November – The Happiness Challenge

So, October has been and gone and November is upon us already!  It’s beginning to look a lot like….Chr….nearly!

October Challenge

So last month’s challenge was #blogtober – posting a blog post every day during the month of October and I failed dramatically!  Unfortunately I was still recovering from being unwell which had taken it’s toll, and with the start of the cold weather my arthritis was playing up and I was very fatigued.  I did miss out a part of the month and did think about trying to catch up once I started feeling well again.  I chose not to as I would have been placing even more pressure on myself when I had just started feeling better and probably set my recovery back.  This is life with chronic illness – despite your best laid plans, not every will always work out the way you want it to!

Challenge For November

I am enjoying my challenge’s and so have decided to keep this going and have picked a one for this month.  Being chronically unwell puts a strain on your mental health as well as your physical health.  Having to miss out on things when you are unwell, and the slightest activity wearing you out can really make you feel even more rubbish.  With that in mind I thought I would choose a challenge for this month to encourage me mentally.

With that in mind I came across this while having a Pinterest scroll.  It looked like exactly what I needed!

I won’t necessarily do these in order but I plan on doing one a day.  I aim to fill you in on the daily challenges over on my social media pages so make sure you are following me –

Facebook     –     Twitter     –     Instagram

and updating at the end of the month (and possibly halfway through) as to how I found it and how I am feeling on here.

Self Care – Is It Selfish?

Self care has become very popular recently and can mean anything from taking control over your mental health to giving yourself a little me time and having a bubble bath!  I think everyone needs to be able to treat themselves once in a while but self care, in my opinion, can be even more simple than that.

When you have mental or physical health problems, or are a parent, self care is very often forgotten about, or even consciously denied.  When you feel poorly, low and depressed, people will often ‘punish’ themselves by withholding simple care behaviour from their life. They may feel like their health concerns already take over too much of daily life and refuse to concentrate any more efforts on themselves.  They may feel unworthy of this kind of attention, that they don’t deserve it.  A parent can feel too busy and like they should be dedicating all of their time to their children and their needs.  The thing is – we all deserve a bit of TLC and the common quote – you can’t pour from an empty cup – is very true.

Starting simple with things like ensuring you are taking all your medication at the correct time, that you are staying hydrated and drinking the recommended amount daily and you are getting some fresh air are great places to start.  These sound like simple things but they are so often forgotten when you are focusing on your children or you are struggling with feeling down.  Self care is about looking after you and encompasses everything you need to be doing for yourself.  You wouldn’t forget to give your child regular drinks throughout the day.  But, as I have in the past, you could be cooking tea and realise you have only had one cup of tea all day!

Wish Me Luck!

I am really looking forward to this challenge and definitely think it will be a really positive one for me at the moment.  I would love it if you would like to join me, let me know in the comments below if you would like to participate!