Ah, April. What a month! I remember looking at my planner for this month and seeing that every single weekend was jam-packed. I am not someone who thrives well on a busy schedule, so it’s no surprise that I ended April feeling overwhelmed and ready for a reset. May is looking to be a little less crazy and I am very grateful for it.
Here’s what I got up to in April:
- A writing sleepover – My writing partner Mikaela came up with the idea to have a writing sleepover so we could make serious progress on our novels. She came to my apartment, and we ordered pizzas and even broke out the espresso machine I won at my work’s Christmas party to have some late-night cappuccinos. It was a great time and we got a lot done!
- Being open about my social anxiety – This month, I talked with two good friends about my social anxiety and how it affects my life. It’s really hard to open up about this part of my life because it makes me feel like such a weirdo… but it’s a huge part of who I am. And, of course, my friends were gracious and loving in their responses, asking me if there was anything they can do to help me. That’s all anyone really wants.
- Painting a house for a family in need – A good friend organized a group of people to participate in Paint Your Heart Out Tampa, and it was such an enjoyable day. It felt good to get outside and do something physical, but also to help out a family. I’d really like to seek out more volunteering opportunities because it’s such a fantastic way to give back.
- Celebrating my Pops’ birthday – I was so happy to spend a few hours with my Pops on his birthday. It was also special that my brother and his family came, so it was a full family affair.
- A visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – I love visiting this place so, so much. I mean, I love all of Universal and Islands of Adventure, but WWoHP holds a special place in my heart. My friends and I got to the park right when it opened and we were able to walk onto so many rides! I think we rode around 7 or 8 rides within the first three hours at the park… which included the Gringotts ride and the Dragon Challenge roller coaster (which we rode twice!). It was truly a wonderful, wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back!
- Feeling overstimulated from too much people time – As I mentioned earlier, this month was jam-packed, but there was one weekend in particular that ended up being way too much for me. It involved being around people from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, most of that time being with people I didn’t know all that well. That’s way too much people time for me! I felt so overstimulated by the end of that weekend… and then the following week was not any better since I had plans three nights that week. I felt very irritable and on edge the entire week, crying over the silliest things. I know I just cannot have weekends like that. It’s way too much for my overly sensitive nervous system. Weekends with one to two social plans are plenty for me!
- Watching some great movies – I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 with my mom, which we both loved though it did give me some feels (Toula’s parents reminded me a lot of my grandma and grandpa!) I also saw Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur, two animated movies that I probably would have never seen if it wasn’t for Roomie. I really, really loved Zootopia and had tears from laughter at some parts. The Good Dinosaur was alright, but not as funny as I had hoped! Lastly, I watched Bridget Jones’s Diary to fulfill my goal to watch 12 movies I’ve never seen before. Loved it, but mostly loved Colin Firth. Heh.
So, what’s up for May? Here’s what I’d like to accomplish:
- Successfully complete “No Buy May“ – What will be most challenging is not spending money on eating out, since I love to eat out and do not love to cook. So that will take careful planning and finding delicious recipes that taste just as good – if not better – than a $15 meal at a restaurant. (And, bonus, I can usually make multiple meals out of $15 worth of ingredients!)
- Write 3,000 words per week – My original goal was to write 500 words daily, but writing daily has been such a struggle for me. Sometimes, there’s just not any time, especially if I have plans after work. So, instead, I’m setting a weekly writing goal, with the thought that I can get most of it complete on the weekends, throwing in one extra writing evening during the week.
- Exercise four times per week – This is a recurring monthly goal and I like keeping it on my list to motivate me to work out.
- Spend time at the pool every weekend – Because what’s more fun than a goal to go sit by the pool?
What were the highlights of April for you? Are you someone who thrives on a relaxed or busy schedule – or something in between?
Wow, you did have a jam-packed month of April. April was a bit of a blur for me as well. Work was busier than usual since my one coworker was out for a 2 week vacation. It ended in a total blur as in the final week, we went to San Francisco (which was an amazing trip), I went to NJ for work, and we moved most of my stuff to Phil’s. I also found out I need surgery in April and did lots to prepare for that.
I tend to need a blend of downtime and being busy. If I have too much down time, it can make me feel anxious or like I should be doing something. But if I am too busy, I get overwhelmed and start to resent the plans I made. I still struggle to find a balance between the two ends of the spectrum. April was pretty crazy for me but May has very few plans, mostly because I know I”ll be laid up on crutches so don’t want to have to be out and about too much.
Before I read that you were overstimulated by all the people, I was going to comment SO MANY PEOPLE AND HAPPY SMILES IN YOUR PHOTOS.
You also just reminded me I haven’t recapped MARCH yet on my blog. Geez.
I’m a tad envious that you can sit at a pool nearly year round there. Sigh. Ours is opening at the end of this month and I’m definitely ready for some pool days, this I can promise you! Highlight of April was definitely the trip to Vegas, time with my hubs and just enjoying a city together. Lots of reading was done last month and I got through a fairly tough work month since we lost one of our anchors of the business to a new job. This month is busier than I would like it to be but that’s just the way it goes, I guess!
You definitely had a jam-packed month! I used to be someone who probably had plans every weekend (but that was a long time ago back in Germany)…. but now, I thrive on the low-key weekends (probably also out of circumstance as I don’t have too many people to hang out with living close by). I definitely do not like to fill up my evenings during the week, but I am usually up for 1-2 outings on the weekends.
Sounds like you navigated the social aspect well, even though you definitely overscheduled yourself a bit 😉 Hope May is going to be a bit more relaxed for you.
The cruise was definitely the highlight of my month! 🙂 I think it might have been the best vacation I’ve ever taken. I loooove cruising! Haha.
I think I’m someone who thrives on a busy schedule. If I have too much time to mess around, I just end up not getting anything done and feeling really unproductive. Even though I’m a Questioner, I have some Obliger tendencies in that I do thrive when there’s deadlines and timelines.
Busy month indeed! But sounds like it was an overall fun one too, and that’s what counts :-).
April was a very busy, over-stimulating month for me as well – started a new job and worked my way through training and adjusting to it, spring cleaning/organizing and other chores/errands, taxes, social plans every weekend…yep it became overwhelming lol. As such, I am not really a person who thrives on being busy. I get irritable and cranky when I have been around people too much. My job makes up a large part of that, so basically every night after work I just don’t want to talk to anyone. A balance of social time and calm, quiet moments works best for me. Too much or too little of one or the other tends to throw me off.
Highlight of April: the very last weekend of the month whereby the boyfriend and I simply shut off socially and spent a relaxing couple of days at home and roaming around our town. Introvert peace.