Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Updates and Questions: Where this Blog is Going and How I'm Getting There

So as you've seen I have been changing things around on the blog for the last few months. I am mostly happy with it, the only two things that I'm not quite happy with are 1) The Title and 2) The Theme.



Every background I seem to choose is either too cutesy or too emo, and Tea and Shopping With Alice was a name I made up in Jr. High, and it doesn't reflect who I am now. Since I started breathing new life into this blog my general goal was to make it look more professional while still maintaining my personality. I feel that everything here does that except the title and background, which are really the only things newcomers notice. I've been brainstorming back and forth, hoping that one thing, either tittle or background, will lead to the other. But nothing has stuck, so weather you're a regular or not please don't mind the constantly changing background, It will end soon, I promise. As for names, I thought about things with my name, but I don't like anything I've come up with, and so I genuinely would love some suggestions. But this is really just a heads up that there will be a change in the not so distant future.



On a similar note I've been thinking a lot about the kind of content I share here on this blog. What I've done in the past, what I've been doing lately and what I'd like to do in the future. My favorite posts I've done lately are my reviews, and my reading updates, which I'll admit I stole from Erin at Just A Girl Kindling (go check her out), my travel/day trip posts, which are few and far between, and my holiday posts.  I've been looking over the things I've done in the past, and what I've thought about them as well.



My post on anxiety was supposed to turn into a series where I talk about mental illness. I thought about doing interviews with friends of mine who are working through mental illness, and I thought about doing a post about my own struggles with MAS (meconium aspiration syndrome) and anxiety. I've held back on posts like this in the past because I know that I can get a "woe is me" mentality when I start thinking about my own situation, and that would not be my intent. I keep going back and forth on it, and would love to see if there's any interest in it.



In the past I've also done Outfit of the Day posts, which I've enjoyed. I've been thinking about doing them again, but I've had doubts. In all honesty I've gained a lot of weight in the past few years, and I'm unhappy with that. I don't have a lot of clothes that are my style that also fit well, and honestly I don't really know what "my style" is anymore. It's changed a lot in the past few years. But as I've gone through my closet a few weekends ago I found some things that I love, that I look good in, and that I feel great in and I'd like to get back into the swing of outfit posts. So they will definitely be making a comeback.



On a similar note I'd like to start doing some posts on fitness. My goal is to just start regularly exercising and eating healthier, and in the past posting on Instagram has kept me motivated and consistent with my dietary goals. I thought maybe doing some lifestyle posts here would be helpful as well. My goal with fitness is and has always been health based. I know that often we can upset ourselves with how others look compared to how we look, and although I am no stranger to that (are any of us really?) I am going into this with the mindset of health being my focus, and not appearance.



Since puberty I've been a bigger girl. Genetics has caused me to put on muscle fast (cursing me to a life in search of wide calve boots), and the wild card of life has made me big chested since I was young. It's not my fault, these are things I need to accept. But that being said I am not good at saying no to sweets, and my genetic health has to be taken into account. I have many family members who have diabetes, and having seen firsthand what it can do to someone I do not want to go down that path myself. I think blogging about my health goals could keep me in check. I'd be keeping updates here on workouts I've been getting into and homemade meal prep I've been doing (no carb, but still delicious). This would include recipes, and storage tips (my sister found these great lunch boxes and she does all her meal prep with them). I love doing yoga, but since I've been saving for a car I haven't been going to classes lately, however my mom has a couple of workout DVDs around the house that I've been meaning to try out. I also love to go on walks and hikes, and just need to get myself on a schedule of going regularly, and making my health a priority. My plan is to use my blog to document how these things go.



However, my main goal for the year is to start minimizing and scheduling. I have to admit I've become a little obsessed with the journal and planner people on Instagram and YouTube, and it's really helped me to start scheduling the above plans I have. I've been journaling since Jr. High, but I am not good at planning (the main reason that new Years Resolutions have never been successful for me). I tend to be someone who gets a wild idea and then tries to juggle too much at once. That's why I've made this post, it's a way for me to say, "Okay these are my goals in bullets, or paragraphs, let's pick one and start working on it." So ti complete this goal I'll be posting updates here on the blog on how my other goals are going, I'll be scheduling hikes, and blog posts and reading goals as I work through these goals, and I'll be documenting it all here. From what I see resolutions and goals are all about making new and positive habits that replace the old negative ones. Maybe I'll only be able to make one or two of these goals a habit this year, but I'll be able to look back and maybe pick up another one or two for next year. Changing your lifestyle is a lot of work, and a long road (for lack of a better metaphor) but I've been needing some change, and so here goes.

~Delaney

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