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Thoughts on Change // A Well Crafted Party

Change… it happens whether we want it to or not. How we handle change says a lot about how successful we will be in life.

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy

If I were to take a test about how well I handle change then I’d pass with flying colors.

In most cases, I’d say I embrace change. Nothing in my home is placed permanently; everything has to be easy to move on a whim because I enjoying changing the way things look often.  I seriously have never had the same hairstyle twice since I have been able to enjoy choosing my own hair styles. Heck, I don’t even like eating the same meal two weeks in a row, much less as leftovers the next day. Thank goodness my husband likes leftovers.

See, you might even say I like change. I should be a total success at this whole life thing, right?

Thoughts on Change // A Well Crafted Party

The one thing that all of the changes that I like have in common is the fact that I have control over these changes. I like change that I have control over. I will even CHOOSE change to exert some control when all of life’s changes fly at me. (See the impromptu new hair-do for example!)

Thoughts on Change // A Well Crafted Party

This year has been awesome. It has been challenging. It has been incredibly sad and it has been deliriously happy. But, holy crap, it has been a year of change.

I’m working through the changes one moment at a time. Afterall…

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

I’m also trying to encourage myself to be open to becoming the change because…

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

And…

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Tell me, how do you deal with change? Do you feel you are open to change?

 

 

Self Care and Yoga // A Well Crafted Party

Disclaimer: I received an opportunity to work with YogaOutlet.Com on this post. Thank you for reading posts that help support this blog. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Don’t forget to check out the reader discount below!

Since going from working on my feet full-time to working on my rear full-time (desk job) I’ve noticed a steep decline in overall body health. Not just weight gain, though there has been some of that, but just how I feel. I don’t sleep as well, I get tired more often, and I am sore constantly. Like most people out there, I’m not making time for exercise. I have plenty of excuses, but truly, it is just that other things are taking priority right now.

I have continued to let my body get more and more worked up—all they while telling myself I didn’t have time to exercise in the day. You won’t ever hear me argue with anyone who says they don’t have time to exercise. I understand it. Working three jobs, being a mom, wife, friend, sibling, and daughter… well, lets just say I didn’t even have enough time to do any of those things very well.

However, now I’ve come to realize that me not taking a little extra time to stretch at my desk, talk a long walk, or even do a little yoga, is actually eating into my time even more.  I began to feel the affects of no sleep and constant pain seep into my work. The idea of sitting on the ground playing blocks with my child sounds tedious, exhausting and painful. Staying up longer than 8PM in the evenings to hang out with my husband, or help put my son to bed, became a trial. Though, going to bed at 8PM never helped me sleep more than 5 hours at night anyways. Well, you get the idea.

The moment has come that I prioritize exercise. It is about self-care. It is about maximizing the quality of life. And, well, it is about damn time.

Prioritize Exercise // A Well Crafted Party— Life is a party, celebrate it!

Stretching my schedule for more self-care in the form of yoga

A long while back I had a doctor recommend yoga to me for health issues. I nodded my head, and even went through with buying a few online yoga downloads and hitting a class or two… but, I only actually tried it a few times before giving it up. Right when the “Come to the Treadmill” moment happened for me I received an email from YogaOutlet.com sharing about their Summer Yoga Sale happening this August. I was more than a little excited to work with them and order a few items from their website.

After perusing the site for a bit I landed on the idea of trying out yoga at home again. Getting to the gym is almost impossible for me these days, and doing yoga at home means my kiddo can do some poses along with me. Quality time with kiddo and great self-care combined? WINNING. I decided to order the Gaiam Yoga for Beginners Kit that comes with a yoga mat, strap, block and beginner yoga disk. And, because ALL of that was less than $30 I decided to throw in the Gaiam AM/PM Yoga for Beginners DVD. I like the idea of doing a short bit of yoga in the morning to energize myself, and different poses in the evening to sort of unwind. And, because I had no where to store a bunch of yoga stuff, I bought a nifty little bag that keeps most of it all contained for me and waiting right by my bedroom door ready to head out to the living room for use.

(I have friends who swear by the Gaiam Yoga Back Care DVD… so, if I end up enjoying these DVDs and using them more than a handful of times, then I’m adding that one to the list. I’ll try to update this post after I’ve done the DVDs more than just a few times and let you know how they are working out.)

I haven’t been very consistent yet, but having my yoga mat ready to go has helped. I’m hoping to get even more consistent so I can soon justify buying some of their really cute yoga apparel!

A Well Crafted Party readers can get a one-time 15% discount at YogaOutlet.com by using the promo code “bridgepose” at check-out on your first purchase! Orders above $49 get free shipping as well. 

Have you tried at home yoga before? If so, what are your tips for keeping it consistent? Which videos do you like?

I’ve been feeling down lately. Stressed. Tired. WORN OUT.

I honestly thought this was a side effect to parenthood. I have wondered on many, many occasions whether I was even cut out to be a mom if this was the way I felt. (No longer feeling that way, btw.) I went to my new doctor the other day and she gave me some suggestions to help me in the day to day and she also ordered some blood tests.

The results are in… I thankfully didn’t have diabetes or thyroid issues (two things she tested for) but, did however have low iron and very low vitamin D readings.

She said that a lot of people in the Pacific Northwest have low vitamin D levels. (Go figure… it is raining here most of the time.) I had a score of 11 when average levels begin at 50.

My doctor prescribed a whole slew of vitamins, diet change, and exercise. Hopefully, my new vitamin regime will help with the lethargic feeling I’ve been experiencing and the anxiety attacks due to feeling overwhelmed. She said said to expect a change in days!

I’m so happy to finally have a reasonable answer that has a reasonable plan to fix the ways I’ve been feeling. I had a horrible bout of Postpartum Depression around month three of becoming a parent and I was beginning to feel that it was coming back, just a little different.

Funny thing? People tell me all the time that I am getting ridiculous amounts of stuff done. But, I’m just not feeling it right now. I’m hoping to feel like my normal, over-achieving self again soon!

Have you ever been tested for a Vitamin D deficiency? How did it affect you? How did you treat it?