Wellbeing Club

[3lsie]

Hey everyone!!!

I thought it would be fun to start a thread for anyone who's currently working towards any wellness goals, big or small. We can chat about them and motivate each other.

CW for below: diet, exercise.

My own goals are around trying to really focus on the basics to improve my mental health (and hopefully my physical health as a by-product of that). I'm trying to exercise regularly and eat healthier food with fewer takeaways. I've really been stuck in a rut lately of ordering food because I'm too tired to cook, or to comfort eat, and I'd like to change that. I also want to try and spend some time outside and meditate a bit, but I know from past efforts that I do struggle with those two in particular, though junk food is still my main hurdle (but I do believe in everything in moderation!).

What are you working towards at the moment? How's it going for you?

If you're wanting to do something nice for yourself but aren't sure where to start, here are some ideas! Feel free to make your own suggestions too.

• Step outside
• Eat vegetables
• Talk to someone
• Be mindful or meditate, even if it's just for a couple of minutes

[DiffydaDude]

I would like to join the wellness club

[sokil]

oh, i'd love to participate!

now that i finally have time to myself, i've slowly but surely been trying to get back into shape. i used to go to the gym, but the one i went to shut down and i never bothered to look into other ones (eventually, though!). for now, i just do smaller things like go on walks around the neighborhood; i went for a nice half hour walk today since it was finally cooler outside and it was lovely! it's something i definitely want to do as often as possible.

i'm also attempting to fix my diet again - moving and being burdened with uni work made me fall out of my better habits. eating better and cutting back on junk food, no more soda, etc. things like that are what i want to get back to. i also developed a bad habit of eating when i'm bored that i need to get out of

[3lsie]

Yay! Welcome to the club @DiffydaDude and @sokil  

What kinds of things are you wanting to work on, DiffydaDude? Only if you want to share of course - no pressure!

Walking your neighbourhood sounds really nice sokil, especially since the weather's been nice for you! I was going for morning walks a couple of months ago and it's something I've been thinking about getting back into the habit of.

I can totally relate to the boredom eating. I'm trying to stop that too, but I find it really difficult! I try to distract myself but sometimes the cravings just don't go away. I'm trying to just do damage limitation at the moment by making healthier choices when I do it.

I've taken today off work because my mental health isn't great at the moment, but I'm trying my best to do things that should help, so I'm proud of myself for meeting someone for coffee, eating some vegetables and going on a 15-minute walk

Please feel free to share daily achievements, big or small, if you'd like!

[Misanthropic Monster™]

I would like to be part of this wellness club 

I have a few goals, one is also to try and be healthier. I used to be extremely lean and slim, but I put on weight during covid and have never lost it - these days I feel too depressed to even socialise or be perceived at work. I just want to recede constantly in my own house and never see anyone... and I think it's because of how much I dislike the state I've let myself get into.

I did recently get a Reebok Exercise bike that someone was selling online and I use it for 30 mins a day in my lunch break - I am proud of how much I've stuck to using it since I got it a month ago. But I am not doing too well with the food side of things... I ordered take out earlier and it's for the same reasons you mentioned; too tired to cook anything and just want easy comfort food... I want so much to get back to eating how I did pre-2020 which was fresh, cooked mostly plant-based foods.

There are some other goals, but they all revolve around dealing with my asd better and trying to come out of my comfort zone but I dunno how easy they'd be compared to the eating thing.

[petrichoran]

i'm working on myself by learning how to do adulting things. i'm 19, and i'm in college with a part time job. i have a hard time staying on top of everything that seems less important like washing my sheets and writing things on my calendar. i think this is at least partially an autistic trait of mine because my autistic struggle with change sometimes appears as more "growing up is too big of a change for me to handle" than adherence to routines. my mom says that i've always been a couple years behind other kids in their maturing process. she's taking this summer to "teach" me how to adult, as an example she's going to give me money [and i'll use some of my own as well, but i don't make much] to go get groceries myself instead of asking her to get things from the store.

i also struggle with exercising because i have physical disabilities that make me weak and faint easily, but i'm trying to get in the habit of doing it. my muscles have grown a bit which makes me extremely happy even if i hate the process 

i do appreciate advice, but a lot of common things people say haven't really been helpful! weird things that helped you or your great uncle's first cousin might be more helpful to me than mainstream advice. if it's from an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent perspective, that gets bonus points. 

