.I started sharing my writing with more people.

TOWARD MY GOAL OF PRESERVING MY MENTAL HEALTH AND ENHANCING GROWTH

·I set increasingly shorter time limits for social media use.

·I now read devotional and non-fiction material first before getting absorbed into fiction to the exclusion of all else.

·I’ve made Sundays a sort of sabbath; a day to recharge for the week. I include lots of unstructured time, self-care, and also make a point to deal with all the “open tabs” or pursue any stray thoughts that I’ve scribbled during the week.

·I’ve written down three primary goals and made a notebook for each of them in which I write down or collage ideas about how to get there.

·I’ve started to list, at least mentally, three things I will get done each day.

·I’ve added a feature to my daily gratitude list of citing one thing I’m grateful to myself for. Subtle but huge.

·I’m making a concerted effort to pause before reacting, especially in charged moments.

·I’m making an effort to question my thoughts and to name and actually feel my feelings.

·I’m speaking up more.

·I’m having fun with self-love. Smiling at or high fiving myself in the mirror (thank you, Mel Robbins), complimenting myself, even playing a game where I list all my positive attributes in alphabetical order.

TOWARD MY GOAL OF ORGANIZING/SIMPLIFYING/SPARKING JOY

·I started putting repetitive tasks that I always seem to forget (quarterly taxes, annual appointments, changing my toothbrush) on the calendar at the beginning of the year.

·After buying a new kitchen rug almost annually (because it’s where the dog insists on “killing” his food and occasionally barfing and where people wipe their feet after using the pool), I invested in a washable one.

·I increased both counter space and visual appeal in the kitchen by corralling mail, work in progress, and other miscellaneous paper in an attractive magazine holder and daily meds on a small turntable.

·I made my desk an appealing place to work by investing in a beautiful but comfortable chair, decluttering the bulletin board that hangs above it, and reorganizing my bookshelf so my reference books are at hand.

·I decluttered my nightstand so that I now have room for fresh flowers.

·I’ve organized my closet and my bathroom so that I now know exactly what I have and I use all of it.

TOWARD MY GOAL OF EXPLORATION

·I’ve started actually planning and taking trips instead of pining and/or waiting for someone to be available to accompany me.

·I’ve been finding new places to explore locally.

·I’ve been varying my walking routes daily.

.I’ve been trying new foods, music, and activities.

As someone who is well versed in big, earth shattering, burn-it-down changes, I hesitated to share these minor tweaks (it seems I may never shake the knee-jerk reaction that if it’s not chaos it must be boredom). I also hesitated to share lest these tweaks be confused with my former drive for “self-improvement”, which often came from a place of self-loathing and general dissatisfaction. Instead, there are no shoulds about any of this; these are all things I want more of in my life. It seems I’m finally learning that rather than shame myself into change, I can joyfully build the life I want in tiny increments.

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Let’s talk. Are there areas where you’ve stepped it up that you’d like to share? Or areas where you want to step it up? I’ll go first: this list is glaringly missing progress toward my goal of building community locally. My last frontier! Stay tuned.

Also, I’m starting to contemplate a mantra for next year. Any contenders?