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! 

[Titian06]

@Mellmars1185 - It's hard to keep up with a regular schedule from Thanksgiving to New Year!  You did great with what you had time to do! 💖💖💖  I haven't even sat down with my list yet. 😄

I love Verb shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil!  They've been my go-to for years. 💕

[Mellmars1185]

@Titian06 Thank you! I have been loving the Ghost oil over the years also. I have only tried samples of the shampoo and conditioner. I am most excited about the hairspray. I like flexible hairspray. My current go to is the Living Proof Flex Shaping Hairspray . But this may be a more affordable option 🤔

[Titian06]

@Mellmars1185 - Let me know how you like it.  Did you get the gratis box this summer with the Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Strong Finish 10 oz/ 330 mL ?  If you can compare it to that, that would really be helpful as that is my go-to hair spray.  Thanks! 🙂

[Mellmars1185]

@Titian06 Yes I did receive it ☺️. I have not tried it yet but I am now inspired to do so. Tomorrow morning I will be styling my hair and will try it out. Does it leave your hair crunchy at all?

[Titian06]

@Mellmars1185 - No!  It doesn't even feel like I have hair spray in my hair.  It holds my style, but is flexible and soft--exactly what I was looking for!

[itsfi]

Week 3 - Last week, I was able to get in 5 of the wellness activities but wasn't able to hit 5 in a row. 

From Row 2:

Declutter: I've been decluttering makeup throughout the year and decided this was the week I would go through my closets to see which items of clothing would be re-homed. I packed up 2 bags of winter sweaters, jackets and coats; and a bag of work clothes. The work clothes went to a non-profit organization that assists women re-entering the workforce and I'll drop off the other 2 bags at a local women's shelter tomorrow morning. 

Fruits and veggies: I made a large pot of vegetable soup and have been making meals from that all week - soup and salad; a bowl of soup and homemade bread (practicing for Christmas dinner); and on a few colder-than-usual nights, just a bowl of soup. It was tomato based and I often topped the soup with half an avocado so we'll count those as my fruits as well! 

Pay It Forward: I purchased gift cards from a few neighborhood coffee shops and gifted them to my UPS and FedEx drivers and mail carrier. 

Arts, Crafts & Hobbies: I helped some kiddoes make their 2025 calendars. 

Mask Time: Reached for a couple of masks this week, including the Dr. Jart (gratis)

For this week, I'll aim to complete what's left of the Row 5 activities plus 2 more from the card. My stretch goal though will be to try to hit all the remaining activities left on the card. Whatever I don't get to, I'll work to complete on the 30th and 31st. 

[Samtian]

For sure no Bingo this time lol. But I am proud of what I accomplished. 

• Warm & Cozy drink- I made some hot chocolate last night. Didn't end up how I wanted so I tried a second step and it was ok.
• Speak kindly- I get a lot of jabs about how much my line at work sucks from others, and I just remind myself it takes someone not afraid to work or get gross smelling to do my job. 
• Exercise- Saturday at work was rough. I had to run up two large flights of stairs to unplug potato slices...at least 4 times. That was some serious cardio for my body. 
• Declutter- Had a good set from the last two months and got rid of two things from my Pan It! - 2024 Challenge  
• Pay it forward- I won a gift card in a buy nothing group, and asked my mom to make a dog pillow for someone in that group and I gave them products from my work.
• Hobbies- I had a couple of photoshoot this month!
• Practice gratitude- Everytime I see my kittens or their mom I'm filled with gratitude for them. 
• Stretch- Kind of cheating on this one. But I do occasional stretches at my work, which probably accumulated 20 minutes...well probably like 5 but it felt like 20 this month. 
• Free
• Outdoors- for my photoshoots.
• Reflect- I've reflected back on this year and some changes for next year.
• Mask Time- The #Dr. Jart+ Cryo Rubber™ Face Mask with Hyaluronic Acid 0.14 oz / 4 g from @TeamBIC and a Honey Winnie the Pooh mask.
• Treat Youself- Some See's candy 😄
• Resolutions- Unfriending people who don't support me. I've worked with models and others, even for free, and when they recommend other photographers is a huge blow. So I'm done. Also next years pan project is ready to go!