[3lsie]

Hi @Misanthropic Monster™ and @petrichoran !

Misanthropic Monster™ I'm sorry that you're going through depression at the moment. It's something I struggle with myself, so I really feel for you, and I think it makes your achievements with the exercise bike even more impressive! Well done.

I got takeout yesterday too because I was just feeling exhausted, so you're not alone haha. I'm setting a goal for myself today to cook at least one meal - just something easy.

I'm moving at the moment, and I'm hoping I can use a new environment as a way to kickstart new habits, although I'm not sure, because too much change at once is hard to deal with and moving is stressful, so I'm mostly just hoping to make it through with my mental health relatively intact. Logically, I know keeping on top of things like eating well and meditating will help, but they're usually the first things I let slide when I get overwhelmed

petrichoran juggling college and a job sounds stressful and I can totally see how smaller (but still big) tasks like washing and chores can fall off the radar. It's hard because things like that pile up and they're tasks that you have to keep repeating. It sounds really good that your mum is going to help you learn some skills, and congrats on the muscle growth! That's a great achievement.

My little win for today is I went on a 30-minute walk.

[Misanthropic Monster™]

Hi @Misanthropic Monster™ and @petrichoran !

Misanthropic Monster™ I'm sorry that you're going through depression at the moment. It's something I struggle with myself, so I really feel for you, and I think it makes your achievements with the exercise bike even more impressive! Well done.

I got takeout yesterday too because I was just feeling exhausted, so you're not alone haha. I'm setting a goal for myself today to cook at least one meal - just something easy.


My little win for today is I went on a 30-minute walk.

I appreciate the nice words, I guess if I think about it, it is pretty positive that I've stuck to the bike thing despite everything else 

I went to the grocery store after work yesterday and got fresh ingredients for a meal I plan to eat today, inspired by North Indian Style Saag Paneer. So that's a positive direction.

I am glad you feel positive about your walk - it can be hard to get the motivation to go for walks so well done on that! 

[petrichoran]

i started working on a. bullet journal? i'm not going by any guides or set rules, so i don't know what it technically qualifies as, but i was inspired by the layout of the Hobonichi Cousin. hopefully it'll help me organize my time better?

[sokil]

welcome to the club everyone!!

Walking your neighbourhood sounds really nice sokil, especially since the weather's been nice for you! I was going for morning walks a couple of months ago and it's something I've been thinking about getting back into the habit of.

yeah, this has been great!! with the exception of wednesday, i've managed to fit in a walk each day, somewhere between 30min to an hour. i can already feel the difference, too; even though i come back a bit sunburned, it's honestly worth it (don't worry, i bought some sun screen the other day!). i also seriously started to watch what i eat and fix my diet, and got some healthier snacks. all around, i think i'm off to a decent start

i'm glad you were able to get out for a walk recently!

i'm working on myself by learning how to do adulting things. i'm 19, and i'm in college with a part time job. i have a hard time staying on top of everything that seems less important like washing my sheets and writing things on my calendar. i think this is at least partially an autistic trait of mine because my autistic struggle with change sometimes appears as more "growing up is too big of a change for me to handle" than adherence to routines. my mom says that i've always been a couple years behind other kids in their maturing process. she's taking this summer to "teach" me how to adult, as an example she's going to give me money [and i'll use some of my own as well, but i don't make much] to go get groceries myself instead of asking her to get things from the store.

i also struggle with exercising because i have physical disabilities that make me weak and faint easily, but i'm trying to get in the habit of doing it. my muscles have grown a bit which makes me extremely happy even if i hate the process 

i do appreciate advice, but a lot of common things people say haven't really been helpful! weird things that helped you or your great uncle's first cousin might be more helpful to me than mainstream advice. if it's from an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent perspective, that gets bonus points. 

hey, i totally get what you mean about having trouble staying on top of things. i struggle with this a lot. i've tried several different methods, the most recent one being writing whatever i need to do in the everything notebook i keep on my desk (although i'll admit it's not always effective). sometimes gamifying tasks or doing them while i have a friend on the phone (i tell them to jokingly scold me if i get distracted) has made things more efficient. unfortunately i don't really have a lot of advice here so i apologize

[3lsie]

I went to the grocery store after work yesterday and got fresh ingredients for a meal I plan to eat today, inspired by North Indian Style Saag Paneer. So that's a positive direction.

