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Welcome back to my blog post and I am excited to be sharing my March 2021 with you. Compared to my amazing February 2021, this month had a couple of ups and downs. However, I think it was quite expected because life can’t continuously be good. However, I think I’m thankful for the low days at times because it makes me appreciative of the good days. How would you know that the good days ARE good days unless you have bad days too? Anyways, this month I really found the importance of routines and why it helped me understand that you truly do become what you repeat.
Lifestyle: Excitement in Everyday
Implementing New Routines
At the end of February, I started to implement new morning and night routines that I really solidified in the month of March. Previously, I would wake up 10 minutes before work started to get the “maximum” amount of sleep. However, I switched up my morning to wake up an hour earlier to truly take the morning to myself. This consists of:
Waking up
Praying/ Recalling my dreams
Getting up
Morning workout/ stretch
I have been using this one specific Youtube video every weekday for the whole month.
Quick body shower
Getting ready
Morning meditation using the “Meditate” app
Sometimes will skip this when I’m running late
Breakfast
I used to NEVER eat breakfast but I realized the importance of food in the morning. It gives me energy throughout the day until lunch. Also, realized it’s important to have food in my stomach if I were to have coffee in the morning.
Fill out Gratitude Journal/ Passion Planner for planning out the day
Work!
Catching Up With Old Friends
This month I really got to spend more time catching up with friends that I have not talked to in a while - whether that was through Facetime, texting, or in person. It was great to see that we were able to get along so well - no matter how much time has passed by. Also, it’s always fun to talk about the old memories together, though it’s important to be able to connect with each other with the person you are in the present time (if that makes sense lol). But, I definitely encourage you to talk to old friends and see what they’ve been up to!
Brunch with Appa
One of the highlights of this month was just a casual brunch date with my appa - my dad. We are both more of a morning person and decided to grab brunch while my brother was still dead asleep. Although we quite literally see each other every day, it felt nice to spend time just the two of us and do an activity together. The food was super good and we even got to walk around the cute area after brunch. I remember walking around the area with the bright sun and thinking how happy I was. I think growing up and also COVID made me appreciate and cherish the small moments. I am super thankful to have such a good relationship with all of my family members, especially my dad. Even though I give him such hard times on certain days, he’s always been so understanding and so patient with me. He really teaches me that I need high standards for my future partner because that’s what I deserve (and so do you)!
Lows: A Peek Into My Journal
There were a few lows throughout this month but the last two weeks of March were so good that I almost forgot. I had to take a peek into my journal entries to remember the lows I had this month, which were:
Being In My 20’s In 2021
This journal entry was talking about how different I pictured my life in my 20’s would look like. It also included my struggles with being so lost and confused in life in my 20’s. At times, I feel so old to get started with anything and feeling like I’m so behind compared to others. It’s weird because in my teens I’ve always been so lost with my future because I never really had a solid plan for what that looked like. I thought that in my 20’s, I would have had my whole life figured out. However, that is DEFINITELY not the case - at least for me. But, I really am learning that it’s okay to still be a little lost as long as I am content with where I am at or working to get to a place where I will be happy. On the flip side, I also mentioned how it’s crazy that some of my hobbies that I had when I was younger still carry with me into adulthood. It shows that if there’s something you love to do and spend your time on, it won’t really go away!
In a Funk
This journal entry consisted of me talking about how I’ve been in a funk for a few days without explanation. That no specific event has happened to make me feel in a funk but I felt emotional for no reason. It also talks about how I think it’s important to always check in on your mental health because it’s just as important as physical health.
Escaping
This journal entry talks about how I was feeling very sad and down. It’s annoying how some moments can really just bring you down but life cannot always be good 24/7. There are moments where a fresh start sounds nice. Starting new at a whole new place and environment where no one knows you, where you can be a new person. But, I know that I shouldn’t think so extreme and face everything day to day instead of dreaming of starting new. It ends off with wanting to become a better person and wanting to live not just to live but to actually feel alive.
