Working Towards Wellness: January 2026

[itsfi]

Happy New Year, BIC! Let's start 2026 with a fresh, fun and fierce month of self-care à la wellness bingo!
If you're new here (to BIC and/or to wellness bingo, welcome!! If you've taken part in a round of wellness bingo before, welcome back!

Self-care can be a very personal thing - what works for one person may not work for someone else. Practicing wellness is a process - it takes time and effort. We will have our good days and bad days - moments when we are thriving; and others when we need to pause, take a deep breath (or multiple ones, for that matter), and reset. 

Working towards wellness is a life-long, evolving process that takes into account our individual needs and circumstances. Self-care is not about perfection, but progress. Likewise, wellness bingo isn't about winning or being the first to get bingo or clear the board. It's about finding what practices we can incorporate into our daily / weekly / monthly routine to support, maintain and/or improve our quality of life. All while having some fun along the way. 

Getting Started

To help you get started with this month's game of wellness bingo, here are a few links that may be of interest to you:

How to Play / How to Post 
Description of Wellness Activities

• Rows 1 & 2
• Rows 3, 4 & 5

Looking forward to hearing about your wellness practices this month. Please join in as you feel comfortable. 

[eshores]

@curlychiquita thank you

[itsfi]

@eshores, whoa, you got in some great self-care activities; that's fantastic. I lol'ed at your lurking comment; that's what I did when I first found this community.  Welcome!

Oh, I spy a BINGO!! Congrats! Crossword puzzles are not easy so kudos to you (and your husband) for doing them. You'll get through the overflow of body care products, just have to keep chipping away at it. This is a good season to work on using them up too! I think it's great you're involving your husband in this - you help him with crosswords, he helps with using up body creams. 😉 

[eshores]

@itsfi thank you

[curlychiquita]

Progress so far.

1) The “I feel like I’m getting sick” ended up being the flu and I was sicker than I’ve been in a long time. 🙄

2) I did finally get back to the gym, but I just walked. I think I’ll feel well enough to do the stationary bike tomorrow.

3) I went to the first meditation class last night! It was similar to the guided meditation you’d do at the end of a yoga class. I still enjoyed going to a spa and smelling the sea salts while doing it.

4) I need to prioritize sleep, so I was doing that over exercise given the choice.

5) I’ve been reading a lot! I do that a lot usually, though. I’m always at the library.

Looking forward to checking more boxes! 
@itsfi 

[Samtian]

@curlychiquita Nothing wrong with just walking! Far more than I've done 😄 

Sorry you've been sick. 

[curlychiquita]

Belated thank you, @Samtian! I’m all better but still even coughing sometimes a little! 

[itsfi]

I'm so happy you are feeling better @curlychiquita; there were some intense colds and flus going around last month & this month and it sounds like you caught one. Good that you were able to rest and prioritze sleep! Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞 that the meditation classes progress and get better for you as they move along. That's awesome that you make reading such an integral part of your everyday. I really need to get back into it again; or, t least find a happy middle ground for myself.

[Samtian]

Week 2-Carnations. 

The carnation, as the birth flower for January, symbolizes determination, warmth, love, fascination, and distinction.

[itsfi]

I absolutely love that you included details about the meaning of carnations @Samtian! 💗 And woohoo on the digital detox before bed 🙌 and hydrate!!! Look at you, checking off some self care activities that are not the easiest. #inspiring  Congrats on your BINGO!

[Samtian]

@itsfi Thank you! I love that image!

[itsfi]

Saw the image and thought of you immediately @Samtian! An important game coming up for your team this Sunday! 🏈 

[Shosh85]

Trying to get back in the swing of things.

Was able to get a few boxes checked 😃❄️

❄️Winter walk or hike

My kids love taking walks in the snow 😊

Spoiler

❄️Create Arts Crafts Hobbies

One of my favorite hobbies is putting together 1,000 piece puzzles. Here is the one I'm currently working on:

Spoiler

 
and this is the last one I did:

❄️Music therapy 

My kids and I have been listening to a lot of Disney music lately and I love it. The most favorite has been "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book

Spoiler

[Samtian]

@Shosh85 I audibly said whoa on that lego puzzle. Keep the snow. 

[Shosh85]

@Samtian  I actually bought that one so we could frame it when I was done with it and hang it my son's room. He is a major Lego fan and also loves anything rainbow color, so we figured this was perfect 😉

[itsfi]

That snow!!! Those footprints! Awww, what a great view @Shosh85! Good memories too, And time to think back - they were just babies not that long ago and now they're running around in the snow!! Oooh, The Jungle Book. It's so fun to see, experience songs with kids - their joy and energy is so infectious. It's making me want to rewach The Jungle Book now. 