I am glad you feel positive about your walk - it can be hard to get the motivation to go for walks so well done on that! 

Thank you! Did you make your meal? I hope it was nice if you did!

welcome to the club everyone!!

yeah, this has been great!! with the exception of wednesday, i've managed to fit in a walk each day, somewhere between 30min to an hour. i can already feel the difference, too; even though i come back a bit sunburned, it's honestly worth it (don't worry, i bought some sun screen the other day!). i also seriously started to watch what i eat and fix my diet, and got some healthier snacks. all around, i think i'm off to a decent start

Hey that sounds great! My goal at the moment is to build back up to morning walks and your post is really motivating! I'm trying to at least go into the garden of a morning, although it was raining today so I didn't.

i started working on a. bullet journal? i'm not going by any guides or set rules, so i don't know what it technically qualifies as, but i was inspired by the layout of the Hobonichi Cousin. hopefully it'll help me organize my time better?

This sounds like a great idea! I feel like I can relate because I'm juggling several different organisation methods at the moment trying to figure out what works best. I have a separate notebook and calendar, although I'm kind of wishing I'd combined them into one thing so it's all in one place. How's it been going for you?


I've moved now so I have a lot of unpacking to do, and I've got a medication change that's going to be happening over the next few days, but it should be a positive thing, so I'm just trying to focus on unpacking and getting some time outside - I think that's my main goal for the next few days. What's everyone else prioritising at the moment? Best of luck to you all!

[Misanthropic Monster™]

Thank you! Did you make your meal? I hope it was nice if you did!
 

I did, and I felt so much better for it! Today I had salmon and rice with some yogurt  I haven't had take out since Saturday so I am making (small) great steps 

[sibusen]

I've recently become more aware of things like vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I used to not buy into the hype of supplements because I was afraid it's all unnecessary and a waste of money as long as you eat normal, relatively healthy food, but after getting blood work done a couple of times the last few years I realised it's often necessary to supplement a little.

So just a tip that it might be worth looking into these things as they can affect energy levels and mood also.

Things like vitamin D and iron (ferritin) can really affect general wellness and are very common deficiencies.

Oh, edited to reply to the actual topic. I really try to reduce my candy and ice cream eating habit I have... I actually exercise quite a lot but eat way too much crap in the evenings...!

[swamptrogg]

As of last year, I decided I really wanted to focus on eating healthier and finding a way to work out that I don't hate (because my current job is much more sedentary than my old one, and I could feel myself getting weaker). My goal isn't to loose weight or anything (I love being bear-ish) but to be stronger and feel better, because I really struggle with low energy.

I started cooking a lot more (I try to cook at least 3 days a week and then survive off leftovers) and I've almost completely cut fast food out of my diet because it was really fucking w my gastrointestinal system. I really try to focus on eating a variety of stuff to get the most balanced diet I can. I love eating these Green Giant Simply Steam™️frozen veggies, they're sooo good when I don't feel like cooking.
As far as dietary supplements, I was already taking vitamin c and d3 because I had deficiencies, but I take at least one capsule of Metamucil fiber daily and it makes a huge difference. Fiber is way more important than you think!

Working out is still kind of hard- I want to focus on building my upper arm and core strength, but the only exercising I find fun is leg stuff. I freaking LOVE playing DDR, and that's usually my daily workout. I can get 5,000+ steps in within an hour and it's the only kind of workout where I voluntarily break a sweat xP If you like rhythm games, absolutely recommend looking into stuff like Project Outfox or other ITG communities.

[sibusen]

Fiber is way more important than you think!

Yes, fiber!! It's true, so important and I realised it's impossible (for me at least) to eat the recommended daily amount... I can't find any good fiber supplements here so I basically gave up.