Some people say all it takes is 30 days to start a new habit. Others say it’s 21 or 66 days. Regardless, I say taking a 30 day hard break to reset your life is a pretty decent start, if nothing else. Could it change your life? I’m hopeful! And I decided this Back to School time of the year would be perfect for a 30 day hard break (or reset, if you will) in three main areas:
How I spend my time.
What I eat.
How I spend my money.
Wanna join me?
Recently, I shared on social media, (specifically Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), that I was taking a “hard break.” I decided to disconnect and delete those social media apps from my phone for the month of September. Some people call it a social media fast or a social media sabbath or sabbatical. I’m calling it a Hard Break, following in a way what I’m learning from reading the book by the same name (I share more about the book below. Keep reading!) 😉
This happened to coincide with two other decisions I had been wanting to make for a while: use cash only (in an effort to manage our family finances better and make Dave Ramsey proud) and try to eat healthier via a #SeptemberWhole30.
Trying a #SeptemberWhole30
My friend Shari asked me today how my #SeptemberWhole30 was going. (Insert me laughing out loud!)
Once the laughter subsided, I replied that I may not be executing the plan to a “t,” but I’m trying to make better choices (i.e. avoid the drive thru at breakfast, lunch AND dinner). Breakfast has so far been #Septemberwhole30 approved: egg muffins (made with eggs, Aidell’s chicken apple sausage and green bell peppers), which I surprisingly have enjoyed! Lunches have been a simple spinach and cherry tomatoes salad, one with tuna, another with a hard boiled egg. So far so good!
The problem is that I’ve been throwing in snacks like (grapes- yay!) or (Milano cookies with chocolate milk – Awww!)
If you’re truly following the Whole 30 program, you know that in order for it to work properly, one Milano cookie is all it takes to get you to start back on Day 1 again.
So let’s just say my #SeptemberWhole30 is really an attempt at meal prepping more, taking food with me so I’m not succumbing to random snack attacks, and not aiming for perfection, but instead, aiming at choosing more real foods vs. fast or junk foods.
I’m ok with that for now. Maybe in the future, I’ll attempt an “actual” #Whole30. For now, I’ll celebrate baby steps and focus on the task at hand:
A 30 Day Hard Break to (hopefully) Reset my Life
Starting on September 1st, I figured if I was going to do this reset, I might as well journal and share my thoughts. I’ll do my best to keep ’em coming here on the blog!
Thoughts at the End of Day 1
I had more clarity.
Adam and I connected more throughout the day.
I was more conscious of my body tension. I caught myself exhaling, unclenching my jaw, releasing tightness in my shoulders, stopping for more deep breaths. I thought that was interesting. Kind of like being glued to social media had been a constant stressor that now my body was releasing “physically.”
Fascinating.
People told me “I’m proud of you” and “Congratulations” and “I can’t wait to hear your story afterwards!” But all I’m doing is a 30 day break. I thought those responses were very insightful. Apparently, this is a bigger deal than I thought.
At some point I remembered that I need to communicate about work-related social media. It is part of my job description at the radio station and part of my blog strategy for income generation. I wanted to make sure I was responsible in communicating my 30 day break with key people.
Probably one of the most fascinating things about today was that I found myself looking for alternatives to communicate.
I thought of friends with whom I wanted to share a tweet or post on Instagram. Instead of sending a DM or tagging them in a post, I figured I could text or email. The only problem is that I am connected to some people only thru social channels. It’s interesting to realize that we don’t always ask for phones when we meet new people; we just go straight to social.
I kind of like that because, in some ways, it accelerates the relationship. When you connect with someone, especially on Facebook and Instagram, you can learn a lot about them from their photos and posts. I think that’s one of the things about social media that I find is valuable; a positive, not a negative.
Last night, I also found found myself listening to worship music instead of catching up on feeds, which had become a routine. It was an incredible release, tears and all.
Thoughts at the End of Day 2:
I felt like my 12 year old son talked to me more than usual.
That made me wonder if I have been fooling myself.
I like to think that I’m available to my husband and kids, (and honestly to people around me) most of the time. The truth is, though, that if I’m looking down at my phone, that is not the message I’m communicating.
Staring at my phone is a very clear “I’m busy” signal that I didn’t necessarily want to send 24/7.
I think I had been fooling myself, saying if my kids or husband need me I’ll put down my phone. But it’s very possible that they have needed me many times, but have refrained from interrupting me while I’ve been “too busy’. Sigh.
I’ve been too busy for the most important people in my life and that’s not good.
Not good at all.
But I’m incredibly thankful for today’s conversations with my son. SO THANKFUL! I want more of them! And with my daughter, too!
I also had a fun conversation with the worship band at my church. I love those guys!
And all this happened before 2pm on a Sunday.
If I’m learning anything in the past few days of this 30 Day Reset, it’s that life is happening all around me. Either I stop to enjoy it, or I look up years from now, only to realize it passed me by.
I’m really thankful to God that He put this reset on my heart for such a time as this. Because there’s really no time to waste.
Laughing (and resetting) thru life,
Coppelia
P.S. This is the book that inspired my “Hard Break.” I’m sharing my Amazon Affiliate link here, in case you want to check it out. If you do, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you! YAY!