I completed the reboot at the end of July, yay! I did it! I was able to squeeze in all of those activities, on most days and it felt so good to develop a consistent, healthy, productive routine. It was challenging though, but after I was done, I felt accomplished, energized and optimistic.

I will summarize how each activity impacted me.

Journal. Journaling was the easiest activity for me. It helps me clear my mind, unblock my emotions so that I am unburdened and gain clarity. I still journal on most days. I recommend this to everyone , it is extremely therapeutic, allowing us to be more present and true.

Exercise. I had so much fun working out at Planet Fitness with my daughter! She would ask constantly, “Am I buff yet?” Before she went back to college in August she had muscles to show for it and I did too, but mine were under a fluffy layer 🙂 We were so proud of ourselves, every time we’d go to the gym we’d pat ourselves on the back saying, “We’re doing it, we’re actually going.” We held one another accountable, even though we wanted to find excuses, we’d talk each other into going and would feel so satisfied afterwards. We worked out until the week before she left. I haven’t been back yet, but I will next week. Exercise helped me feel stronger, lifted my mood, helped me sleep better, boosted my energy/stamina and I lost weight as well, about 6lbs.

Write. I began writing a book, it feels wonderful! I also began multiple blog posts only two of which I completed, but there are 4 others I will finish soon, yay! I can maintain a writing habit. It’s doable.

Solitude. This one was difficult,  mainly because it was summer where I don’t have much, if any alone time. I am introverted and need down time, quiet time, alone time. I am trying to work on my sleep schedule to allow more solitude in the future weeks. I feel so much more expansive, relaxed and free if I get alone time, otherwise I get a bit frazzled and crunchy around the edges. Meditation is an invaluable method to maintain clarity, overall well being and productivity. We all would benefit by more meditation.

Play. I had to force this some days because of time constraints, where I’d do a fun activity for only a few minutes, like blow bubbles. But it helped me lighten up and I remembered how as a child I’d wake up and greet the day filled with anticipation and freedom, because all I had to do was explore and play. I tried to view each day like that, I’d imagine that if all I had to do was whatever I wanted, how would that be. I’d recall how I’d walk outside barefoot and look for interesting insects, plants, rocks and how I’d play all day. Of course I couldn’t play all day, but I tried to evoke that same lightness and joy I experienced as a child. I watched the whole season 9 of Rupaul’s Drag Race and Untucked with my daughter, that was so playful, inspiring and fun!

Declutter. I managed to do this most days, but it was lowest priority on the list. And that’s why I accumulate clutter, because it really can wait. The downside is that it subconsciously creates drag and weighs me down. Because I see it and want to work on it, yet procrastinate because other things truly are more important. It’s on my to do list everyday because it’s in my face. It really feels energizing when I manage to declutter a larger amount. I didn’t have enough time blocks to get it all done, but my view is it will get done eventually. It helps me develop patience, perseverance and the ability to surrender. I am not superwoman and don’t have to be.

Raw. My plan was to try to go totally vegan raw, but it turned out I ate a mix of cooked and raw, about 50/50. I did lose weight and felt more energetic. I recently tried a 30 day raw challenge, but only made it for 21 days. I lost even more weight. But I wasn’t able to take in enough calories, it sounds weird, but I got tired of eating, because the volume of raw food is higher to equal the same amount of calories as cooked food. So in effect I was semi-fasting and this had the opposite effect, I was sluggish and very low energy. Plus I have a balance disorder and this increased my symptoms. So I gave in and began eating cooked food and within a week I was back to baseline. In the future if I try to be fully raw I will incorporate smoothies, which have less volume with more calories and nutrition. I don’t know if I’ll ever stay fully raw because I enjoy the variety of cooked food.

Overall I was extremely encouraged by this reboot, I felt competent because I was able to keep up these habits and it boosted my confidence, filling me with hope for my future goals. Yay! Trying out new activities and perspectives is a sure way to stay invigorated, creative and excited about life.  To really see if something’s beneficial, it takes consistent practice, like don’t give up on something right away, it may take a few weeks or more to get full results. Kinda like how I thought cilantro was repulsive and tasted like the pungent aroma of stink bugs, but I was curious and kept tasting it until one day I began to like it and soon it was delicious to me. There are some things that I haven’t acquired a taste for, like horseradish, blech! But that’s perfectly fine because there’s something that works and is yummy for each person, so it’s advantageous to stay flexible and adventuresome. You never know what’s out there that could be amazing for you!

Things I’m trying now, are playing guitar and doing yoga. I am being less aggressive though and am only doing these activities 3 times a week. It’s really fun doing something musical again, such flow.  Yoga establishes a feeling of stability, calm and connectedness through out body, mind and soul, unlike any other activity I’ve done. Running comes close though. Yoga feels to me like running and meditation combined.

This reboot has me believing I am regaining more balance in my life and it is…

“Pretty good. Pretttttttty, pretttttttttty, pretttttty good.” Larry David