It's 2018 and everything is bigger, faster, stronger... Instead of going home and enjoying our families, we're still plugged in to school, work and social media... Isn't it time we took care of our mental health and unplug? I sure think so!

I decided for the new year, I would work on being more mindful, spiritually, physically and financially. The first step is to stop letting the monkeys in your head run rampant... They'll run amok if you let them, trust me, I know!

Recently, a friend of mine on Facebook (ironic, right?) posted a 21 Day Anxiety Challenge from a blog called Love + Marriage and a Baby Carriage and it got me to thinking about my own project. A lot of our  'goals' matched up, so I'm sharing their list, but I've also made some additions of my own at the end!

21 Day Anxiety Challenge

  1. Spend 20 minutes outside.

  2. Color a page in a coloring book.

  3. Write down five things you are grateful for.

  4. Get hydrated.

  5. Play loud music and dance.

  6. No social media day.

  7. Take a long bubble bath.

  8. Ten minutes of meditation.

  9. Do your favorite cardio exercise for 20 minutes.

  10. Go to bed early.

  11. Start a good vitamin regimen.

  12. Snuggle an animal.

  13. Mediate.

  14. Look up Hygge and learn more about it.

  15. Try a relaxing essential oil blend.

  16. Make a stress ball.

  17. Pick a time of day that will be just for you.

  18. Do something you are good at.

  19. Make a list of your anxieties.

  20. Comment on each anxiety with something you can do to calm it.

  21. Start the happiness challenge!

While I agree with pretty much all of these, even though I had to look up Hygge, I have a few of my own I'd like to add.

  1. Organize something, a drawer, a closet, your pantry. It'll leave you feeling accomplished!
  2. Take a yoga class! It's been so instrumental in my life! I highly endorse the gentle yoga with meditation class Saturdays at Empower Yoga in The Villaggio.
  3. Read!
  4. Take a nap, just because!
  5. Do something for someone else, whether it's volunteer at a local shelter or just helping out a colleague at work, you gain more when you give.
  6. Foster an attitude of gratefulness and acknowledge your blessings daily. I know that's listed for day three above, but I try to do this daily.
  7. Pray.
  8. Tell your loved ones how much you love them.
  9. Hand write a personal note.
  10. Get a mani/pedi
  11. Lastly, tend to your relationships. A simple text to tell someone you're thinking of them!

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