Embracing Change & Self-Care— My Journey Towards a Fulfilling Life — LOH Contest #166

Last year was remarkable for me and everyone around me. I had a multitude of experiences that taught me valuable lessons. In 2023, I had the opportunity to live independently without any parental guidance. It was during this time that I truly discovered myself, including my strengths and weaknesses. Managing everything on my own wasn't easy, and I reached a point where I felt overwhelmed. Eventually, I experienced a total breakdown from the last days of the year ushering into the new year.

The most important lesson I learned last year was to prioritize my health. I've never been the type to pay much attention to headaches, body pains, or tiredness. I always thought they would just go away on their own. My focus was mainly on my studies, social life, and family.
Even when I knew that health encompasses not only physical well-being but also mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I neglected all these aspects, and it took a toll on me. I started to believe that I was weak and incapable of handling stress.

So during Christmas with my family, I noticed that everyone seemed to be doing well except for me. At first, it didn't bother me much because I had already internalized the idea that I wasn't as strong as them. However, when they expressed concern and asked why I wasn't feeling as energetic as usual, I knew it was time to take a break from everything and prioritize rest.
But I didn't even know how to rest, so I would lie in bed for hours, hoping sleep would come, but end up using my phone instead. At one point, my mom took away my phone. After that, I fell ill and before I knew it, I found myself in the hospital.

Sleeping in the hospital gave me a chance to reflect on how careless I had been with my health. I traced it all back to not managing my time well, getting unnecessarily tired, losing my appetite, and staying up late at night. It was a wake-up call for me to prioritize my health.

I however realized that it wasn't the activities themselves that were stressful, but rather my approach to them that made them difficult.

What would you do differently or start doing for yourself next year?

Already, I've started filtering out things that aren't truly important to me. One of those things is letting my mind wander and getting caught up in imagining scenarios that may never happen. This could be very draining and I wonder if anyone else has ever experienced this.

I believe music could really help me with this. It might be tough to do it on my own at first, so I'm planning to listen to music and meditate. It has a way of keeping me focused and calm. I've tried it before and it worked very well.

Another thing I'm going to start doing this year is getting closer to God. I felt empty in the last few months of last year because I only went to church on Sundays. I've never done that before, and I think that's why I felt that way.
I want to rejoin the choir and bring back that sense of fulfillment in my life.

As a woman, I deserve a healthy and happy life. That's what I learned last year — to love and take care of myself. To rest when I need to, and to eat even when I'm not hungry. To take things easy and see them as simple tasks I can handle.

Happy New Year Friends!

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Post is in response to LOH contest. Thoughtful questions by @merit.ahama .
1️⃣ What is the one lesson or knowledge you learned this year that benefitted you as a lady?

~ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 / 𝐎𝐑 ~

2️⃣ What would you do differently or start doing for yourself next year?