A Late Recap of the Plan

I've been having a hard time lately keeping my head in the game, since I've been trying to focus on flash cards and studying. So I apologize for taking awhile to write my last couple of posts (this one, about the Plan, and another about the Martha Stewart Show!). So, I've been reading through past emails, comments and blog posts in order to "study" and reflect on the Plan.

Two of my biggest challenges from the beginning were that I don't have control over the kitchen, and my complete lack of motivation to actually leave the house and go to the gym (especially since I don't have to go anywhere to study/do research). I can't say that I fully overcame these challenges, but I can say honestly that we have real vegetables at dinner now, and I've noticed that if I buy them, they'll get cooked and we'll eat them. My sister's voice is nearly always in my head reminding me to take care of myself and eat vegetables, so now I feel a little better about myself because I actually eat more of them. I eat less at dinner when I've eaten a good lunch, I am much more agreeable if I've eaten something every 3 hours or so, and am a bit more inclined to eat less starchy food than before (though I still love it a little too much). I also do yoga a bit more, and I've basically accepted that more serious workouts are going to wait until 2 weeks from now when the bar exam is over. Working out is very important, but at this point it makes me more anxious and not less.

Meditation and journaling (and blogging, especially) have been very helpful for me. I struggle with anxiety, and I am definitely one of those people who gets annoyed by other people's rudeness (or rule-breaking, like blowing stop signs) and offensive comments on websites (like news articles and Facebook). The biggest change since starting this has been that I don't let those things get to me as much - I can't control horrible people who blow stop signs in neighborhoods where children play, and they certainly aren't inclined to change their ways because I get mad. I seriously reduced the amount of time I spend on the internet, which means I read fewer comments on articles. I changed my Facebook notifications so that if someone tries to argue with me through comments on someone's link, I will have no idea unless it's important enough for me to check back. This has been one of the biggest and best changes of all!

When I was still in school, it was hard sometimes to remember to be grateful - things were so hard, and I felt so isolated so much of the time. Now, even though I'm living in a room at home with my things in boxes, and I have to take the bar exam a second time (and without much more confidence than before), and I have no job and a lot of debt, I feel grateful for what I do have much more than I could before. I feel relaxed and thankful for my family and friends, and for new people I have met in person and online through the Plan.

Without question, the best part of blogging for the Whole Body Action Plan has been all of you - especially Audris, Leah and Sarah. Their writing made me want to be a better writer, and their optimism made me want to keep trying. There's no doubt in my mind that I would have quit this by the second week, distracted and/or discouraged, if it wasn't for their inspiring blog posts and all of the supportive comments from everyone in the community. You all made me feel so much better every time I stumbled, and I am so grateful to you for that, even if I wasn't the best at responding to or acknowledging comments. I felt so connected to the community, and your support has left an indelible mark on me.

While this is my last real post about the Plan (and would not be surprised to find no one is even reading this blog anymore), I will post a little recap of our visit to the Martha Stewart Show, and I will likely continue to blog about adventures in health here. I read a lot of articles, I love to share new things, and I love to write, so why not?

My heartfelt congratulations to all of you who have stayed with the Plan through the 4 weeks and finished! I noticed on the main discussion thread that there are many who are just starting now, and if anyone who is happens to catch this, I wish you the best of luck!!