5 Changes

I've decided not to let my ex's craziness bother me. He's still at it, but he is toning it down a bit, resorting to phoning me and harassing, but has left my friends and family alone for the most part. It makes me feel like I have a bit of breathing space. The newly found breathing space got me thinking about what I need in my life to feel like a whole person again. Honestly, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for so long, I sometimes wonder if I will ever be able to stop running in "over-drive mode".

So, I looked at what is not working well, or what has been adding to my personal stress and decided to make 5 changes to make things run a little smoother. I've made those changes as of this week, and I do have to say, so far so good. These 5 changes have made a massive difference in my life- stress wise, happiness wise, and with respect to my own personal headspace.

1) Wake up at 5:30, have a calm morning routine with the children, and get to work on time. So far so good. I had a glitch with my babysitter this week, so I'm trying to find a new one for my son, but other than that, this one is going well so far. I cannot tell you how awesome it has been to have a calm morning instead of a hyper active late running one.

2) 15 minutes of housework every night before bed. No matter how tired I am. This will prevent everything from piling up on my weekends. I figure if I can do one thing a night, clean a washroom, mop the floors, vacuum etc...My weekends will be much happier, and my weekdays will feel more orderly. So far so good

3) No more eating on the go. Wow. This one has been awesome. I'm actually eating breakfast in the morning. That alone has changed my life. I usually skip breakfast and am ready to pass out by lunchtime. On the days that I run out of time and miss lunch, I am a terror by 3pm. This little change has made life better. Eating lunch at my desk doesn't count by the way. I allow myself to do that :) But still, the extra morning time has allowed me to pack lunch, snacks etc...So I'm not grabbing stuff that can be eaten in the car, on the subway etc. It's actually resulted in healthier eating, and no more hunger headaches...Two birds with one stone!

4) Going to the gym- this one has been harder. I want to go 3 times a week. I've managed to go twice this week so far, but I'm still feeling less stressed as a result

5) Going to bed no later than 11pm. Hey- I was going to bed at 2am. Going to bed by 11 allows me to wake up by 5:30 and not be moody. Like I said, so far so good.

I'm not sure how long this will last. Maybe it will be a two week thing that dies out because it's hard to maintain. I do have to say, I feel a lot better physically and mentally as a result, so I'm hoping to stick to it. Even my ex's tactics haven't been bothering me as much.