Working Towards Wellness: October 2025

[itsfi]

Hey there, BIC! I don't know about you, but sometimes, little moments of self-care sprinkled throughout the hustle-and-bustle of my day-to-day can have a meaningful impact. That's one of the reasons that lead me to put together these wellness boards; another was to add a layer of fun to self-care. If this sounds like something you might benefit from or if you're just interested in seeing how it goes, jump on in if, when and how you like. 

More detailed information for wellness bingo can be found in the links below, but essentially, if you undertake a self-care activity described in one of the squares, you can mark off that square. Get 5 in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally and you've got BINGO! 🎉 If you're up for sharing what you did for any of your wellness activities, please feel free to do so. 

Remember, be safe when engaging in the activities described, taking into consideration the condition of your self and surroundings (i.e., location, weather, your ability to perform the activities) and consult with a professional, including your health care professional, if and as needed. Make any adjustments or skip an activity, if and as needed.

How To Play / How To Post

Description/Examples of Activities

• Rows 1 through 3 Activities
• Rows 4 & 5 Activities

Spoiler

Tagging a few folks who have posted to previous Working Towards Wellness threads. Will try to update tags throughout periodically. If I inadvertently missed someone, I apologize. Feel free to tag others who you think may be interested. Be well!
@ather @blackkitty2014 @caitbird @CorgiMommy @curlychiquita @danielledanielle @jaaayp @PrettyPaint @Samtian 

[danielledanielle]

Alright, so I've knocked off some others. O checked off what I think it's relevant, since @itsfi you graciously let us interpret these I got two bingos!  BUTTTT. BIC won't let me post my marked off image, so here we are with a synopsis/highlights:

🎃Prioritized Self (posted that earlier)

🎃Body care Hanni Splash Salve In-Shower Body Moisture Treatment 8.8 oz / 250 mL in effect

🎃Aromatherapy @itsfi kindly suggested I start the Olfactory Overtures: The Fragrance Layering Thread and also Maison Margiela 'REPLICA' By The Fireplace Scented Candle 5.8 oz/ 165 g is currently in rotation 

🎃Fall face .. the kitsch headbands I posted in Outstanding October Hauls 2025 thread have given me spooky Szn sensations, and at an (in/unintentional) behest of @Sunnysmom I'm challenging myself this week to do looks based off of them and maybe 1 avant garde look for Friday, if I can muster the courage, today's look was... Interesting, but I thank her for the push regardless 

🎃Spend Quality Time with loved ones, the Seoul in the City Pop Up was with a group that I consider family + actual family (dandan). I haven't seen two of them in a loooooong time and we had lunch after which was nice

🎃Work on Joy - this has taken forms in the stuff listed above 

Usual things: exercise, hydration, stretching , music therapy, healthy meal (thanks @Shosh85 for that neck stretch)

[Samtian]

@danielledanielle Ooh those all sound amazing, congrats!

[Shosh85]

@danielledanielle 

Double BINGO! Nice job! That fireplace candle is definitely perfect for this time of year!😊

Ha! Glad you're using the chin tuck! 👍

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, I was working on a project when I saw your post and decided to help out with the bic glitch

I added 

• have a warm & cozy drink - my recollection is you drink coffee and ummm, how much warm and cozier a drink is there in the mornings?! ☕
• slow down & savor the season - goes with the Seoul in the City Pop Up - love, love, love that you were able to go and with family of your making x2
• have some fall fun - I need to circle back to the The Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread but I spied some fabulous fun fall looks you created!
• try and do something new - I must have missed the kitsch headbands you picked up - love that you did a look today - you're "interesting" I'm sure is phenomenal! 

So, congrats on BINGO x2! 🙌 If I missed squares, lemme know.

[danielledanielle]

Thanks for the assist!  @itsfi , yeah you're right about the cozy beverage.  Last month was Tea Lemonade/Arnold Palmer's and this month was Matcha Mochas (basically matcha with almond milk and some chocolate milk) 

[itsfi]

Ohhh, I wouldn't have thought of a matcha mocha; that sounds delicious @danielledanielle! 😋 Adding "chocolate almond milk" to the shopping list for the next grocery run. 