[itsfi]

You should most definitely be proud of what you accomplished @Samtian! Your bingo card is awesome! 🎉 More to the point, YOU are awesome! Proud to know you, S!

I'm sure your 10 fur babies would agree with me!

Ohhh, that is such a spectacular way to pay it forward! 💗  

Very nice choice of treats for yourself, too! Do you have a favorite or perhaps favorites among the See's Candies?! 🍫

[Titian06]

@Samtian - You may not have a bingo, but you've got some wins! 💖💖💖  I love See's!

[Samtian]

@Titian06 Thank you! Me too, I don't have one near me so I rarely get it. Last year I got one of the little Christmas boxes for everyone, again this year. I'm going to try to make it a yearly thing. 

[mary0jones]

This month I'm also paying more attention to my mental health and so far I feel great

[Titian06]

That's great, @mary0jones ! 💖💖💖

[itsfi]

That’s awesome, @mary0jones! Paying attention to our wellness is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. ⭐️ 

[CorgiMommy]

Here is my December board not sure if I will fill in any I haven't already done.  The digital detox is a hufe for me.  I fall alseep so much faster.  Thanks @itsfi for having this as one of the squares

[Samtian]

@CorgiMommy Great job!

[CorgiMommy]

Thank you @Samtian 

[itsfi]

Excellent work @CorgiMommy. I spy a few BINGOs. Great to hear unplugging from electronic devices has been helpful. 

[CorgiMommy]

Thanks,  it is has been realy good for me @itsfi 

[Titian06]

Excellent job this month, @CorgiMommy ! 🥰  Isn't it amazing how not looking at a computer or cell phone before going to bed impacts our sleep?

[CorgiMommy]

It has made a huge difference @Titian06 

[itsfi]

Week 2 - 

I worked through Row 4 along with a couple of the activities from Row 3.  

From Row 4:

Digital detox before bed: this is getting easier most nights. Having a wind down routine helps; at least for me. I may not always start the wind down as early as I should, but it does help me get into the right frame of mind and makes unplugging from my laptop and phone a little bit easier. A little bit easier. 😬

Try or do something new to you: I tried something new-ish. Audiobooks. Or, just the one. I've tried audiobooks about 5+ years ago. By "try," I mean I started 2 books on that platform and got through maybe (and that's a big maybe) half a chapter on one and I can't even remember how many pages into the book I got with the other - I'm sure half a chapter in that one was a stretch. I decided to try it again, this time wtih a book that I also had on my Kindle. It was my little science experiment. I made it through an hour of the audiobook - half an hour with just the audiobook and the half reading along with the book on Kindle. I quickly moved to just the Kindle. I am wondering if it's a certain genre or book that will keep my interest and attention on an audiobook. I'm going to give it another shot - next year though, as I'm hitting "pause" on leisure reading for the last couple weeks of the year.

Reflect: I had some good quiet times this week. The on-and-off rain kept me indoors and when it was dry, I was motivated to head outside for longer walks where I would continue thinking about, reflecting on, and (of course) talking to myself 🤣, about the year. To be continued ... 

Read a book / Listen to audiobook or podcast: I did finish the book I was working on, on my Kindle. One of my goals this year was to read one book a month. This has been a goal for many, many, maaaaaany years. This year it actually happened; I was able to exceed the one book per month goal as well. Victory!!! 😆 <<pats self on back - literally and figuratively>>

From Row 3: 

Practice gratitude:  During one of my "thinking walks" I did some reflecting on the things that I'm thankful for - people, things, accomplishments, opportunties, events - the good stuff as well as the more challenging things that have their own silver lining (or, at least the harder things that I can now see are/were blessings in disguise).

Stretch (20 minutes): I spend a lot of time in front of a computer. I'm pretty sure I don't stretch my hands as often, or as much, as I should. So I spent 20 minutes on just stretching my hands and arms. I didn't realize just how much stretching I needed in those areas. 😫 Will have to make it more of a priority moving forward.

Pinpointing in advance the activities to work on was good for me this past week; it gave me something to focus on and I needed that. I will try it again this week, but a full row is feeling like it will be a stretch goal. But, I will try. We shall see how far I get with Row 2. 🤞🤞