Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

I'm finally getting back into self-care after not doing it for two years. Between two jobs, preparing for Canada, then trying to earn extra money to move to Canada, I didn't take time for myself and it showed. Now, I am battling cholesterol issues and fatty liver disease (can be reversed by diet, exercise, and stress relief) and I am depressed. I'm still depressed about my awful full-time job not signing the letter Canada required and I was refused. I am looking for a new full-time job in the interim until I find a teaching opportunity to move abroad.

I started skating last year to lower my cholesterol. It worked wonders and I noticed it cheered me up. My depression and anxiety were gone after ice skating. Then, I was injured last March and I stopped for a month. I was nervous about getting back into it and I did until mid-May, then switched to roller skating. I returned to roller skating after a 15-year hiatus (I grew up roller skating) and I noticed the same thing as ice skating - I felt great after my skate session. I'm an introvert, but skating with others, laughing, and taking selfies seemed to uplift my mood. I love both forms of skating and I went ice skating today. I'm getting back into the groove and it makes me feel wonderful.

I am also getting back into scrapbooking. When I was in high school and for the first two years of college, I scrapbooked to reduce stress. Creativity tends to help me as well. After my rape, I was scrapbooking a little bit, but in between looking for a full-time job, moving, then getting a full-time job I hate, I stopped. I'm in the process of scrapbooking the contents from Happiness Box 2017 and it's going slowly. That's okay - sometimes I'm too exhausted to do it at night, but sleep/rest is good. When I'm feeling rested, I love getting creative and looking at what made me happy/grateful last year. I want to take my time with it. After I log off, I am going to work on it a bit before I read. Reading helps too.