Wellness In Progress: December 2024

[itsfi]

Happy holidays, BIC!  2024 is flying by at a rapid pace, a pace that will undoubtedly pick up even more momentum as we draw closer and closer to the end of the month. This can be such a fun and joyous time, as well as a very busy and heavy one. Wanted to take an opportunity to keep our own self-care top of mind and to (hopefully) have some fun with it, so wellness bingo is back for December! 🙌

We're each on our own personal self-care journey, one that, if you're like me, varies - some days (weeks, months, years) are better than others. Wellness is a process - it's about progress, not perfection. It takes work. Much of that work will fall on us and our efforts, as it should, but it's helped, inspired, encouraged, and supported by others, be it friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, or those who make up this Community. Wellness takes work - let's do the work together, BIC!

How to play / participate:

All are welcome and encouraged to take part in this B Well challenge, wherever you are in your own self-care journey, and, as and how this game of wellness bingo serves you best. 

▶️  There are many ways to participate. A few are mentioned in the spoiler below, but if you have a way to approach wellness bingo that works best for you, go for it!

Spoiler

• Treat it like a game of BINGO, except in this BIC-version, you are your own moderator, either (a) selecting which activities you want to engage in or (b) putting them into a random generator tool, blindly pointing at a square, or writing each activity (or each square) onto a piece of paper, placing all of them into a bowl and pulling one out each day you intend to undertake a wellness activity, and then doing that activity.
• You can aim to do 5 activities in a way that earns yourself a BINGO!  5 activities across the same row, down the same column or across diagonally from upper left corner to lower right, and/or upper right corner to lower left. 
• You can just go about your day picking one activity to undertake and work towards doing all the activities on this B Well card (but see notes on making adjustments below).
• You can choose to go row by row or column by column each week. Thank you, @Mellmars1185, for sharing how you went about your wellness bingo last month. It's such a great approach! 😊 
• You can choose the activities that come more naturally to you, that you already do as part of your daily routine. Or, you can choose activities that are more challenging for you. Or a combination of both. 
• The self-care activities in the squares change from month-to-month, with some appearing in a previous month's bingo wellness card, and others being new or tailored to the specific month/season. If you're interested in seeing what others have done for some of the activities being repeated, you may want to take a peek at folks' replies on the Wellness In Progress: November 2024 thread.

🌟  BONUS CHALLENGE: This challenge is certainly one you can do on your own. It's also something we can take part in together! If you feel comfortable, share about the activities you did to earn each square by replaying to this original post. I love hearing from this Community, and others do, too. I've learned about new ways of doing things that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. Some are incorporated into this month's activities; others may appear on future months' bingo cards.

🎀  Make Adjustments As Needed. We are all at different stages of our wellness / self-care journey. While it cn be good to challenge ourselves, sometimes, it's best to take make adjustments. I'm not at expert at this at all, and if there's an activity that is not something you are ready for or that you shouldn't engage in, make the adjustments you need to, or just skip that square altogether.

• Be safe. Consider weather conditions or where you are in your own wellness efforts. For instance, the second square in the last row is for a winter walk or hike - if it's storming outside or you're in an area where it is not safe to do this (e.g., weather advisory, shelter-in-place, etc.), then skip this one and stay indoors. Be safe. Also, for some of the activities listed in the boxes, particularly the physical ones, please consult with your physician or health care provider before starting, if and as appropriate, and adjust accordingly.
• Focus on one activity per week vs. one per day. We have BIC'ers who engage in wellness activities in some form every day, some more than one activity in a day. We also have BIC'ers who are starting out on their wellness journey or are coming back to self-care. There's be different objectives for each of us; make this work for you. If there's an activity in a square that you've been eyeing for whatever reason and you want to focus on that for the week, focus on working towards that activity for one day, two days, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 for the week. If there's another activity that piques your interest, give that a try for another week. 

⏲  The time periods for certain activities included here are arbitrary.

