Week One: Midweek Check Up

Hello Lovelies!

Welcome back to the blog! Today’s post is our or my midweek update post. While I was planning to post this on Wednesday, life does strike again. So here we are either Thursday evening or Friday morning. Anyways let us discuss this week’s progress so far… 

Majority of the tasks were completed this week other than Tuesday’s piano, which will be done Thursday evening or Friday evening. I did notice, piano seems to be the hardest task for me to complete but I have some plans for adjustments.

Piano

Like I stated in my first post, I am learning the song Waterfall from Undertale(highly recommend listening to the song and will link it below). As I have no music background, unless you count middle school choir which personally I don’t haha, I plan to start setting 10 minutes within the 20 minutes to learn some basic music theory terms and to begin to properly read sheet music. 

I’m currently using a free music theory website that was recommended to me by a vocal teacher, and so far it has been great and simple to use. I will link it below as well. I also have been getting mini lessons from my partner who happens to know a good bit about music and that has been immensely helpful. But Google can also be one’s best friend in these cases of not understanding a term or wanting to learn hand placement on the piano(which is something I still struggle with).

Sidenote: I also sometimes watch YouTube videos, on music theory concepts or why music does it's thing, but I still can’t 100% wrap my brain around all the concepts, so that may have to wait till I am a bit further into my music theory progress.

Reading

Like I stated in my Day 0 post, I am currently reading Taiwan Travelogue and I’ve been enjoying every word so far! There hasn’t been a dull moment so far or one where I find myself drifting away into my inner thoughts. While I am not as fast of a reader as I used to be, I have also been trying to make a conscious effort to slow down and actually consume the yummy words I read(they talk about food a lot in this book). I’m also writing little mini notes on the sides and adding small sticky notes to my book so I can look back at the details or just reread sentences I really liked and that inspires me. 

Exercise

Exercise has been what seems the easiest thing to keep up with this week. After a little research I found a technique called the Run-Walk-Run method that I really like using. It’s exactly how it sounds, for me I run one minute, walk three, run one. Rinse and repeat. It leaves me pretty sweaty. I won't lie, but I feel super energized after working out. So then I usually complete other tasks after exercising, like chores or writing. But usually chores. 

I have yet to do yoga this week because I have had so much fun on the treadmill so I’m going to continue doing that for now unless I am short on time or want a break from running. I’ve also been putting my exercise and general updates on IG but I want to make it more fun than just my exercise updates. 

Mental Health

This week to boost my mental health I have been socializing, exercising and overall enjoying new yummy foods. While all those things help and I wish that would be the end of it, I’ve been consistently taking my medications and checking in with myself mentally, even when in a very good mood. For example I was in a very irritated mood with just about everyone so I checked in with my folks and they asked me what I could do to feel better? So I tried looking at the big picture which was yeah irritating things happen but I don’t have to let it ruin my whole day and mood. And I also listened to more positive music(thanks internet for a calming BTS playlist). It’s just as important to take stock and adjust or give space for negative emotions as well though. 

Another note on my mental health, going to therapy is really important to me. So I went to a new therapist this week, and while it didn’t go as planned, the search continues!! I’m hopeful!

Overall

I’ll be honest… I did not stick with my schedule this week and while I was hopeful I did not expect myself to. 

Tuesday’s piano and reading got moved to Thursday as Wednesday and Tuesday got filled with work and life in general. While sticking to the schedule is important to me, I still prefer to experience life when opportunities arise. It’s also why I gave myself days off… to adjust tasks and goals as I need. Grace for myself is really important as I tend to be tough on myself, but if I am too harsh I won’t even touch anything on the schedule. SO if you’re trying to build a habit don’t forget the grace for yourself, believe me no one does it perfectly. 

Thanks for reading lovelies. Good luck with your weekend!! 

Xander