Friday Questions (V. 5)

Happy Friday, friends. What a week, eh? It felt like an insanely long one for me. Work kept me busy and so did my evenings, with two after-work workouts and dinner with a friend. I’m very happy for Friday and hoping it’s that perfect mix of alone time and people time. (Last weekend involved a bit too much alone time. Womp.)

Today, I’m continuing my Friday Questions series using the community questions from the Real Talk Radio podcast. These are so fun to answer because the questions are so unique!

1) When you’re feeling stuck in a rut, how do you get yourself out of it?

I think it’s always helpful to try something new when I’m in a rut. Feeling bored with my food? Switch up the lunch or breakfast I bring to work every day. Feeling bored with my workload? Keep an ear out for new accounts and ask to be put on any new and interesting accounts. Feeling bored with my workouts? Try a different workout class or switch up the days I work out. For me, when I’m in a rut, it means I’m bored and everything I’m doing feels rote and unoriginal. But shaking up my routine in a small way really helps me to feel more excited about what I’m doing.

2) What does your life look like when you are practicing self-care and self-kindness?

Listen, I understand that “self-care” is now a buzzword that everyone hates, but sue me. I love it. Self-care is my jam and I realize it’s not always about bubble baths and sleeping in. For me, when I’m practicing my truest form of self-care, it means saying yes to plans but not too many plans (1-2 a week is all I need). It means regular exercise, cooking my meals instead of picking up fast food, and drinking more water than soda. It means having space in my schedule to read and blog. And yes, it means bubble baths and naps and having enough me-time.

3) When you think back over your life so far, what are you most proud of?

Ending my relationship with my father. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make and I spent years wondering if I made the right decision, but now I can say I did. I had to. He was a negative force in my life and while I’m sad about the way his life has turned out, I’m proud of standing up for myself and demanding more. I was only 22 when I made this decision, which is so damn young and I’m proud of that girl who made that tough choice because she knew she deserved better.

4) What’s one thing in your life that’s no longer serving you, and you need to let go of?

Oh, wow. What a question! Sometimes, I think it’s the novel I’m writing. Not that I don’t want to write fiction – I do – but I wonder if it’s just time to move on from the story I’ve been trying to write for two years. I have this internal resistance to it and I’m not sure why. Is it because it’s not the story I’m supposed to be writing? Or is this just part of the writing process and I need to get my butt in my chair and write. I don’t know. All I do know is that my writing partner might murder me if I tell her I’m scrapping this story idea for now.

5) What’s your favorite thing to give as a gift to someone else?

I love giving surprise gifts to friend – like emailing them a $10 Starbucks gift card when I know they’re having a rough day or week. Or sending them a little gift in the mail. Just something to let them know I’m thinking about them and love them. For birthdays, I tend to opt for gift cards, which I know some people feel is the “easy” way out and maybe it is, but damn if I don’t love to receive a gift card myself. It’s so nice to have a little “spending money” at one of my favorite stores, and I know my friends appreciate that, too.

What are you most proud of in your life?