365 Days of Positivity

No Resolutions Here

Like most people, I have done the “This year I will …” and midway into January, whatever resolution I chose had already fallen by the wayside. There is a constant goal in my life to do better and be better, so in a way, all those pesky resolutions have become more of a lifestyle change. I will always try and make good food choices, but not judge myself for allowing a splurge. As far as working out, I am not a gym person or a studio person, but I love going for walks. So when I feel like walking or know that a walk might help my mental well being, I will take one, but I will not talk down to myself if I don’t go on one this week or next. I refuse to even talk weight loss. We do not, and will not ever, own a scale, but I will talk body positivity. If you feel good, you look good.

What Made Me Feel Good Today

This year, I decided that I am going to write down something everyday that made me smile, something that I am grateful for, or something that brought me joy. I am doing this so that on the days that I am struggling to find joy or that I am feeling down, I will have so many things that remind me of a better day.

I really took control of bettering my mental health the past couple years. I restarted taking Lexapro for my anxiety and was officially diagnosed with ADHD. Being open and honest about my mental health and struggles with it has helped me a lot. It affects so many people that by being forthcoming with my journey, I hope to help others know that it is okay to seek help, and it is not something to be embarrassed or ashamed of. There are days that I struggle and have self doubt and feelings of not being enough. Through this gratitude journaling, I hope it can help as a reminder that I am enough and that there can be joy in simple things. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of this.

Journaling

As someone who is a contributing writer of the New Orleans Mom team and has written well over 50 blog posts, it may seem crazy when I say that I am not really someone who journals. When writing for the NOM site, I have limitations; obviously we are a community of women with a huge range of backgrounds, religious, political, health, and parenting views (to name a few) that I choose to be pretty lighthearted and neutral on the things I write about.

When I decided to choose picking a daily positive for my goal of 2022, I decided to go with an online journal. Because let’s be real, I spend most of the day with my phone on my body, and I use my iPad for reading, writing, and even podcasting, so online journaling will be easier and more realistic for me than a paper journal (although who knows!).

I have decided to try Reflectly, which is described as “a journal for happiness. Utilizing artificial intelligence to help you structure and reflect upon your daily thoughts and problems” on their website. The membership fee is $29.99 for the year; it’s normally $53/year, but there was a sale, assuming for the New Year. For $2.50 a month, that isn’t too pricey. The app is pretty basic and walks you through your first entry. There is an option for inspirational / motivational quotes to be delivered through the day. There are daily challenges (today’s was make a delicious meal for myself), and every day has a prompt to write some sort of reflection. It is very user friendly; however, I have only used it for a week so far, so I can’t give a full review just yet.

Setting Intentions for A New Year

One intention I am setting for this new year is to reflect daily on how my mental health is doing and what has helped me remain positive. I also intend to read more often, be more present, and be more forgiving of myself and others.

These last few years have been extremely overwhelming. We have seen so much loss and so much anger. Relationships have fallen apart, but at the same time, we have formed new normals and created new friendships. All that we have endured has caused many people to look deeper within themselves and to try and find joy in small things. We have become more aware of how we are feeling, and what things are helping and what things are hindering our wellbeing.

I am very optimistic that this will be something that I continue and am hopeful that on those days where I feel like I am not enough or that everything is going wrong, I can look back and say “Wow on this day, such and such brought me joy. Things may seem not good today, but this is a reminder that there is joy and positivity in each day.”

Nikki
Nikki was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she has lived in Seattle and Portland. After visiting New Orleans, she fell in love with the city, and she and her husband decided to take a chance and move from the PNW to NOLA. Nikki has two kids, Amaya (16) and Tyson (13), she and her husband Dave have been married for 16 years, they live on the Northshore. Nikki works full time as a NICU nurse. Nikki and her family have fully embraced the culture of New Orleans, while they live on the Northshore, they play in New Orleans as often as they can. As a member of New Orleans Mom, she hopes to bring the perspective of the veteran mom and life with big kids and teenagers.

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