2018: What to expect from Life In Recovery

I'm not normally one for making New Year's Resolutions (the reasons why can be found here in a post I wrote in 2014) but...this year, I feel it would be good to set out some aims for this blog. Creating goals (and making them public) can help you re-focus and achieve; and I think this blog needs a little tweaking and for you, dear audience, to know what to expect from 2018 and this little corner of the internet.

What you will be seeing:

• Month In Review pieces will be posted every month with the same categories. However, they will normally be word-based, unlike previous ones in video format. Life has been getting in the way of me filming, editing and uploading!

• Videos - I will be continuing to film videos and post them on YouTube, as and when ideas come to me. As always video requests are very welcome.

• Recipes - there were a bunch of new recipes posted in 2017, and I want to continue that. There will be healthy, nutritious and delicious new ideas for your table and tummy throughout 2018.

• Instagram - I am aiming to build more of a community on Instagram. Come and join me!

• Wellbeing Basics - I will be launching a new series called 'Wellbeing Basics' which provides tips and resources on how to achieve (and maintain) good health and a happy life. I think we can often neglect our most basic needs, and sometimes need a little reminder to sleep, exercise, eat and rest well.

• YOUR REQUESTS - I filmed a few request videos in 2017 and I loved doing it, knowing what you wanted to see and then providing the information. I would love to do that a little more often. So if you have any burning questions, need help on something specific, want me to research a topic or just have a general idea - please let me know. That way, I spend my time making content you really want, and that will make a difference to you and hopefully help.

• My 2018 life lessons and favourites published at the end of the year - one of my favourite things to write, and you seem to love reading them. If you missed 2017's the favourites are here, and the life lessons are here. 

What you won't be seeing:

• Twitter use - while I am not ditching Twitter for good (it's definitely one of the best ways you and I interact with each other), I have become a little disillusioned with the medium for a number of reasons - you may have noticed I've been a bit absent. So while you won't see so many streams of consciousness or random conversations, my account will be re-focused on the blog - it's original goal. Please don't stop chatting to me on Twitter though - I love hearing from you, and all 600+ of you who follow Life In Recovery on Twitter.

What are some of your goals for 2018? 

How to get in touch (and all that social media stuff)

YouTube
Instagram
Twitter
Blog
Email
Facebook 

Filming one second of life every day

I can't take credit for the originality of the idea to film one second a day from my life for a year...I stole it from a friend. But I loved the idea so much, and I'm enjoying the experience enough, to want to write a quick piece about the whys and wherefores of it all!

What?

The idea is to film a second each and every day of ANYTHING that takes your fancy/makes you smile/will remind you of the day/is a bit odd/etc. My clips to date include: llamas, the countryside, fairy lights, food, friends, family and travelling. I've decided to film general, un-themed clips of my life, but other people have filmed their children growing up, their holidays, their pregnancies, their pets, their wedding preparations...there's no limit!

Why?

I thought it was such a lovely idea; to have a little film filled with snippets of my life to look back on. Two of my favourite ever posts so far (to write) have been my 'Things I learned from 2015' and 'Favourites of 2015' and so the concept of creating a video version of these seemed perfect. 

There have been some days this year I'd have rather forgotten existed and the last thing I felt like doing was getting my phone out to record a slice of the day. But, having committed (I feel I have anyway!) to find a second a day I want to remember and record has meant I have managed to find a teensy 'something' in each and every day. A 'something' that, although not always much, will help me to remember and mark that day for what it was. Whether it was a plate of cheese and biscuits late at night or a bunch of sunny, yellow, happy daffodils on a particularly sad day. It's made me more observant, more aware of my surroundings and more keen to find something life-enhancing or positive in each day. 

How?

This is where the idea gets technical...but not too technical! I use the app 1 Second Everyday to film, trim, store (and remind me to record) my second every day. I believe there are other apps which do the same thing, this is just the one I use. I find the app pretty easy to use and it's free; so that's a win-win! The app comes with a calendar (see my screenshot below) that allows you to film and then trim videos on each day. Then, at any time, you can choose to condense these seconds into one film at the press of a button. You can see from the screenshot that your calendar will fill up with videos as and when you film them - I'm writing this on Saturday 2nd April, so you can see that there's an orange corner on today's date and the boxes from 3rd April onwards contain no videos. This way you can easily keep track of where you are. 

