March 2 - Overindulgence
I often find myself going through periods of overindulgence and then ‘underindulgence’ - I think it has something to do with my slightly obsessive personality. I get ultra obsessed over something - whether it be an activity, a food, maybe a friend - it exhausts me, and I drop it without much thought.
Recently, as I’ve become more aware of this tendency, I’ve been trying to seek out happy mediums. I hate the entire workout/healthy eating mentality of ‘cheat days’ because they lead straight into my overindulgence habits - instead, I allow myself a cookie whenever I feel like having a cookie. I take a rest day when my legs are sore and I’m too busy to step away from my computer for more than the hour it takes to make dinner. I allow myself junky television and no nighttime freelance work when my schedule allows for it and I can feel the signs of a burnout coming on strong.
I’m trying to put a little less pressure both on myself and the people in my life to be ‘perfect’.
Today has been a slightly slower work day than I’ve had in a while. The weather here is insanely beautiful, so I went out and took a midday walk. As I was walking, I realized how much I missed going for casual walks with no real intent or purpose. A little less than a year ago, I put a lot of pressure on myself to take a walk every single morning. The walks partially originated from the fact that I enjoy walking, but they also made it much easier to close my ‘move’ ring. The intent was definitely leaning on the side of obsessive as opposed to pure.
I woke up at 6, had a quick bite to eat, turned on my Apple watch to ‘outdoor walk’ and walked for at least 2 miles. There was a set purpose to it, and just like that my morning walks became an obsession. If I didn’t make it out for my walk - maybe I was tired, or had to cram for some freelance project - I felt like I had failed my routine.
Over time, just thinking about the act of walking exhausted me to the point that I stopped going for my morning walk altogether. Overindulgence led its way to ‘underindulgence’.
After my lovely, zero pressure, only-for-my-happiness walk today, I’m hoping I can start seeing my walks in more of a happy medium sort of light.
To fit the outdoor walking theme, here’s a little pattern series I made a few months ago!
