The Happiness Project Experience - October
As soon as found out the theme of this month (in January) I was flooded with ideas. Some of them didn’t come to fruition, some I’ve already accomplished, some will take much longer than a month to tackle, but others worked out perfectly.
I mean, when it comes to your body - sometimes things just don’t go as expected. And that is pretty much what happened since this month’s theme was - as you probably can tell - body.
The goals I set were:
Get a haircut
Get/schedule a massage
Try barre
Schedule an appointment with a naturopath
Read Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, If Our Bodies Could Talk, The Core 4: Embrace Your Body, Own Your Power, and The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health.
Getting a haircut may not seem like something huge to tackle, but if you’ve followed along on my Happiness Project Experience journey you know that my hair has been a big thing for me this year.
After years of using my straightener and curling iron daily, I decided that this year I was going to embrace my hair in all of its wavy, curly, crazy unpredictability. So when I went to get my haircut earlier this year and the stylist told me that I should still use my curling iron to help define my curls every day, I knew I needed to find someone who truly understands curly hair.
Thankfully, I knew that there was someone in my area who was specially trained to cut curly hair - so I went to her (and I may have pushed it off just a bit so that I could get it done during body month). It was nice to have someone use the right products on my hair and remind me that it looks nice, even if I don’t always think so.
It wasn’t magic, however. I don’t adore my hair as a result of one appointment. I do respect it more though, and I’m on the curly hair path for the long run.
Now, enough about my hair… let’s talk about the rest of my body! I wish I was kidding, but I’m not.
Another one of my 19 for 2019 goals was to try a massage. Since I’ve never had one before, I thought it would be a fun thing to try! I was a bit paralyzed at first, having no idea where I should go or what I should do, until my friend Heidi suggested someone she knows. Then I was paralyzed about what kind to try, but once again, Heidi came to my rescue. Since I put it off until the end of the month, by the time I made an appointment the soonest one wasn’t until November. So I while made this one happen this month, I will complete it next month.
Third, a friend and I have discussed taking barre classes for years. She lived kind of far away (and she just moved even further away) so we never were able to make it happen. Fortunately for me though, a new barre studio is opening in my town! I was so excited to get to try this out during October, but I had much the same problem - they have yet to actually opening and so didn’t have any classes I could attend yet. So even though I haven’t stepped up to the barre for the first time yet, I am checking the website every day to see when I can take my first class - and so I can stop running outside in the rain and workout inside instead!
Since I’ve had various health issues over the last several years and I’ve been unable to get to the bottom of them, I decided to go see a naturopath. My hope is that this more holistic view on my health might help me to figure some things out - or at least make me feel better.
But, this too followed the pattern of much of this month - I was able to make the appointment but not until November. So November will be pretty split between body focus and the theme of next month - which you’ll have to wait until then to find out about.
In addition to finishing several books about love from last month, I tackled a pretty solid stack about the body and health. And I still have one more additional one to finish. For my full reviews, you can check out the Books of October 2019 blog post. If anything, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. With so much scientific knowledge (most of the books were chock full of it), there was still very little consensus about what is actually the best way to treat your body! But I guess that is also part of the adventure. And it helped to remind me that everyone is different and to respect and love that about those around me.
Just because the person next to me can eat cinnamon rolls and that drugstore shampoo makes their hair look fantastic, doesn’t mean that is right for me. And the knowledge and acceptance of that will make me happier than almost anything else - but I would probably be a bit happier if I could eat cinnamon rolls.
Until next time,
Carly
Photo by Mason Joel Photography