[missjeanie]

@danielledanielle Ohhhh the MM By the Fireplace is a perfect burn for the fall weather!  I need to remember to check out that Hanni in shower moisturizer next time I'm in a US store.  I remember when the in shower moisturizers first came out years ago and I think it's such a smart idea!

[itsfi]

Activities marked by a different Halloween candy / treat each week.

• Week 1 (10.1 - 10.5) - black & orange candy wrappers
• Week 2 (10.6 - 10.12) - candy corn
• Week 3 (10.13 - 10.19) - caramel apple 
• Week 4 (10.20 - 10.26) - chocolate candy bar 
• Week 5 (10.27 - 10.31) - mellowcreme pumpkins 

Practice gratitude - 

October marks the 12th month of our wellness bingo - I know, 12 months! 😮

Thank you ~ 

❤️  for stopping by to check out the monthly boards, whether out of curiosity or to play along 

❤️  for playing along, offline or on - I hope you have found it worthwhile

❤️  for helping to build this space with your engagement, and for your kind words of encouragement, support and appreciation, on the bwell threads and off. 😘

BIC has, on many occasions, served as an opportunity for self care, offering a welcome break or respite from whatever else may be going on in the everyday. Thank you to everyone who makes this Community the special jewel it is - that includes you, @TeamBIC ❣️ 

It's been marvelous to hear and be inspired by what folks here has been doing as part of your wellness practices. Looking forward to sharing what other self-care adventures are to come in the remainder of this year. And, next year, too!

***

Work on an area for growth - my growth area focused on disconnecting from electronics / working on my digital detox both before bed and just in general. I'm on my phone a lot. Much less so this year, but it still feels like a lot. This year, I have tried to not be so attached to my phone, and have put in a lot of effort to cut back on how much time I spend online, including: 

• making a habit of a digital detox before bed - 30 - 60 minutes most nights
• sprinkling in some unplugged moments over the weekend - usually 2-hour periods but occasionally half days
• cutting back on YT videos - this month, I've watched maybe 2 beauty YT videos and about 6 or 7 non-beauty related YT videos. That’s probably what I might have done in a week, on average. 
• less time watching TV shows - earlier this year, I probably watched 1 or 2 non-news shows about 3 or 4 nights a week. This month, I've only watched one show every week; namely, Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building
• less time spent across the board on all online platforms / social media etc., including BIC
• less time shopping (or browsing) online - surprisingly, I’ve spent substantially less time than in the past, but then again, it was quite a bit of time in the past, hahaha! 

Additionally, I went out of town last week / this week, and as part of working on unplugging, I left my laptop at home, and limited my phone usage to, for the most part, things I needed - things like checking in for my flights, texting with those I was meeting up with or needing to check in with, figuring out how to get to where I needed to be, getting myself an Uber/Lyft/Waymo, and listening to my audiobook during my flight to and from. That latter one was probably something I could have done without and brought a physical book with me, but I only had so much room in my carry on and personal bag. 

Have a healthy meal - I have been working on clearing out the fridge & freezer as part of my decluttering for the colder seasons and in connection with that trip out of town.

I cobbled together this soup/stew with whatever veggies, leftovers and other things I had in the house: 

• chicken stock (that I had made and froze months ago)
• roasted veggies - carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash
• shredded cabbage
• shredded kale
• baby spinach
• a few pieces of rotisserie chicken, leftover from a gameday get together
• edamame
• mix of leftover quinoa & brown rice

I topped it with some kimchi and toasted pine nuts. 😋 If I recreated this again, I'd skip the rotisserie chicken and  quinoa/brown rice. It was hearty enough with all the veggies.

Fall Face - With fall here, I've been working to incorporate my richer, heavier moisturizer into my rotation, while still trying to keep the breakouts along my chin in check. It feels like a new zit pops up ever week (arggghhhh!!!) so I've been applying AHA based products of one sort or another to that area with some frequency. 

• Acne care - I have a couple of salicylic acid based masks and toners that I rotate into my routine as a spot treatment when needed, or as a weekly treatment/mask.

