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! 

[itsfi]

January bingo card posted to Wellness In Progress: January 2025

Happy New Year, BIC!

[danielledanielle]

☑️Treat yourself *

☑️Fruits and veggies*

☑️Exercise*

☑️Stretch*

☑️Reflect

☑️Warm & Cozy Drink (Trader joe's turmeric tea + almond milk, y'all)

☑️Listen to a Podcast

☑️Aromatherapy (I'm counting this for lighting candles and cocktailing fragrances)

☑️Mask Time

☑️Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

☑️Quality time with the fam

☑️Winter walk & Get outdoors

☑️Practice Gratitude

**Things I do with a fair amount of regularity

(?) Hobby (does BIC count ?, 🤣)

(?) Prioritize Sleep - on the struggle bus with this one, did actually take a nap one day and another day, astonishingly got 8+ hours, but yeah, this one is tough

On the upside -

I didn't realize I had this many checks...  This is a challenging time of the year for many (myself included), so I think I started off with the intention to tackle a row with things I usually don't do.  I think it was Mask time --> diagonal to Aromatherapy, but it didn't work out, so I just did as many self care things I felt privy, too.  Grateful to see it worked out (Ha, more gratitude right there).  Massive habit stacking occurred, which I should post in Habit Stacking Thread 📚 

[itsfi]

Woah! Awesome work @danielledanielle! 

Making note of that warm & cozy drink combo - it sounds delicious! Yeah, prioritizing sleep isn't an easy one, especially with a toddler, the holidays, and BIC as a hobby. I'm happy you were able to get some good zzzz's though!

[Titian06]

You did great, @danielledanielle !  I count my wax melts as aromatherapy, so lighting candles and cocktailing fragrances count as far as I'm concerned. 😁  BIC counts as a hobby to me.  It's what you enjoy and put your time and effort into. 💞  I know I enjoy it!

[Titian06]

Here's my December wellness challenge chart.  I accomplished the items marked with green dots.  Like others, I didn't do so well this month.

@itsfi , I just noticed today that in Column E, row 2, veggies is spelled wrong.  Shows how we read it correctly because our brains knew what to expect. 😄

[itsfi]

@Titian06, thanks for letting me know. Nice work on your wellness bingo! Everyone has days, months when we may not be able to accomplish as many activities as we hoped or that we wanted to - life happens; holiday busy-ness happens. You were able to get in a lot of variety when it comes to wellness activities and that's a great accomplishment.

[Titian06]

Thanks, @itsfi ! 😘

[danielledanielle]

I am sure you did more than you realized, just not as a "BINGO" @Titian06 , but it's a challenging time and it looks like you rocked it, regardless

[Titian06]

Thanks, @danielledanielle ! 😘

[danielledanielle]

@Titian06, you did get a bingo, you posted in the Happy New Years! What are your resolutions for 2025? 🎇🎆 Thread

[itsfi]

Week 4 Wellness Activities

Quiet time - meditate - journal: I tried a couple of times this week to just be still, or as still as I could, but that's a practice that will take some more work. I ended up spending time journaling instead, which offers some great self-care benefits for me. it's something I want to get back into doing more regularly in the new year. 📖

Prioritize sleep: Sleep / rest is one of the most meaningful forms of self care for me. It doesn't come very easily or often though, but I've been making more of an effort, especially in the evenigs this week to get in some quality sleep time. Some nights were better than others, but I was able to get a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep. Ahhhh.... feels so good. 🛌 

Get outdoors: Did a city walk / city tour with visiting friends, ending with ice skating at an outdoor rink and dinner afterwards.

Winter walk or hike: The post-Christmas-dinner walk is always something I look forward to - fersh air, walking off all the food. 😉

Treat yourself: I did treat myself, more than once this week - the primary self-care treat was calling it an early night and going to bed early a couple of nights this week. I also purchased a few things for some self-care projects I want to work on next year.

