Financial Freedom + Self Care

moneyonmymindsam

Hey SBB

At least you had an emergency fund to access for the tax bill so still doing really well in my opinion. :-)

Good news about the gym - Health and well being is super important so another positive step.
Sam x

SnowBallBunny

moneyonmymindsam wrote: »

Hey SBB

At least you had an emergency fund to access for the tax bill so still doing really well in my opinion. :-)

Good news about the gym - Health and well being is super important so another positive step.
Sam x

Thanks for the encouragement Sam.

moneyonmymindsam

How are you feeling?

Well done for paying off the tax bill.

Sam x

SnowBallBunny

moneyonmymindsam wrote: »

How are you feeling?

Well done for paying off the tax bill.

Sam x

Hi Sam,

Thanks for thinking of me. I've been meaning to respond to your thoughtful post. I spent time with family over Easter which was lovely but to be honest, it's been a rough few weeks. I usually talk to my sister about things but I haven't really talked to anyone I've felt overwhelmed, with a lot on my mind lately. That plus not sleeping well, not exercising regularly, it's been tough.

I'm commited to make positive changes though. And your comment was a sweet/kind surprise.

SnowBallBunny

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a good Easter.

Here's my update, later than usual. My intention is to update you all every Friday/Saturday.

Money
My emergency fund has been funded again. The Uni was closed for 5 days and I'm off sick today so due to that I'm making less than expected this month. My sister's moving arrangements are pending and a date hasn't been set so I'm taking a step back, looking at my budget for the month and just focussing on covering the minimal interest charges for now.

Feeling Down
Personally I've been feeling down. I need a balance between talking to someone I can trust, expressing myself and taking action. I haven't been doing anything creative or fun either and it's as if these things are feeding into eachother.

I called the Samaritans today and had a really helpful conversatio nwith the lady I spoke with.

I haven't seen any friends in person in weeks, I plan to see a friend this Friday, she's a musician who is taking a bit of time for herself so we'll be able to catch up.

I tend to do my best to be positive around friends, I'm as supportive of them as I can be while keeping my own worries to myself. I've decided to be as transparent as I can be so I dont give the impression that everything is fine or perfect.

Self Care & Family
Rather than being overwhelmed with a list of changes. I'd like to schedule regular gym sessions and I'd like to call relatives more often, my Mum and Grandparents as well as other relatives every week or fortnight.

Writing & Cooking
There's a local college who offer a subsidised writing course that I'm considering. It's £80 for 10 weeks. I'm still thinking about it. It could be a good way to break up the week and could help me to socialise with people regularly. Writing great but it can be very solitary.

I also have a soup kitchen nearby which I could volunteer at but I also don't want to overload my plate.

I'm figuring things out. I'm pleased to say that I cooked a big Sweet Potato chili yesterday and I'm going to pack my gym back today so that's ready for me to use. I found a notebook that's empty so I'll start writing down my feelings regularly too.

Thanks for following this journey DFWs and lurkers. I appreciate you all.

SnowBallBunny

Acts of Self Care I've done lately.

Sunday - Cooked Sweet Potato & lentil chili, brown rice, cabbage.
Had a bath with Epsom Salts, my muscles were still sore from going to the gym. I need to stretch more next time.
Monday - Called the Samaritans.
Tuesday - Went food shopping after work.

SnowBallBunny

Self Care Update

The Gym
I went to the gym after work and did an exercise class. I'm glad I went. On my way out of the gym I bumped into a trainer who works there, Ade, I met him on my first visit. He was very encouraging and offered me a free exercise class. I made it clear that I can't afford personal training sessions and he extended that invitation anyway.

When I met him I asked him about what holds his clients back from progressing and improving their fitness and he said that people get in their own way and believe that they can't do things that they can do. I listened to an interview with another trainer who said that people usually only do 40% of what they are capable of.

I'd like to go to the gym on Mondays and Wednesdays. I think going twice a week is a good goal to begin with.

I walked home, thankfully it's still light in the early evening so I felt comfortable doing that and I bought and cooked some extra vegetables to go with my dinner.

Lunch
I had lunch with a colleague today. Glad we caught up.

Thanks for following my journey good people of DFWs, including those lurkers. Thanks for your support and positivity.

moneyonmymindsam

It is very important so young to keep in regular contact and sometimes we are all overwhelmed with feelings. Friends should be a two way process not just you helping others but sometimes a problem shared is a problem halved as they say.

Lots of really positive stuff going on for you atm which i am pleased to hear
Sam x

SnowBallBunny

Hi everyone,

It's a bit late but here's my update from last week:

Last week:
£11.50 - Lunch I had lunch with colleagues twice last week.
£6.00 - I had dinner with a friend after work and we talked for hours. I was more open than usual with her, really trying to be more vulnerable.
£34.99 - Ironing Board. Had been meaning to replace mine, it was faulty and tiny in comparison.

The Gym
Today - I'd booked an exercise class and cancelled it because I had to work 15 minutes later than expected. So I booked and did a spin class at the gym instead. It was something new for me, I'm glad that I went.

A friend wants to meet up on Friday, I want to meet with her but I don't want to buy dinner, I'll invite her over and cook.

I meant to say, when I bumped into the trainer last week, he invited me out to eat, its not going to happen but it was good to be reminded that something unexpected and sweet can always happen and it can happen easily. It was nice to be invited.

SnowBallBunny

Gym

I went to the Gym today. I'd booked an aerobics class but I worked later than expected so I had to cancel that class last minute. The trainer Ade invited me to a Padwork session he was doing later on so I went to that instead. There were two of us in the class, it was a mix of light boxing and martial arts - for beginners. The other attendee, Yvette, was really nice and has more experience/skill than me so it was good to try something new.

I've decided to just do my best in classes and build up from there.

The hotel I'm staying in has a gym so I'll look at any classes they have. They have a swimming pool too.

It's an honour just to be nominated...
I recieved an email from the temp agency I work for informing me that I had been nominated as temp of the quarter, every quarter temps are nominated, whoever wins is featured in the company newsletters and get a prize, I think it's usually wine and chocolates. My Line Manager (who left two weeks ago) nominated me and I was touched. It was totally unexpected and sweet of her to take the time to do so.

My self esteem has been really low lately and I'm trying to pick it up.