Working Towards Wellness: August 2025

[itsfi]

Hi BIC, and happy August! Yes, it's already August. Before we know it, kids will be back in school (and some of us may be headed back as well), and summer will be in the rearview mirror. Let's make the most of this month, which happens to be National Wellness Month, and take (or make) the opportunities we have to look after our wellbeing. One way to go about that is with a little game of wellness bingo. If you're new to BIC or to this little corner of BIC, welcome!! If you've taken part in a previous BWell Bingo here or if you've poked your head in to see what this is about, welcome back! 

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 falls on us individually, and our efforts towards self-care, as it should, but that effort is and can be helped, inspired, encouraged, and supported by others, be it friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, or the members of  this Community. Wellness takes work - let's do the work together, BIC!

How To Play:

Spoiler

The short-and-sweet of it is to just jump right on in, by undertaking one or more of the activities described 
in a square. Once you've performed the activity, that square is yours - check it off however you like. Just remember, be safe and make adjustments, if and as applicable. 

▶️  This game of wellness bingo is about YOU and YOUR wellness. So whether it's aiming for one square a day, a week, or the month, give it a go! There are several ways to go about this wellness bingo challenge, including, but not limited to:

• Work towards BINGO, 5 squares in a row - across (rows), down (columns),  or diagonal
• Choose a row or column and work your way through the activities described during the week or month
• Focus on one or more activities each day or week or month
• Select activities that interest you or that challenge you and work towards checking off those squares

For a more detailed description of the wellness activities for each square, including examples for some, check out ➡️ Description of August 2025 Wellness Activities

☑️  NOTE: Some description may contain references to articles from different companies. These, along with other activities described, are for illustrative purposes. These are provided as examples, and neither I, nor to my knowledge (without inquiry), Sephora, are affiliated with any of the third parties referenced.

 ⚠️  Tailor the activities to your surroundings, situation and circumstances. 

• If it's not safe to perform an activity, pass on it or modify accordingly. For example, if it's storming outside, the "outdoor activity" square can wait another day, or next month. Also, an activity is not something you can do for health reasons, pass on it. Please consult your doctor or health care professional before beginning an activity, if and as needed.

• If a square includes a time for a certain activity and that time is too long for you, try the activity for a shorter duration. For example, if unplugging from electronics for half-an-hour before bed is too much too soon, start with 10. If more will do, go beyond 30 minutes.

Posting:
If you feel up to sharing about the self-care activities you undertook, please do, no matter the number of activities! We love hearing about what worked or what didn't work for you. And, we're always down for picking up some real life tips, tricks and techniques.

To post, click "Reply" in the lower left hand corner of this original post and write away in the box that will appear. You can list the activities you performed, with or without your thoughts on the activity. You can if you choose, attach a copy of the wellness bingo card with the applicable squares marked off.

Here's to another month of working on wellness with you, BIC! We got this!

Spoiler

Tagging a few folks who participated in last month's wellness challenge. Apologies if I iadvertently missed anyone.
@ather @CorgiMommy @curlychiquita @danielledanielle @Mellmars1185 @PrettyPaint @Samtian 

[CorgiMommy]

@itsfi I dont know if you know this but moose are my all time favorite animals 

[itsfi]

More than corgis @CorgiMommy? 😳

[CorgiMommy]

@itsfi dogs are family to me so I dont consider them animals but youvdo make a great point. 

[CorgiMommy]

Eight days into August and I have checked off a bunch of activities,  some I have purposely completed and some are just habits.

 Forgein Language-  i went to the local rodeo last weekend.   I have never been so i thought I would give it a try.  Really not for me.  I also tried the Japanese Walking Method i saw in the New York Times recently.   

Gym Class Hero  -  the weather has been spectacular so I have been going on long walks.

History (revisit resolutions) - been on track to continue making daily exercise a habit.  Added a new resolution of weight training at least 4 times a week.

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables - this one is easy  as the local peaches and melons have been  perfect this year.

