Happy Thanksgiving<3

Hey #fitfam, I hope eveyone had a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend.

It seemed as though everyone was getting to a point of needing an extended weekend to be able to finish out the year strong. I know I definitely was to that point. I spent the whole weekend resting and enjoying my family.

Thanksgiving is a nice and natural time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for and this year, funny enough, I think there were lots of things to be thankful for. With something as big as the COVID-19 pandemic that hit us this year, among other significant events, I found myself being thankful for more fundamental things. I have been thankful for the time that the pandemic forced me to have. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my drive to wake up everyday and try again. I am thankful for those who I consider my family.

Maybe I would have said those things before. Definitely not that first one though;)

I have always been someone managing or juggling multiple things at the same time. I have always had a full agenda, and a packed calendar. Taking the time to reflect and make choices about what I want to pursue or do next is an amazing luxury that I took for granted before this year. Because we were forced to stop and slow down, I was afforded time to assess and decide what I would be keeping and what would I be leaving behind.

One of the biggest takeaways from the pandemic that I am so thankful for is designating more time for my goals and tasks. Having more time ultimately helps preparation and I have noticed clear differences in my performance with having more time and thus, spending more time preparing.

One step further, I have been focusing on where I am putting my time and energy. Being more specific about where I am willing to place my time and energy has helped my anxiety, and has helped improve my quality. More and better quality time. So I'm keeping the patience of taking time.

I also want to keep the emphasis on personal health and hygiene. Of course, I like this part. I have reflected on the consequences of illness and disease from being passed. Not coming into work when I feel sick, identifying what symptoms do I actually have, not being in crowded areas, washing hands more strictly, keeping my breath to myself, being more mindful of my sweat, what I am touching, etc. All things that I was happy to become more conscious of.

With all this alone time, I have been able to hear more of my internal dialogue. And I want to leave the negative dialogue behind. I also want to send off judgement while seeking understanding. I'm sure I can't rid myself of this completely but I have been heavily reflecting on my responses. I wrote about it previously, Wait One Second, about taking time to respond purposefully over reacting. I have been practicing both of these things but they will definitely be a lifelong practice. Just like eating well. It will take conscious choices everyday that we have to pay attention to keep them priorities! Knowing that I will make mistakes and coaching myself forward. Listening to the way people think or do things, and just earnestly trying to understand from their perspective. Being open-minded to change but not changing for anything.

With more quality time and less negativity, I can be a better human to others, a better energy to be around, and more confident and proud of myself.

Especially thankful for a great weekend moving my healthy and able body, playing with my nieces, laughing with family, eating delicious food, and a little break before beasting out the end of the year;)

I hope you had a great weekend and are feeling as inspired as I am to move forward for the last month of 2020!