• For example, the third square in the first row is for "Exercise (20 minutes)" - if you want or can do more than a 20 minutes, go for it. If you're starting out or if you're crunched for time, aim for 5 minutes and work up from there, when, if, and as appropriate for you.
• Same with the "Stretch (20 minutes)" in the third row, second square.
• If you're starting out or are aware of certain conditions that may make either a more challenging effort, please discuss these activities your physician or health care provider before starting.

🤔  Wondering about the activities mentioned in the squares this month? Click on this link for a more detailed description of the wellness activities here - December Wellness Bingo Activities

Looking forward to another month of wellness bingo. Be well this holiday season, BIC! 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Awe hand stretches, I forget about those too. 

[itsfi]

I do as well @Samtian, and then when I remember and start doing them, there's always an "aaaaaaaccckkk!!" I mean, it feels great to stretch my hands but it's a very clear reminder that I need to do it regularly. 😂🤣😂

[Titian06]

You did very well, @itsfi !  I have a friend who loves listening to audio books on her drive to and from work (well, before she retired).  I still haven't tried one because I know it will feel like someone lecturing or droning on and on. 🤣

[itsfi]

@Titian06, thank you. I know a few people who listen to audio books on their commute. I tend to either listen to music or make / return phone calls. It seems like there's probably a certain type of book that might work for me for audio books in general, and the narrator may play a factor as well; I'll just have to try out different genres another time.

[peculiarzmakeup]

Playing Catch Up

I felt under the weather most of this week. 

I achieved four out of the five squares in the first line. 

Cozy Drink

I had some hot soup, so I’m gonna count that 🙂 

Speak Kindly to Yourself

I am impressed with how well I did this, I tried to balance any negativity with logic. For instance, if I slept that long I probably really needed the rest. I reminded myself I don’t have to do everything all at once and to pace myself.

Excersize (Yes and No) 

I really was so tired so instead I decided to do a little project. 

Looking at my makeup progression over the past 12 months and things I’ve learned, what I am still learning, and how I can improve. 

I just started really wearing makeup this past year 

and am so incredibly greatful for this warm and encouraging community.

 

 

Each Photo represents a month the first one on top right being January and so on. Will post a seperate reflection at the end of the month. 🙂 

Hydrate 

This is always marked off for me I’m like a fish I love water it’s just so refreshing 

Scents

Candles 

and a true need to know what the new Rare Beauty Lotion is like

Overall I thought I did pretty good 🙂 

[itsfi]

You did great @peculiarzmakeup! I'm so sorry to hear you were not feeling well this week; I hope you are feeling all better, or on the road there. Rest is so good when we're under the weather and I'm really happy that you slowed down and allowed yourself (and your body) to rest. 

What?!!! Oh peculiarzmakeup, you're amazing! I would not have guessed that you just started wearing makeup this year - your makeup applications and looks are fabulous. 😍 Love your collage of your makeup progression -  you are rocking that red in that first pic in the last row and that gradient on your eye look in the photo next to it is dazzling! 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! Rest is so neccescary sometimes it’s the best way to really lock in to the body and mind needs :)! 

Yes 🙂 it’s been a blast learning and growing I’m so glad I am able to see what I learned each month. I used to wear eyeliner and mascara but I really learned how to do a full face of makeup and what tones I like it’s been really fun! It will be neat to do a month to month reflection! Thanks for your encouragement ❤️ @itsfi 

[itsfi]

You're absolutely right @peculiarzmakeup! Rest is good. Rest / sleep is one of my most meaningful form of self-care, under the weather or otherwise. 

Love your plan to do a month-by-month reflection - you can see your progress and appreciate all your hard work and effort. From eyeliner and mascara to a full face - you're incredible!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! It will be fun to go back through each month I have photos and also go through threads to refresh myself on everything I’ve learned it was quite a lot I learned which is so exciting I learned it all here which makes it so meaningful ❤️🫶 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Week 1: I'm taking a slightly different approach to wellness bingo this month.

• Aiming for 5-6 days per week of a wellness activity.
• I'll pick one row from the wellness bingo card to work towards completing each week (thank you @Mellmars1185 for sharing that last month). Any additional activity/ies for the week will be from other squares. 

