I’ll be posting monthly check-ins on my 2023 Goals. This is check-in #4!
Take care of my health
I had my check-in with my vascular doctor in April and he confirmed I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and need to stay on blood thinners indefinitely. Taking blood thinners falls under “taking care of my health,” and will continue to do so!
The shock of having blood clots is a big part of my inspiration to improve my eating habits. Not so much that eating better makes APS go away (it won’t), but that it was so surprising to get the clots that it made me rethink how crappy I was treating my body.
In April I really focused on not snacking (as much) and just eating three meals. It’s enough food, but it sucks (I have a lot of snacking reflexes to unlearn). But it also gets the job done – I lost 5.1% of my body weight in April and 16.6% for the year.
I walked or ran every day and am really enjoying both. I’m excited to keep 5K training with Steven this month (our race is on June 4th) and to start riding my bike outside in May!
I struggled with my mental health and burnout this month. I talked to my doctor about it, and she recommended therapy (which sounds great, but like a lot of work to set up then go to, ha).
Spend less
I spent a lot this month. These items will last me anywhere from a year to several years, but whoa, it added up!
- running shoes (5 pairs, $408.12)
- exercise socks (18 pairs, $71.90)
- sports bras (10, $282.77)
- shorts (6 pairs) & 2 bras ($158.05)
- shampoo, conditioner, and un-frizz cream ($212.50)
$1,133.34 total. Yikes. And I think I’ll need running shorts in a few months. I’m not even going to talk about the pillows I got (for our heads for bed), the compression socks, or my bike tune-up (which I will pay for in May). April was expensive.
I mailed four packages, two to friends, just because ($8.10 and $7.90), one birthday gift ($20.80), and one financial things for Steven ($7.60). $44.40 total.
I had Starbucks once, on April 30th. It was the first time this year I reloaded my card with money to pay for our drinks.
Continue to purge things I don’t use from the house
I was saving some of my favorite clothes in smaller sizes to hopefully wear when I lose weight and I was looking at those boxes like… this is still too much to keep. I know when I lose weight I’m going to want to buy some new clothes. So I got two bags together to donate (and threw out some things that were too used to donate).
And I went through all my current-size sweaters and zip-ups and got a bag together to donate of ones I didn’t wear much this winter or like how they looked on me.
And I went through my box of sentimental clothing and workout stuff and found things to donate there too.
Then I found a bunch of books to donate as well and took it all to Goodwill on April 15th. Woo hoo!
(And how ironic to be excited about getting rid of stuff after buying a bunch of stuff…)
Visit a new state with Steven
I am hoping we’ll do a trip to a new-to-us state in the fall.
Hide a rock a day for the year
Still going strong!
I’m sure something like developing blood clots would be really scary and could make you re-evaluate things. I’m proud of you for making so much progress with your health this year!
I won’t lie, therapy IS a lot of work to set up and get scheduled, much less to find a therapist that you click with (it took me years to actually commit to it). BUT it is worth it once you get through that process and can start talking with someone!
If your work has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) you’ll likely be eligible for a number of free sessions through the EAP and they might have an online tool to help you find someone. Health insurance benefits might cover it too, so you could use your insurance’s provider finder as well. There’s also sites like Talkspace and Better Help that offer online therapy (video or chat) with someone licensed in your state – they take some EAP and insurance plans too.
Thank you! I appreciate it! And hate that it took me something like that, but here we are.
Therapy is totally worth it! I started working on it yesterday and hit a lot of road blocks (not taking my insurance, long wait lists) so thank you so much for the EAP reminders, because I had completely forgotten about that, and we definitely have it! And I have been curious about Better Health (I hear their ads a lot).
I happen to be talking about our EAP in a team meeting tomorrow (since it’s Mental Health Awareness month) so all of that is top of mind! There can be so many roadblocks and I know they can be discouraging.
I’ve used Talkspace a couple times and had good experiences! I think starting therapy online is definitely quicker/has fewer hurdles than working with providers in offices.
I think that getting rid of stuff after you buy a lot is exactly what you should do. We have a one in, one out policy in our house! Sometimes those things that we get rid of need to be tossed, but much of the time they can be donated and it’s great that that’s what you chose to do!
I like your spin on this 😉 Thank you! But for real, that is a great policy. And I had gotten rid of the old socks and bras, etc I was replacing plus the extra stuff. We still have a lot to get rid of here (mostly donated, some trash).
Congrats on continuing to lose weight! I’m trying to do exactly what you are doing==>just cut back a bit but enjoy what I’m eating more and it really helps to see a real life case study.
I’m starting therapy this Friday. I’m a bit nervous about it, but also I feel stuck in so many areas of my life and I don’t know how to get unstuck so that’s why I’m doing it. What Anne said about the EAP – I went that route and it was very easy. I filled out a form online and they did the rest by email. They helped me get in to the practice that I wanted and they’re paying for three sessions.
Thank you! And yes! It works!!!!! How is it going for you?
I am proud of you for starting. They will definitely bring an outside perspective and help you get unstuck! That is good to hear EAP worked for you! I looked it up and have the number to call, just need to do it now 🙂
Good luck in your 5k!
Thank you!
Whenever I’ve needed to find a therapist, I always go through my health insurance website first. That way, I know all of the therapists will take my insurance and I can filter by providers who are accepting new patients now. Then, I google the names to find out more about them and contact them via their website. That’s always worked well for me, so I hope you find some success in finding a therapist. It is a lot of work. It’s work that’s very hard to do when you’re not in a great mental health space and barely have the energy to get your regular stuff done. But when you find that therapist you click with, it’s all worth it. (I also do my therapy via telehealth because that’s just easier for me. I can lay in my bed with my laptop propped up and be as comfortable as possible.)
I was doing that to start and not finding any of her recs on my insurance site and was like, I will just call to check. UGH! But yeah, I need to go THAT route and do the hard work. I am excited for the telehealth option. It will save so much time not to be in the car!
Oh, it is so hard to search for, find, and then *connect* with a therapist. I hope the insurance and/or employer options worked for you and that you get an appointment soon (if one has not happened already). But good for you for putting your mental AND physical health first – it’s so hard, but so necessary. <3
It is! I have done it in the past and have some good luck and a lot of not good luck. Ha! I have my first appointment tomorrow so I hope it’s a good fit!