One of my lunches this week! Teriyaki Chicken with Garlic Green Beans.
There’s something about a holiday week that always puts me in a good mood. Sometimes it’s the anticipation of what’s to come, sometimes it’s the after effect. While it’s always hard going back to work after a long weekend, I’ve been feeling GOOD this week. Positive, upbeat and motivated. It also might have a little something to do with TOM ending over the weekend too, LOL. Regardless of the reason, it has me paying a little extra attention to the good things that have happened this week.
I'll be the first to admit that I definitely don’t practice gratitude as much as I should. It is all too easy to get wrapped up in your daily life and to focus on what’s happening now. We’re also programmed to process negative thoughts a lot easier than we are positive. Talk about some BS, right? It's easy to recognize the big wins but dwell on the minor setbacks, inconveniences, irritations. Not the small wins or what we have going for us. I think the problem with that is there are less “big wins” in our life so it's essential to really count the small ones too. I’ve also found that for me, those little good things are where I tend to find the MOST joy and fulfillment. Something seemingly insignificant like a great meal or finishing a small task brings a ton of comfort and delight to my day.
I’m not always the best at it and more often than not, I still find myself b*tching about the everyday annoyances too. Since this week has been a lot better mentally and I'm feeling great, I thought I'd share some of the little things I'm grateful for. Hopefully this will also help remind me later on to stay in gratitude.
+THE LONG WEEKEND - We can all agree that long weekends are always FTW! My work schedule is a little different in that I have Tuesdays and Sundays off which means I don't typically have a two-day weekend, let alone a three day. This year I got really lucky with Sunday, Monday & Tuesday off which was so nice. It rained for most of it but I really appreciated getting to relax, take it easy and have a mental break off from work. I also got to spend a lot of time with my family + JJ which was great. Also on the flip side, a short work week! Definitely a two-for-one special here that I'm very grateful for. These don't come around very often so it's nice to just have a little extra time + an easier work week.
+DOUBLE WORKOUTS - I'm really pushing myself to focus on my health & fitness right now by eating more protein, working out + strength training. I've been going to one Orangetheory class a week for the last nine months or so but now I'm looking to add in more workouts at home. So far I've worked out twice this week + hope to get another in this weekend.
+FINISHED MY BOOK - I finally finished reading Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey. You know I struggle to finish books these days so anytime I can get through one, it feels like a huge accomplishment. I've been pushing myself to read at least one page per day and I actually think it has helped! I usually end up reading a lot more than that + it has made me motivated to keep reading other books on my list.
+HEALTHY EATING - On Wednesday, I shared another food haul with you of some groceries I picked up. Honestly scoring lots of BOGO deals at Publix was a big highlight (lol, adulting) BUT I've also kept myself pretty accountable with healthier eating this week too. I definitely struggle with this a lot + just wanting to eat out all the time. I'm hoping I can start getting into a consistent routine of eating clean, healthier meals at home.
+NEW SHEETS - One thing that brings me so much happiness in life is having a fresh set of clean sheets on my bed. There is literally nothing better! Even more exciting this week, I opened a brand new set of these incredible bamboo sheets that feel amazing. It's crazy how much difference a good set of sheets can make to your overall sleep experience.
I definitely have a million more things to be grateful for in life but these were some of my top highlights of this week!
Have an amazing weekend! xx.
