One twelfth of the year 2025 in the books. My January ended on a rough note and typing this I am more tired than I have been in a long time. It may have to do with the overnight in the sleep clinic. An early, early morning, lots of walking (for me) and in general the exhaustion of watching this world spin towards idiots and right wing people. Being a (decent?) human is exhausting these days. Anyhow I still worked hard elevating my happiness in January and as always a share some snippets with you.
How I incorporated my word ELEVATE in January
I elevate my soul by
- elevate someone else’s well-being over my own reservations.
- not canceling my anniversary trip (not an easy decision).
- staying of the news. Ignorant? At times. Helpful for my soul. For sure.
- committing to my arctic expedition goal and sharing it with family and friends.
- meditating 12 times.
I elevate my creativity by
- art journaling daily.
- working on my alphabet project a bit more. (Bucket List Item #56)
- taking some photos with my word “elevate” in mind.
I elevated my hobbies by
- reading a book with elevate in the title (The Mr. Thank You Project: A Journey to Elevate the Level of Gratitude on the Planet…One Card at a Time by John Israel)
- not reading a single romance novel.
- spending an evening at the ice-hockey game with the husband, my sister and her boyfriend (their xmas gift to us).
- introducing a new series on my blog “blog treasures” and participating in Hanna’s photo challenge.
I elevated my physical appearance and fitness by
- doing Adriennes one week yoga challenge first week of January and continuing yoga all through the month.
- lifting weights three times a week (- 1 day when being at the trade fair) – total 13 times.
- closing my apple rings 9 times.
- walking over 10.000 steps/day on 7 days, total of 153.9km and an average of 6.936 daily steps (99.1% of goal).
I elevated my health by
- spending a night in the sleep clinic.
- managing one sugar free day.
- taking the time to recover from a cold after the trade fair.
I elevated my relationships by
- not canceling my anniversary trip and prioritizing marriage over family funeral.
- being there for family when it was important.
- starting a co-working routine with a colleague.
- meetings friends multiple times this month.
- leaving 187 blog comments.
I elevated my home by
- trying to stay on top of things. Baby steps this month.
I elevated my style by
- creating a (for me) elevated outfit – or at least tried. Someone commented on my casual look when I thought I was looking very posh. Guess room for improvement.
- buying myself some make-up and face tonic.
I elevated my behavior by
- booking a self-defense class.
ELEVATING February
- I will elevate my soul by
…enjoying the anniversary trip and not feel guilty about it.
…walking on the shores of the Baltic Sea in the morning.
…trying Polish dishes. - I will elevate my creativity by
…continuing the art journaling.
…starting another 100dayproject. - I will elevate my hobbies by
…finishing one book and starting another one for my Read Around The World reading challenge. - I will elevate my physical appearance and fitness by
…striving for three days of yoga.
…starting to weigh lift three times a week.
…doing a face mask every week.
…doing at least one walk >5km.
…go swimming daily while at the hotel. - I will elevate my health by
…forgoing sugar during weekdays. Making exceptions during vacation.
…going to the dentist for a check-up and cleaning.
…making an appointment at the ophthalmologist. - I will elevate my relationships by
…spending quality time with the husband.
…seeing my best friend.
…writing postcards to my three god children from Gdansk. - I will elevate my home by
…keeping the bathrooms clean. - I will elevate my style by
… creating a fancy outfit to wear on our anniversary.
…replacing my hand bag (a souvenir from Gdansk maybe?)
…replacing my Chelsea boots and going for a better brand (that hopefully lasts longer than 2 years).
Alright. I am too tired to read for typos and if I have missed anything. I may do so tomorrow.
Tell me one thing you did for your soul in January? How did you elevate your health last month? Anything creative you have done? What do you look forward to in February?
2 comments
I think my daily yoga counts for both my soul and my body, because slowing down to breathe has helped me to handle all of the horrible news. Like you, I try to avoid a lot of it, because I feel angry and helpless when I listen or read too much. I never watch the news on TV. I need to start writing letters to politicians I think, but I’m a bit stymied about what to write, and to whom. I need to work on that I think.
You rocked your January goals! Making the decision to go on your trip rather than a family funeral would be hard. No easy answer there, but it sounds like you made the best decision for you and your husband. <3
Thank you Julie. It wasn’t an easy decision about the funeral and I pondered it for about a week. I am still sending flowers with my sister and letters and some photos to remember. And I will be there for the family members griefing. So I hope that helps. But it is very sad.
I am really happy how January turned out and how I moved towards a more healthy lifestyle. It starts to be fun too.
We are having elections coming up here in Germany and I am for the first time not knowing what party to vote for. However I have strong opinions on who not to vote for. It has never been this unclear to me. It all is a disaster. I have a feeling lots of old white man are playing a “I have the biggest dick” game and pushing the world towards military conflict. No matter which country you look at. Why do we let this happen? I do’t get it. Yoga has helped tremendously. I agree.