My top two tips are: 

1. You can actually have 1.5 seconds (makes a loooot of difference, believe me!) you just need to click the 1S button on the trimming screen to change it to 1.5S. Thanks to my friend for pointing this out to me. D'oh!

2. (and something I've only just discovered a way around) You need an internet connection to open the app and record directly, but fear not - I would recommend you film using your normal phone camera instead of the app. All videos you've filmed outside of the app sync to the app on their corresponding days anyway, so you'll never miss a stand-out second because your internet has gone up the spout!

When?

I decided to film from my birthday this year to my birthday next year. However, you can start any time you like! And if you miss the odd day - so what? I think the key is that you enjoy the process of creating the film and creating a visual time-capsule, not that it becomes a chore or something you must or ought to do.

If you were to film a second of today, what would you choose to record or remember?

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Are making New Year's Resolutions the healthiest way to start your year?

I didn't want the first week of 2014 to pass without writing something about people's fixations for making New Year's Resolutions every year. Don't mistake me in thinking that I'm a cynical and pessimistic kind of person, New Year's Resolutions are a great way to embrace the new year with a list of the things you really want to achieve, work on, experience etc. However, when did it become socially unacceptable to not make resolutions? 

At the beginning of every year the inevitable question is asked by others "So what are your New Year's Resolutions this year?" and the general consensus if your answer is "I'm actually not making any resolutions this year" is that you either aren't ambitious, steadfast, future-thinking or motivated enough or you are depressed about the new year. These may be partly true or all true, you may be dreading the year ahead or you may not want to or feel the need to change anything in your life. On the other hand your aims for the coming year may not be as clear and concrete in your mind as in others. You may just have a general idea of where you would like to be in your life. Just because you haven't sat down and plotted out this next year doesn't mean you don't have hopes and dreams of the future. It doesn't mean that you are blindly entering 2014 with no direction. It doesn't mean that you are accepting that you can't get better/be better/feel better. It doesn't mean part of you has thrown in the towel or is apathetic about life. And it doesn't make you any worse than other people who have made New Year's Resolutions.

Another point that comes to mind when thinking about New Year's Resolutions involves the words 'pressure' and 'fail.' Does it really help people live happy and fulfilling lives for there to be so much pressure surrounding keeping New Year's Resolutions? Being branded or branding yourself as a failure if you don't manage to attain all your resolutions for the year is such a negative cycle to get into. Doing a quick search online for statistics in relation to New Year's Resolutions there are numerous articles and lots of research into how many people achieve all the goals they set themselves at the beginning of the year. A study in 2007 at Bristol University found that 88% (out of the 3000 involved) did not keep their resolutions, other statistics suggest as little as 8% of people who make resolutions actually succeed in their target. Articles giving advice on being successful in achieving them are generally titled along the lines of 'Why New Year's Resolutions fail. Here's how not to fail yours.' and 'Only ...% of people succeed in their New Year's goals. Our advice on how to be one of them.' The articles may be fantastic and may contain lots of useful tips and advice on keeping to your goals but it does create a sense that there's an 'us' and a 'them' scenario. Of the people who make resolutions there becomes two groups, those who 'fail' and those who 'succeed.'

I think a more healthy way of approaching New Year's Resolutions is to keep any ideas achievable and more general. For example instead of saying that you would like to run this year's London Marathon in under 6 hours why not make it that you would like to just run more. Or instead of setting a target to cut out dairy, wheat and sugar from your diet you could make it a little more flexible by cutting down on them by not buying cakes or cheese with your usual shopping or just eliminating one of them as a more manageable goal. I think the most important thing to do is to not think that it's the be-all and end-all to set and achieve New Year's Resolutions. A few little targets are a great thing to keep in mind throughout the year as a motivational tool but not as a way to beat yourself up or make yourself feel like an underachiever or failure. In conclusion, if you're going to make New Year's Resolutions this year then try to make them more realistic and attainable. Having someone who knows what it is you want to achieve can be a helpful thing or doing something as a joint resolution can be a more fun and fulfilling pursuit than going solo.

Whatever your wishes and goals for 2014 I hope that it's a wonderful year for you all.