Whoa 👀👀 those are some seriously impressive puzzle skills you have, Shosh!! Brava to you, girl! 👏 Do you do a little each night or when you feel like it / have time for it? 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  I love The Jungle Book! The other song that's a hit with the boys is, "I Wanna Be Like You" 😃

I just work on the puzzles whenever my kids are gone or sleeping 😉 

[caitbird]

@Shosh85  great job! Love that you are doing wellness activities with your kids, that's awesome. Love the puzzles, that looks so fun!

[Shosh85]

Thank you so much @caitbird! I'm always trying to find things to do with the kids that'll wear them out good 😉😅

[caitbird]

Happy 2026, everyone! I hope you all had a good holiday + New Year, and are having a happy and restful year so far 💜

I can't believe we are almost 2 weeks into the year already - where does the time go?! I didn't think I'd gotten that many of this month's Wellness activities done in this past week and a half, but when I was tallying up the board, I realized I had checked off more than I thought, though no bingo yet.

Here's what I've completed so far:

-Aromatherapy: Lately, I have been enjoying perfumes - I picked up a Dossier advent calendar this week, so I have started testing some of those fragrances; scented candles - currently burning Voluspa Noble Fir Garland; and scented hand creams and other body care.
-Eat a healthy meal: After the (admittedly very enjoyable) indulgence of rich foods and desserts over the holiday, we are back to our usual, healthier fare. Last night’s meal (and tonight's leftovers), courtesy of my mom, was vegetarian tacos, with fresh fruit and salad.
-Give yourself permission to: create without needing it to be perfect - this example really spoke to me, since one of my goals this year is to be more creative and work on more creative projects, but I often find my perfectionism holds me back from being creative like I want to. This year, I really want to embrace imperfections and progress over perfection in my creative endeavors.
-Quiet time - journal - meditate - breathe: I’m currently working on sticking to a more regular journaling routine in various forms - digital daily notes, reflection + prompts in a physical paper journal, etc. I also want to start trying bullet journaling this year, so I’ve been noodling around with that a bit, too.
-Financial wellness: Over the holiday break, my mom helped me pay off the majority of my debts (using some money that was left to me by my grandma). I’m not quite debt free yet, but I can see the end in sight now, which is a huge relief. The next step is putting together a budget, with my mom’s help again - she’s very financially savvy and responsible, so I appreciate her input.
-Read - audiobook - podcast - TV/movie: I’ve been doing a lot of reading already this year, which is one of my goals (this year, and always). I also watched (or rather, rewatched) a movie for the first time in ages - Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was fun.
-Free space: one of the additional wellness activities I’m currently working on is doing a digital detox for the new year - deleting old emails and unsubscribing from unwanted lists, organizing and decluttering my photos and files, unfollowing social media accounts that I don’t vibe with anymore, etc. It’s a work in progress, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, and I think it will ultimately be very positive for my well-being.
-Joy list: I love this task! As someone who struggles with depression, I sometimes have a tendency to withdraw from things that I used to enjoy, as counterintuitive as that might sound. It’s a good reminder to be mindful of my mood + happiness and what “makes my soul feel alive” and to spend more time doing those things. I made a list of activities that bring me joy (I’ll keep adding to it, as I’m sure I’ll think of more), and so far I’ve checked off several, including reading, watching a movie, and cuddles with the cats.
-Occupational wellness: I am about to start a new job, which is exciting but also a bit nerve-wracking. I’m doing my best to prepare by thrift shopping for some new job-appropriate clothes with my mom, and trial driving the commute with my dad, among other things, which helps me feel less anxious.
-Seasonal fruits + veggies: one of my health-related goals for 2026 is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Lately, we have been enjoying seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, and citrus, and veggies like broccoli and green beans.
-Body care - winter edit: I’m doing my best to combat winter dry skin by sticking to a regular skincare routine and focusing on hydration and barrier-boosting products; using lotion or body butter after showering; and using lip balms + hand creams regularly throughout the day.
-Hydrate: as always, I’ve been doing my best to drink as much as I need to throughout the day, with the help of my trusty reusable water bottle. I’m also still trying to drink more tea each day. I find that I need to drink more than I would expect in the winter, likely due to the drier air and also spending time by the woodstove.
-Music therapy: I have been listening to Spotify most days lately, often while working on other things. I usually like to just play my liked songs on shuffle - I have a pretty long and eclectic playlist, so I never know what’s going to come up next, and that can be fun.

I made a little collage with pictures of some of this month's Wellness activities:

[Samtian]

@caitbird I love that collage! You are doing so well! Congrats on the job and making a huge dent on the debt. 

[itsfi]

Way to kick off the new year with your wellness activities @caitbird ❣️ I love how your collage can capture some of the things you've done for wellness and serve as an inspiration for you as you move along in your goals throughout the year. Ohhhh, that woodstove, such a wonderful source of warmth this time of year, but yes, also means you have to up that hydration game. All the lovely teas you have to go through will offer a nice treat and break between all your water intake. Those are some great goals for the year too!