New Beginnings

Sitting down to write my first blog post and I didn't think it would be this hard. My roommate already has a blog but has decided that one of her New Year's Resolutions is to write a blog entry everyday. I decided to join her in that quest, though I am a little behind as I have never written a blog before. I decided to write one about my daily struggle with life and all the things in it. One of those things is my weight. I've been overweight for several years but in the last year or so, it's gotten ridiculous. Which brings me to my New Years Resolutions.

Resolution 1: Lose 75-100 pounds this year.

It'll be a hard task I know, but for my health and my sanity I think that I need to cut down on everything. To do this it brings be to my next resolution.

Resolution 2: Eat 3 or more salads a week.

I think in general for this resolution I mean that I need to eat more healthy. And one of those things is to eat more salads. Alongside the salads is drinking a smoothie for breakfast several times a week.

Resolution 3: Start a blog of craft/depression/weight loss.

I think by posting this first entry I kind of succeeded in this resolution. Which isn't bad for the first day of the New Year I think.

Resolution 4: Stay in School

A super easy resolution as long as I don't let myself be overcome by all the pressures associated with school. All I need to do is keep going with school and I should be fine. I've missed a few terms but I think that I can stay in school, even with moving to another state.

Resolution 5: Move to Seattle

I've gone back and forth on this one for a while. I was supposed to move there in October but life got I the way and I ended up staying in Oregon for a while longer. And the longer I stay, the more friendships I seem to make and the more comfortable I am with the town. Which is what I was afraid of when I learned I had to stay in Oregon. But I know that moving to Seattle will be good for me and good for my relationship with my boyfriend who lives there (I was planning on moving to a big city even before I started dating him and he just made me decide to go to Seattle instead of Portland or California)

Resolution 6: Get out of the house at least once a day

One of my issues is that I allow myself to sit in a pity party and not do anything but stare at my computer screen for hours. I admit that sunshine and fresh air is good for me and will not make me burst into flame, no matter how much it feels like sometimes. I think that on my journey of overcoming my depression going outside and just being surrounded either by people or nature or just fresh air will be wonderful for my mental health.

Resolution 7: Talk about the problems that are bothering me

My entire life I have avoided conflict by sitting in pain or acting out with a passive aggressive attitude. And I vow that this year it stops. No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, I will confront the things that are bothering me.

Resolution 8: Save $50 or more out of every paycheck (Excluding needed rent or emergencies)

Sometimes I have issues with saving money. I think this is a pretty simple resolution that will be easy for me as long as I practice self discipline.

Resolution 9: Start a book club with my roommate

I love reading and I always have. That's something my roommate and I have in common. One of the things we've been talking about is starting a book club. We narrowed down a list a 100 must read books to about 57 and we're going to start reading them, one by one, until we've read them all. It should be fun. We're going to start a Facebook group for it sometime in the next week.

Resolution 10: Write more

I know that this blog will help me with that, but I haven't been writing as much in recent years as I did when I was a young teenager. I have so many things running around in my head that I want to get down on paper but haven't been able to because I haven't forced myself to sit down and just WRITE.

Resolution 11: Participate in the NaNoWriMo

Last November I participated in the National Novel Writing Month and while I didn't finish the 50,000 word goal, I did have a lot of fun. And I think that next year, as long as I have a solid plot line and outline, I can succeed.

Resolution 12: Drink a cup of tea a day

Green tea has been shown to be super healthy for the body and the mind. I have amassed a ridiculous amount of tea that I don't seem to be drinking. It's time to change that.

Resolution 13: Get my tattoo covered

A few months after turning 18, I allowed myself to be talked into getting a tattoo with someone I thought was my best friend. We had decided to get one, so that even if we fought, we always remember that we had each other and it was a reminder of everything we had been through together. Looking back I know I got it because a week later I tried to kill myself and I wanted someone who would remember me no matter what. Obviously my attempt didn't succeed and my body still has the ink imprinted on my arm. I decided to get the tattoo covered up because this friend went back on everything we had always promised and threw everything I had ever confided in her back in my face in a public setting. And I also see how getting the tattoo in the first place was a dumb, spur of the moment decision. So, I'm getting it covered with something that actually means something to me. And I've thought long and hard about it, so I don't think I'm going to regret this decision.

And so those are my resolutions for the year. I'll probably write tomorrow about what I'm personally hoping to get out of this blog and how I really don't care if anyone reads it because in the end I'm doing it for myself.

Hope everyone had a great 2011 and that 2012 will be even greater!

-Ophelia