Oh, how true it is. Life doesn’t get better if you don’t change! Everyday brings change and everyday we start fresh. I will say that I’ve changed the most in the past few months. Well actually, this year has been quite the change. One horrific event was enough for me to get myself healthy both mentally, physically and emotionally. It took a witness of a horrifying domestic dispute to really get me motivated to change my life. It may sound a little unusual, but it’s not.

For one, it made me feel lucky to be alive. If you’ve witnessed any crime and come out of it unscathed (like me), then you will be praying to God that you weren’t killed. Of course, I felt so bad for both parties because violence isn’t the way to go and that victim could’ve been dead. My depression skyrocketed shortly after that moment. Horrible PTSD came back and forced terrifying nightmares in my head night after night. I began to become more angry, moody, bitchy, and overall, didn’t want to be alive. Especially, when I went to urgent care later in that week with 48 hours of excruciating migraine headaches that I’ve never experienced before. My sleep suffered dramatically. My eating and weight were like a yo-yo. Panic and anxiety attacks were hounding me at all hours of the day.

It made me focus more on my health and wellness a lot more. I had to admit to myself that there was a problem. So I started making some changed. I transferred to another store and starting working there. I started a blog in order to raise awareness and share experiences. And I realized that it has helped me in so many ways. I get to write about things that bother me and they get out of my head. I also did a sleep study because my sleeping was erratic. I re-established a better sleep schedule and added melatonin to the mix. Lately, I’ve been watching what I’ve been eating and cut soda and junk food out completely.

This past week, I’ve been walking around my neighborhood for 2 miles a day. Sometimes, more and sometimes less. It depends on if I work that day. On a workday, I will walk for 2 miles in the morning and then stop. During my 8-9 shift at work, the only time that I’m sitting is during my lunch hour. That’s all. The rest of the time, I’m on my feet and I go back and forth. So, I get the rest of my 10,000 steps. On off days, I will walk an extra 2 miles to stay motivated and active. I’m slowly making the transition of not becoming a couch potato and not eating while watching TV or sleeping too much. It’s not hard, but manageable.

I will say that I’m somewhat grateful for the changes in the past year because it’s made me stronger and made more self-aware of my health. I don’t want to be fat and unhappy. I want to be happy and healthy. The change really starts with you. I thought that I would blog for a week and then give it up. But I didn’t. Same thing with eating better and exercising.

Every morning, my brain says: “Let’s go. We got a lot of work to do today!” That’s a huge improvement over the last few years. A lot! I don’t know whether to jump up and down or give myself a pat on the back. All of my co-workers even my boss said: “Great job on losing weight and being healthier.” They can easily notice the difference. I’m less moody, still have depression (that doesn’t go away!), better outlook and more cautious when it comes to my health now. I’ve lost 10 pounds since July, I don’t see why I can’t keep that up. I see my doctor in December and hopefully, I can show off a slimmer self. Maybe lose another 10 or 15 pounds. Start small and lose weight healthy.

So I’ve starting setting goals for myself.

• Walk for 30 minutes everyday
• Walk for 1 hour on off days
• Get those steps in with my pedometer app
• Keep up the H20 consumption
• Watch what I eat and count my calories
• Do more cardio or others such as biking or get out my stationary bike
• Sneak a snack to reward me for being awesome (Again, don’t deprive yourself!)
• And stop heading out to eat and start cooking more

Again, living with mental illness is tough. But the greatest accomplishments of your life will be the things that you have to work the hardest for! Take it one day at time and at your own pace. Good luck!