Summer Plans - Update

My summer plans post has been the most read post in all of July (go me). Today, I wanted to update you guys about my progress. I suppose those plans were more like goals, and I really need to keep myself accountable for those things to work out. Like I originally said, I wanted to use this summer to get my life in order and set some solid routines in place.

1.       Read. A lot.

I have definitely done this! I mentioned in my last post that I had read seven books so far. By the end of the day, I will be finishing another book. I’ll definitely exceed my summer goal and set myself in a good position for finishing my end of year goal.

2.       Journal

I have been excellent at journaling this summer. I’ve missed maybe three or four days (particularly recovery days when all I was doing was napping and watching TV), but I’ve kept my future readers up to date on everything I’ve been up to. I’ve also started doing some morning journaling with the help of a journaling-exercise book I got from NetGalley.

3.       Creative Writing

This has been a slow process, but I’ve written a couple pieces. My accountability partner has been significantly busier than I have been this summer, so it has been tough to send things back and forth for editing. I may continue on my own just to keep the habit up.

4.       Exercise

Before surgery, I was working out 4-5 times a week with yoga and the occasional swim. During my initial recovery, I went for a few walks with my parents (mostly to make sure I didn’t get blood clots).

I’m happy to say I have worked out every day since Monday. 

After not feeling well and not being able to move, I was itching to get some movement back into my life. On Sunday, I hit the reset button and let Monday be my do-over since I was finally starting to feel better. I’ve been feeling great this week (albeit sore), and this is a habit I do not want to break.

5.       Blog 3x/week. Updated: Write blog posts ahead of schedule.

I think I have been doing great at this so far. I feel like I’ve missed only one post, and I’ve posted a couple on the wrong day. My issue has been writing them ahead of time. I’ve rushed to write posts instead of giving them the time they deserve (and it shows).

Moving forward, I want to write the posts and take pictures on Sundays. When it comes to posting, I’ll edit on the day of posting and get them up sooner than right before midnight.

6.       Give up soy.

I have been mostly successful at this so far. I’ve had a couple slip-ups during my recovery time.

My mom made pancakes, and I ate them because they were soft and easy to swallow even though Bisquick has soy in it.

Other than the four pancakes I’ve eaten, I’ve been soy-free since July 13. Has it helped? Not that I’ve noticed yet. I’ll keep you posted.

7.       Get my tonsils out.

This will be the last time I mention this, I promise. As of July 16, I have no tonsils!

The surgery went well although my tonsils were inflamed, and the surgery took longer than expected.

I couldn’t sleep through the night the first couple of nights. I kept choking on saliva and general gunk and couldn’t swallow it down like I normally could.

I was in a lot of pain the first week and lived off of popsicles (as mentioned in my monthly favourites) and juice and Jell-O.

The second week was transitioning to soft but solid foods (fish and baked potato).

It was only on Monday that I started feeling better.

The hardest part of all of this has been the emotional side. The things that give me pleasure – food and socialization – could not be done without pain. Last weekend was miserable for me because I was hitting a wall. The only “safe” activities were TV and reading, and I wasn’t getting the emotional comfort I needed.

Pain, I can handle. That wasn’t the hard part. I’m glad I started feeling better this past week, because I just wasn’t feeling like myself. There’s definitely a benefit to taking time to yourself, but that’s not sustainable for me.

I think I’ve healed pretty quickly, and I haven’t had some of the pains they said I would experience. I can also already feel the benefits. It turns out I haven’t been taking full breaths for 23 years of my life! My parents have said they haven’t heard me snoring since the surgery. I’m also more sensitive to sounds (which is connected to adenoids).

I’m currently having trouble drinking liquids because my tonsils used to act as a funnel, but now, there’s nothing there to stop it from slipping right down my throat. Basically, I keep choking on water.

Despite the pain and time this has taken out of my summer, the rest of my life is going to be so much better.

8.       New goal: Drink 3L of water a day.

This is another goal meant to help with clearing my skin. I’m sitting here with an empty 1L bottle, so it’s going well so far.

It’s hard to get yourself to drink this much water! This is something I was pretty good at during the school year, and I really want to get back into it. Pretty simple.

I still can’t believe how fast this summer has gone. I’m moving back to the UK in two weeks, and I’m nervous about these goals. Have I done enough? Have I created enough sustainable routines to carry over into my new flat with a new job and new living arrangement? Am I strong enough to resist the temptation to avoid these things when I really need it? This is all part of growing up, and I really do want to be the best version of myself.

At the moment, I’m feeling so confident about checking these things off my daily list. I’m smashing it so far. I am actively thinking about how this is all going to be possible in the UK. I have an idea of what my ideal like looks like. I think I have this in the bag. Keep an eye out for next month’s update.

What healthy routines have you incorporated in your life? What would you like to add to your routine? Please share in the comments and let me know how it is going for you.

-Daniella