Resolution(s) 2025: Like @Mellmars1185, being more consistent with working out is something I want to continuing working on next year. And, as I mentioned earlier, getting back into journaling on a regular (or semi-regular) basis.  

FYI

📰  A new wellness bingo card is up for January 2025! If you're interested, check out Wellness In Progress: January 2025. Many of the activities from the previous challenges have carried over to January, but there are a few new activities geared towards the season. 

Spoiler

Tagging folks who have responded in one fashion or another to previous challenges. @ather @blackkitty2014 @caitbird @CorgiMommy @curlychiquita @caitbird @danielledanielle @fatimamummy @greeneyedgirl107 @heartsmyface @mary0jones @Mellmars1185 @PDXXXX @peculiarzmakeup @PrettyPaint @Samtian @Titian06 

[ather]

@itsfi  You did such a great job this month!!! Yay you!!! 

I commit to doing better in January! I love these. A fun way to stay accountable!! 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi Glad you were able to get to bed early a few nights! You went ice skating at an outdoor rink? So cool. I've never tried ice skating and I'm not sure I ever will, but it looks like so much fun. 

[itsfi]

It’s been a good while since I’ve gone ice skating ⛸️ I stayed near the outside perimeter so I could go slow 😂 There’s a couple of outdoor ice rinks in the city this time of year @PrettyPaint; they’re usually around during the holidays through mid-January. It’s a fun set up - they set it up near shopping centers and there are pop up booths selling hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts and other snacks, as well as a small few pop up stores lined up around the sides of the rink. 

[Mellmars1185]

I have fallen off track this month. December has flown by so far. I have been able to do a few of these items (unintentionally).

Warm and Cozy Drink - I went out for a lunch early December and ordered a London Fog at the restaurant. It was the best one I have ever had!

Treat Yourself - I don't seem to have any trouble crossing this one off. I took advantage of some boxing day sales. I ended up getting a new pair of winter boots and I used a Sephora gift card to get a new lippie I have wanted to try Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Velvet Liquid Lipstick Pomegranate . I also picked up the Verb Ghost Hair Oil All Stars Holiday Value Set with an extra 20% off! My husband and I also did some shopping for an upcoming trip. I don't think we have ever done that before together and it was fun! I guess that counts towards Try or do Something New to you.

I have been Listening to Podcasts before geting ready for work or while doing my makeup before going out.

I have also been Reflecting a lot about how I want to do better in 2025. I think a lot about being more consistent with working out, hydrating and putting myself first. 

I hope everyone had a great year!

[PrettyPaint]

@Mellmars1185 I've never had a London Fog drink, so I had to look it up. It looks so warm and cozy. 

[Mellmars1185]

@PrettyPaint It is definitely a comfort drink for me 😊. Have you ever tried earl grey tea? If you like it you may enjoy the London Fog. If you have a Starbucks near by, they may serve it there!

[itsfi]

Oh, that's a wonderfully warm and cozy drink @Mellmars1185! It's so comforting to have a London Fog this time of year. My intro to that drink was at brunch with a friend while on vacation in Vancouver. So good - it's not only a tasty drink but it brings back great memories. 

Every little bit of self care helps. It can be hard to fit it in during the year, but a little something here, another little something there - all good. Yaaaay for an upcoming trip - how exciting! It's great to having something like that to look forward to!

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Ohh you tried it in Canada for the first time?!?  It is very comforting. I can only imagine the memories it brought back. Vancouver is somewhere I am hoping to visit one day. I agree with 'every little bit of self care helps'. I heard something on a podcast along the lines of working out is like adding to your own self care bank. It really resonated with me. Sometimes I 'get off track'. But hearing that kind of changed my mindset towards things. Let's invest in ourselves. Who else can!?!

[itsfi]

Yep, at this cozy and very popular restaurant - Jam Cafe. After that, I would get a London Fog at least once a day when I was there, including at another brunch spot we visited - Cafe Medina. @Mellmars1185  It was a while back when I was in Vancouver but both spots look to still be around. Tagging @heartsmyface to see if she's been to or heard of either.