Protect Asian Lives
My last journal entry talks about my frustration and sadness with the recent increase in Asian hate crimes. This journal entry in specific talks about the tragic murders of 8 people, 6 of them being Asian women. The mass shooting happened in the massage parlors in Atlanta, Georgia because a white man just “had a bad day.” NO ONE should have to suffer the consequences of one individual having a “bad day,” let alone be killed for such.
Rest in peace:
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Paul Andre Michels
Xiaojie Tan
Daoyou Feng
Hyun Jung Grant
Young Ae Yue
Soon Chung Park
Suncha Kim
https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
Lessons: Self Improvements and Supporting Others
Appreciating Everyday
I realized that during COVID and working a 9-5 job remotely really makes each day the same. It’s hard to be excited for the next day when you know it’s going to be the same. However, I think that incorporating my morning routines and taking time during the day or night to do the things I enjoy really increased my happiness. It could be just a quick coffee grab at a new coffee shop, looking forward to cooking a new dinner recipe, or trying a new workout routine. I try to make each day - that could be “boring” and the “same” more unique and exciting. I also realized how lucky I am that my “normal” and “boring” days look the way it does. At the end of the day, there are so many things I am blessed with such as my family, a roof over my head, and food on the table.
Being a Proactive Person Rather Than a Reactive Person
I am currently reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey and it mentions the importance of becoming a proactive person and NOT a reactive person. While proactive people make decisions based on values, reactive people make choices based on impulse. For example, reactive people would blame the bad weather for low productivity and praise the good weather for high productivity. However, proactive people would be productive no matter the weather - good or bad. Reactive people tend to victimize themselves and blame outside forces for the results. However, proactive people would want to look within and try to improve themselves for better results. I realized how much of a reactive person I have been and that I wanted to try to become more of a proactive person. I know that habits are not easily attainable but I think it’s possible as long as you work on it each day.
Healthy Routines
As I mentioned a lot throughout this blog, I think I really learned this month that healthy routines are great for my life. I remember waking up an hour early used to feel like a chore at first but now I wake up an hour early easily and look forward to going through it. Since I talked it about my routines already, I will leave you off with the quote:
“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle
Stop The Negative Thoughts
This month I realized my clouded my brain is constantly and how much information is always floating throughout my head. It wasn’t until I starting doing the meditation app that made me realize that I really need these quiet times to focus on my breathing and being present in the moment instead of thinking about external factors in my head. I think this is why I’ve always enjoyed working out or running because it was a time to really focus on something else or listen to music without really thinking of anything else. One thing that I really liked about the meditate app was the lesson that whenever you have a negative thought, say to yourself, “STOP.” It was quite refreshing because I never thought to say “STOP” to myself at the thoughts floating throughout my day. Therefore, whenever I was beating myself up over something that happened in the past or worried about the future that has yet to come, I mentally told myself to “STOP.” It really did help me refocus my attention to the present moment and stop giving myself unnecessary stress. I really recommend you try it out yourself. I will leave this part off with a quote once again because I have been loving quotes lately.
“You don't have to control your thoughts, you just have to stop letting them control you.” - Dan Millman
Songs on Repeat:
Hold On - Justin BieberGone - ROSÉJust the two of us - Avenue BeatMy Pick of the Month: Gratitude Journal
I bought this Gratitude Journal at the end of February and really incorporated it into my morning and night routine. It was really great to come up with things that I am grateful for each day because even if I had a “normal” day it made me appreciate how much I actually had in life. It also is just a great start and finish to each day. The one that I bought is a digital planner from Etsy and I really recommend it!
This was my very realistic March, which contained some low days yet also contained some very good days. I've been very excited ever since Daylight Savings started and we started to get some more sun. It is really starting to feel like spring, which is my favorite season. I have been somewhat struggling with spring allergies lately though so I don't think spring likes me lol. But, I'm still super excited to see what happens in April and I hope that you come back and check in on my life next month. :)
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin