For My Birthday Month Im Challenging Myself in a Big Way to Simplify Significantly

It’s day #1 (and yes I’m starting two days early). I’ve got big dreams for 34, and in order to hone in on those dreams I’m simplifying in some significant parts of my life. I hope to take you along on this journey with me.

The last two years have been hard. In February of 2022 I miscarried and it left my body wrecked. It was a few months later we chose to refocus on proceeding with our prayer of adoption, something we had talked about from our early days of dating. Fast forward two years and here we are after four months of paperwork, 10 months of waiting and now 10 months of our daughter. Needless to say my body and my mind feel less than optimum.

Most of the time when birthday’s or special days roll around you are asked for a list of gifts you might want. This year I am asking ‘what can I get rid of’. And so I made a list, a journey if you will, a 30 day experience of simplifying in order to make a big jump in health. So, what does that look like:

1. Non-Toxic living. It’s not something I can pull off completely, but it is something I am actively working towards for my family: soaps, detergents, cleaner foods are all on the list of items getting an overhaul.
2. Diet. Before Gluten-Free was a trend I was gluten free. I do not have celiacs, but I do have other digestive issues which are exacerbated by the above. Having kids caused me to somewhat take the loss, because feeding a family and being on the go more just led to having to make less than ideal decisions for myself. This month I’m reclaiming that part.
3. Writing every day. It may sound like an add, but being able to process out everything in my head is simplifying in the best mental/emotional way. I have a journal AND I’m going to do that here as well so you can follow along.
4. Social Media. This morning I went in and deactivated my accounts in my limited number of social media channels this morning for the next 30 days. Usually my birthday month + mother’s day + end of school would be the last time of year I would plan to go dark but I think that makes it the perfect timing.
5. 30 Minutes outside ALONE. 30 Minutes outside usually isn’t the issue, as an avid runner I try to be sans treadmill as much as possible. However, on the days that the treadmill comes into play the rest of my outside time is usually with the kids. I’ve realized the value of just breathing in fresh air on my own since jumping from 1 to 2 children and it dare to say it’s a necessity.
6. Finishing A Book (or Two). I’ve always noticed a difference mentally when I’m actively reading a book; at the beginning of this year I was churning them out. I’ve finished 6 or 7 books so far which is a nice pace, but in the middle of March I was finishing up a monster of a research book and it tanked my motivation to read. Now I’m back and read to dig in.
7. Ditch Unnecessary Spending. Unfortunately, groceries are exorbitant right now and that cuts into a big piece of our expenses, but other items we can take or leave. The kids have clothes and plenty of activities, so as long as I keep good foods in the house they should be set. It’s amazing what one glance down the aisles of Target or a drive by the donut shop after a long week will do to you though.

There are a few other places that I thought about going, but in order to have the best chance at success these seven were where I decided to stop. Right now I feel overwhelmed and less than energetic, my motivation has dipped and I’m excited to see where we go from here.

Stay tuned.