Here's how things turned out this first week of December; from Row 1:

🍵  Warm & Cozy Drink: Made apple cider in the crock pot. The house smelled amazing and it was nice to have a cup or two to sip on over the weekend.

💟  Speak Kindly To Yourself: Last month, this self-care activity was one of the last ones I undertook. I figured this month I'd try my hand it at from the get go, thinking (maybe hoping is a better word) that it would be easier. Not so. Not easier. At all. But still worthwhile. The effort is worth it. Even when it doesn't feel all that comfortable or come second nature to me. 

I randomly received a very kind compliment the other day; I wasn't expecting it but was deeply appreciative of it and shared that with the other person. Now, the vast majority of the time, in addition to being grateful for that compliment, I would probably downplay it a great deal in my head. Not so in this instance. I took a pause as I reflected on the kind words shared. This time, I didn't have that internal dialogue (or would it be a monologue?) I usually do. Instead, I actually said to myself ❣️ without being insincere or unduly boastful, "huh, they're right. I am ..." and I made a conscious effort to not downplay it in my head. 

👟  Exercise (20 minutes): Trying my hand at using the rowing machine more regularly. My goodness, what a work out. A good one, but ooh, I was tired afterwards.

🚰  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Oh yes, I get to check off this square this week because I was under the weather for a couple of days and I think I lost count of how many ounces of water I put down, along with more orange juice and soup than I've seen for some time. LOL. 

🕯  Aromatherapy: I'll count unboxing the Diptyque advent calendar this week for this one. There's been a couple of candles in the calendar. Burning Ambre, a new-to-me scent the other day was a nice way to start the day. Depending on what I unbox today, I may light Ambre again. 

🥗  Make a Dish with Seasonal Veggies (from the last row): Last Sunday, I made a salad with the last of the Thanksgiving Day turkey and the extra seasonal veggies I had on hand - butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. 

Warm & Cozy Drink - hot apple cider

Seasonal veggie dish

One week down. For this coming week, my plan is to work on the self-care activities in Row 3 4 of the bingo card. 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Amazing wellness week! How dd you find tackling one row per week? Your veggie dish looks colourful and delicious! 🥗

[itsfi]

Thank you @Mellmars1185! I've been trying to be more creative with my dishes. Going through the wellness card row by row took a little getting used to. At first, I was trying to do one square each day, in the order the activity appeared on card. That was a little more challenging, especially that second square but it also pushed me to work on it. For next month's wellness bingo, I may do a hybrid approach, with picking in advance one or two activities I want to focus on for that week and seeing if there's a row or column (or diagonal) that I'd be up for trying that week.

[Samtian]

@itsfi fantastic job!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian. Trying to be consistent, both the activities I'm generally better at keeping up with as well as the ones that don't always stay on my radar! 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Amazing job @itsfi  I really like the idea of 5-6 days and the 7th being an extra. I can only imagine the amazing scents coming from your kitchen not just the apple cider but anytime you mention making anything! I like how you were able to internalize the compliment i like how you described your process in doing so. Yay for rowing that is a tough one. Great awareness on hydration needs. Yay for adventure. The veggies look amazing as well! And just so you know, all the efforts you make, your kindness, and your encouragement make BIC a very awesome place to be 🙂 ❤️

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, so far the 5-6 day target has been going well. We shall see how it keeps up as we get closer and closer to year end. 🤞🏼 I redid the kitchen so I’ve been trying to cook for often, though sometimes it’s easier to just fall back on the same things 😆 but it’s fun to try something different.

Thank you so much for your very kind and thoughtful words. 🤗 I really appreciate how engaging you are on the boards with everyone. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Aw thank you! And yes I get that with cooking and baking, some things are just favorites 🙂 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, do you like one more than the other - baking or cooking? Or both?

[peculiarzmakeup]

I occasionally make something with my grandma she’s a great baker like cookies or something 🙂 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

That sounds like so much fun @peculiarzmakeup! Tasty treats and beautiful memories baking with your grandma!

[CorgiMommy]

Rowing machine is one of the best exercises , but I hear you that you feel it afterwards @itsfi