Hello ladies! Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's challenge! At her request, I'm posting this on behalf of /u/MsSadieDunham because she's giving birth! She'll be out for a little while caring for her new baby :) [UPDATE: Baby was born and both mama and baby are doing well!]

So last week's challenge was pretty simple--say only nice things to your SO, and don't nag. You should still keep up your "nice streak" from last week, but now we're going to add self-care, which is this week's challenge.

Self-care is important because you can't give your loved ones 100% if you yourself are not at 100%. You owe it to yourself and the people around you to take care of yourself. What do I mean by self-care? Here are some examples:

 

*Getting 8 hours of sleep a night. Like, actually sleep for 8 hours; getting into your bed at the time you should already be asleep doesn't count!

*Stretch. As soon as you wake up, stretch out your muscles. Even better if you have time for yoga/tai-chi/etc.

*Exercising for 30 minutes least three times per week. High-intensity stuff is great, but even something as simple as taking a brisk walk does wonders for your mind and body.

*Eat less processed food, and more meats/fruits/veggies. It doesn't need to be organic or anything fancy. Treat your body like a temple, and avoid eating garbage.

*Meditate. Clear your mind of your worries and cares. Set a (silent) timer for 20 minutes and sit quietly by yourself, eyes closed.

*Call a relative or close friend you haven't talked to for awhile.

*Try something new. Be it hiking on a trail you've never been on or eating cuisine you've never had before, discovering new things/places stimulates your brain and breaks up the monotony of the week. Plus, you'll have something interesting to talk about!

 

In your responses, please include the following:

1) How you did on last week's challenge, and

2) How you plan to go about completing this week's challenge.

 

I'll start with mine. Last week, I did well with not saying mean things, but I didn't do as well as I wanted to in terms of not nagging. I could see the annoyance in my SO's eyes, but by that point it was too late to take back what I said. I'm going to do better this week!

This week, when I wake up in the morning, I'm going to do some simple stretches while I'm lying in bed. I plan to walk during my lunch break and eat lunch while I'm working at my desk. Before I go to bed, I'm going to set aside some time to clear my head and meditate to make it easier for me to fall asleep.

 

Thanks for participating, and I look forward to hearing from all of you!