Lately, things in my life have been going very well! I’m paying off some longtime debt. I paid off my car a couple of months ago! I’m working 25 to 30 hours a week with ease. Family life has been looking up, too! What I need to work on now is strengthening my spirituality.

I’ve been meditating for 10 minutes a day using the Calm app. It’s helpful, but it doesn’t allow much room for my Higher Power to enter into my practice. Ideally, I’d like to be meditating in stillness and silence for at least 15 or 20 minutes a day. There are so many hours in a day that I use for nothing but staring at my phone or just sitting there (I’m weird. Sometimes I just sit there and space out). So, I can take 20 minutes in the morning to relax into my practice.

Another thing I’m doing is exercising more. I opened back up my gym membership, although I’ve only gone once or twice since I reopened it. But sometimes exercise can come in different forms besides just the gym. For example, dance parties in the living room and taking the farthest parking spot at the store to walk the extra couple minutes! It all adds up.

I’ve been eating more balanced, too. Not necessarily more “clean” (as some people like to say), but more rounded meals more often. At least three meals and two snacks a day. Also, making sure I have a snack at work where I’m constantly moving and burning energy. I find that I’m happier when I eat more often. Imagine that!! 😉

All of these things combined (meditating, exercising, and eating balanced) help my mental health tremendously. I haven’t had any depression since I’ve started incorporating these things into my life. That’s not to say depression will never creep in again. But I can take preventative measures to keep it at bay. And that’s what I’m doing!

The benefits of self-care are 100% real. Lots of people scoff at meditation, exercise, and eating with the mentality that “every food fits”. But, for me, it works! And it’ll keep working as long as I keep it up.

I’m happy more times than not (that is, if I’m not crabby as hell… which happens often as well). But the happiness stays a constant on the inside because I have gratitude for life today. That’s something I couldn’t say even a year ago! Gratitiude changes everything. And, I’m so grateful to have the awareness to keep changing and growing.

Sending love and light, Kel.