• Cold-weather friendly moisturizers -

            -  Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin™ Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream 1.7 oz / 50 mL 🐐 or AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 Cream Moisturizer with Ceramides & Niacinamide for Skin Moisture Barrier Repair 2.71 oz / 80 mL for my morning moisturizer - a future product throwdown in the making

            - Rhode Barrier Butter for my evening moisturizer ❤️ 

Free Space - As a reward to myself for my digital detox efforts this month, I tried this new coffee shop that's (sorta but not really) in the neighborhood - it's a bit of a walk, but hey, it meant I got some exercise, and fresh air, too! 😀 

*** 

Going to take some time to catch up on a few more things on my to-do list, online and off. The BWell bingo card for November will be up some time Saturday. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Wow! Happy anniversary to this! Amazing. And whooooaaaa look at those bingos!

[itsfi]

All possible because of you and others here @Samtian so a huge thank you and happy BIC wellness bingo anniversary! 🎉 A sure went by fast. I feel like I've learned a lot (and am still learning) about self-care and different ways to go about it. Excited to see what other tips and tricks and new techniques we'll learn.

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Happy 1 year Anniversary! Can't believe it's already been a year! This thread has been such a great addition to the BIC and I just love reading about what everyone's been working on and the progress they've made! ..... and look at you! - you've cleared the board! Nice job! The stew looks absolutely delicious ..... so does that cake, of course 😋

It doesn't look like I'll be clearing the board this month, but I'll be ready for November! 😃

[itsfi]

Yes!! I dunno if it's just because I'm older but, time flies by, doesn't it @Shosh85?!! 100% agree - I love hearing what everyone is doing for self-care; there are activities or ways to go about things that I would never have thought of but for folks sharing their routines or things they've discovered. 👍

Yeah, food plays a big role in my self-care. 😅 Some are healthy treats; others are, ummm... just treats, lol. All good, balance. 😁

This was an interesting way to go about the wellness board. It added some structure but with flexibility - I thought I might find it hard to go about doing a particular activity during the week but it was actually the opposite. I just looked up 7 squares and the decided on going about what I thought I could fit in that week; I didn't ever get in all 7 but whatever I didn't do just rolled over to the next week or the next, etc. For me, it made me more thoughtful about how to get in some activities that might not instinctively come to mind for me to do. It was fun to try a different way to go about wellness bingo. I'm not sure I'd go with the same approach next month but I would be up for trying something different than how I normally go about it. 

Yes, happy BWell bingo anniversary to the BIC wellness warriors!

[caitbird]

@itsfi  wow, fantastic job, you checked off the whole board! 🎉 Do you get some sort of special prize/reward for that? 😂

Good for you for putting in the effort to unplug/digital detox regularly! It's something I definitely still have to work on - maybe that will be a goal for the coming months for me, to work on cultivating non-digital/online activities.

Mmm, that stew looks/sounds delicious! And yay for using up leftovers! 

And thank *you* for all your hard work in putting together these bingo boards/activities, keeping these monthly Wellness threads running, and just generally being such a kind, wise, supportive and encouraging person 💜

[itsfi]

lol, I hadn’t thought of a special prize @caitbird but I wouldn’t want to disappoint so maybe I’ll pick up an extra treat during the sale? 🤣😂🤣 Thank you. 

Love hearing about your wellness activities and am always moved by the efforts you put into trying things that are new and/or challenging. That’s not an easy task at all and you undertake it with so much heart. If we could all have such courage to go outside our comfort zones. Brava to you! 👏🏼 

[caitbird]

@itsfi @danielledanielle thank you so much 💜 that's something that I never thought I was good at, so hearing that from you means a lot 😊

[danielledanielle]

💯 🙌🏽🙌🏽 @caitbird , @itsfi 

[missjeanie]

Thank you @itsfi for helping foster such a welcoming and open space on BIC and on this thread!! 

[itsfi]

Awww shucks, thank you @missjeanie❣️ I’d say the same of you. I’ve lost count of how many years of BT/BIC fun it’s been but you are most definitely one of the ones who make this place welcoming, safe and fun for me. Thank YOU!! 

P.S. You may also enable a lip balm purchase or two 🤣 I don’t mind but the wallet …

[blackkitty2014]

Okie report time. @itsfi @please do forgive for my laziness. I need to update my progress on shop my stash as well. I need to pick up a Xmas gift for hubby in order to complete 1 for you and 2 for me 😘 I also need to work on digital detox. The fun part is do able this week. Hopefully I can get 1 more bingo before the month ends

[Samtian]

@blackkitty2014 great job!!!

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @Samtian ❤️