[itsfi]

@CorgiMommy, good work on keeping up with daily exercise; the weight training add on sounds great! Ahhhh, peaches; yum!

[itsfi]

First check-in for the month, noted with the orange checkmarks. 

* Outdoor Activities (Remember SPF + H2O): We saw some sun and warmer weather here and I took advantage of it when I could. 👍

* Prioritize Sleep: Been trying to not get caught up in things that keep me from getting to bed on time or early or from starting my unwinding routine later than usual. This week was okay; there were a couple of snags, but overall, not too bad. And, my sleep the past week or so has been quite good. 

* Musicology: Music is a great form of self-care for me. This week, I went through many of the songs folks have shared on both the 🎶✨Song of the Day and Music Thread!✨🎶 and Summer Cheek Challenge 2025: A Song & A Slay threads. Some are ones I've heard before and others were new to me. It's been a lot of fun; I'm only part way through but plan on continuing with it. 

* Declutter: I've been working on a couple of decluttering projects. My most recent one focuses on the kitchen; it feels good to have things organized in a more practical way for me, and I've been able to pass along some appliances that I don't use often, or that I haven't used at all. 

* Writing: Journaling (Focus: Self-Care): Depending on the day, journal time is either really early in the morning or as part of my digital detox before bed. On one of the warmer days, I got up early, made myself an iced matcha green tea, and spent time putting some of the things in my head on paper. 

* Math + Mental Health: I've been looking for a new brain teaser. The cross logic game I was playing has run out of games to be played 😞 which made @ather's talk of Wordle very timely. That's been fun. 

* Digital Detox before bed (30 minutes): I had a pretty good week of unplugging before bed. 

* Practice Gratitude: this was tied into my journal time. I have a gratitude journal with prompts, and use it ocassionally, but I tend to incorporate my gratitude practice into other activities, like when I'm on walks, working on quiet time, or during my journal time.

[Samtian]

@itsfi Great job! It's been a while since I've done Wordle. 

[itsfi]

Yeah, I feel like the last person to hear of it @Samtian 😂 

[Samtian]

@itsfi haha! Your a busy lady though. My brother and I used to compete against each other. 

[itsfi]

Like for bragging rights or was there a wager involved @Samtian?

[CorgiMommy]

Great job working on self care.  I love wordle and have been playing it since the beginning.   Also look into Connections it is a great way to get you mind thinking differently.   @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@CorgiMommy, thank you. Is that the Connections on The New York Times?

[CorgiMommy]

Yes it is @itsfi .  I find it challenging mist of the time. 

[ather]

@itsfi  That iced matcha looks delicious!!! Great job this month!!! I’m glad you have been enjoying Wordle!  It also sounds like you took advantage of the nice weather!! 

[itsfi]

@ather, it's usually cool here in the summer but this year it's been even cooler, cold even at times, so I've definitely tried to take advantage of the more moderate weather when it comes this way. The matcha is a nice refresher; a little break from all the plain water I've been trying to drink. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Ahhh this one is so cute! I love it! 😍 the back to school vibe is perfect! I can’t wait to see which activities I chan check off! I have been working on my sleep hygiene and trying to put my devices away 30 minutes before bed! Let’s see if I can get all 28 days left! I was good the first couple night but last night I may have done some scrolling. 

[CorgiMommy]

I know the digital detox before bed is tough.  I have made it a habit to shut my devices off early.  Most of the time I am successful but every once it awhile it gets the best of me. @ather 

[ather]

@CorgiMommy  That’s awesome to hear! I find I struggle especially when I am alone. But I need to just put it away and go to sleep! Or read! 

[itsfi]

That's the spirit @ather! It's not easy to keep off the phone before bed - just keep chipping away at it. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Thanks! 😊 I’ve been getting better! I’ve even stopped looking at my phone in the mornings too! I’ve been cutting my screen time a lot lately. Which may or may not be good!! 😊 

[itsfi]

Woah, that's fantastic @ather. Inspriing. It's almost rote for me to check my phone first thing in the morning.