To Be Thankful

THANKSGIVING MONTH IS HERE! 

I love it. I love November. It's my aunt/BFF/#1s birthday (and the big 3-0 this year!), it's when it gets SUPER crispy outside and it's the month of my favorite holiday (other than my birthday, of course). 

Yep. This little red is turning THIRTY ladies and gents. 3-0.

and.....

Thanksgiving. 

What does it mean to you? To me, I try to take the month and reflect *often* on my blessings, my trials and tribulations, successes, growths, lessons, all of the things I love about this life I have been given so Thank-LESS-ly (at times). 

It's so easy to forget the blessings we are GIVEN, not received through luck or chance. We get into these ruts sometimes and say "wow that's so lucky." or the "right place at the right time" type-talk. No no. That was the Lord. Every time. 

One thing that has really helped me be more mindful more often about my blessings is running. I spend a lot of time sorting through my thoughts on my runs, and many of those thoughts return to the simple words of "thank you" -- Thank you Lord, for the beauty of Michigan fall, thank you ME for committing to a healthier me, thank you family for being so supportive, even with all these pesky miles that get in the way... I mean I do say thank you, A LOT, when running.

Another thing that has helped me appreciate my blessings regularly is the population(s) I encounter as a social worker. Before going back to graduate school I worked with geriatrics and encountered people who were going through things that I hadn't ever had to go through, and that really helped me put my minuscule woes into perspective. I now categorize my complaints like this:
is it a big deal, medium deal, or small deal?
Small Deal.
Medium Deal.
Big Deal.

That's it. Imagine how we could cut down on thanklessness this way. 90% of the things we complain about are Small Deals. For example: no groceries, cold outside, stepped in a puddle, forgot to turn the light off, so-and-so annoyed me, I'm tired, I was late, they were late, small deal.

hahaha clearly. Small deal guys.

Looking forward to cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner and celebrating all that I am thankful for -- And if I burn the biscuits or screw up the turkey....guess what? Small deal. :) 

Living in the *Now*

Straying away from the usual fitness/food format to talk about something that is near and dear to me. 

A forever "goal" of mine has been to not be so anxious.
You mean that's an option?
It is. Although I don't "live there" often -- I think I've gotten much better over the past...6-8 months or so. HOWEVER --- since the school semester has started, everything's gone a little bit... haywire? off the map? to crazy town? yeah...you could say that.

Is this even possible? 

Where will I live after graduation? Shit, I'm going to have to move again? Who will help me pack? Wait...when's graduation? What color is my cap and gown? How much is it? What size will my diploma be? How soon do I need to study for the LMSW exam? What state will I need to be licensed in? Can I quit one of my several jobs? Speaking of jobs..what kind will I get? What kind do I want? I wonder how much I'll make? When do I need to start paying on my student loans...

This. Is. Exhausting. 

And you know what else it is? POINTLESS. There is NO way that worrying about all of this NOW is going to change the reality of it being done. I know that I'm a dedicated, structured person. I don't wait until the last minute. But planning 10 months in advance is a little overzealous.

So, how? How to I reeeeeeeel myself back in? Well, I exercise. As often as I can. Whenever I can. This was rough as I had a stress fracture and no gym, so my options were limited, but I made do. I am now back to running 3x a week and yoga-ing 3x a week. Running is honestly something that I can't ever imagine NOT doing. It's as soothing to me as a massage. With sweat.


Yoga -- God's most recent gift to me. While I've been doing it since I moved off and on, I have just really started to benefit in a more emotional way. This is the body I have. I'm learning to be kinder to myself, love and accept myself the way that I am *right now* I'm seeing my body change in great ways, but my favorite change is the change I have on the inside. Practicing self-compassion is not something I've ever been very good at.  Also, forcing myself to lay still and think of nothing for at least 3 minutes before and after practice helps quiet my loud-mouthed mind :)

Pray.  Now I will admit this is something that falls by the wayside from time to time, but I am typically ever-aware of all of my blessings, and try to focus on those instead of what I think I want or need. This helps keep me grounded and appreciative of this little life of mine.

Hold myself accountable. I have a few great friends who will tell me when to snap out of it. Who pray for me. Tell me when to get off that thought train, as I refer to it as after a wise woman said it. Another fun thing I tell myself is,"welp, that's a thought that will take me places..." Because honestly, half the nonsense we think that grows into fear/worry/anxiety/whatever....it's grown from something so small.

Self-help aficionado. Yeah, that's right. I'm a lover of self-help, feel-good, mindfulness type books. It doesn't work for everyone, but I also use these things at my internship, and hell...if I can't practice what I preach then I'm in for a realllll treat when clients start calling my BS. So, don't be scurred. Pick up a book. Or an audio book, for those of you who do that. Listen to it on a commute, on a run, wherever. They aren't as cliche as you think. Ok...they are, but you might like it :)

These are actually for my internship, but they're also self-help-ish.

Be. Silly. Man this is so hard for me. 

This was me actually trying to match an iPhone emoji...but it totally fits here. 

I am SUCH a serious person. The phrase "lighten up" or "live a little" should be written on my gravestone. Except that's not very sensitive...so maybe not. But, taking the time to laugh and appreciate the feeling it brings to my face, my body, my stomach...is not something I do often enough. But, it's hard to be anxious when you're laughing. Just try it. It's a little like sneezing with your eyes open. AKA impossible. 

Lastly, ENJOY. ENJOY. ENJOY. Any little thing. It doesn't even matter.

Sunflowers. Giant ones.

Lazy days. He's a pro at these.

Fall. Scarves. All things pumpkin and cinnamon.


Until next time -- I'll be trying to relax :) Probably by the time I blog next I will have been to Texas and Minneapolis -- so expect some fun photos :)