Staycation, Depression, and Life Catch Up

Hello, my friends! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve sat down and written a post about travel. It’s taken a back seat while I’ve been heads down working my 9-5. I can feel the tension building though and I’m desperate to find a little sunshine. Hence: Staycation, Depression, and Life Catch Up.

This blog has been unique for me. If you’re new here, I’ve been blogging since I was 16. I’ve since had many blogs and this one stuck but I’ve noticed it’s become … idk. Formal? Which isn’t my style in my day-to-day life.

I’ve been hyper-aware of this “brand” that I’ve been portraying and I’m not sure if I like it or not. I feel like I need to act and be a certain way and I don’t want to. So, I’m going to be brutally honest in this blog post.

I’m depressed.

Table of Contents

Staycation, Depression, and Life Catch Up

There it is. Have I scared you off already? It’s the truth. I’ve been super down and unable to write because I just don’t feel the excitement I normally do. It’s been over a week and a half and I feel like my insides are eating away at me…

I know I’m not alone. It’s completely normal to feel down, especially when you’re having an identity crisis or realizing you only get 80-100 years on this Earth (if you’re lucky). It doesn’t make sense, right? For most of us, life is beautiful and wonderful and a party and how do we only get such a limited amount of time on it… sigh. Gosh, I’m more down today than I thought.

Let’s talk about what I’ve been up to.

2022 Personal Goals Updates

You guys, I’m so happy to be writing this post because this is such a great reminder of all that I’ve accomplished over the past two months. Let me get this on a list for you. I have:

Listened to 12 Audiobooks in 2 months and change.
I have read 3 physical books.
According to Strava, I walked 61 miles in February & worked out for 23 hours.
I’m finally down 10lbs of body fat and though I’m not at my body fat % goal, I’m on my way!
I sold 4 items on poshmark & ebay and planing to sell so much more.
My plants are so healthy they keep procreating (it’s insane and wondering if I should sell them).

Staycation in Seattle

This might be the first time I had an actual staycation in the city. I don’t remember the last time I grabbed a hotel room downtown and played tourist.

It was so much fun being able to walk to all my favorite spots. I also met up with my Aunt & Uncle to show them around with my sister. We had a blast going to:

The Space Needle
Chihuly Museum
Pike Place Market
Made in Washington Store
DeLaurenti Italian shop

My friend was also in town and I was a tour guide at the point but their two requests we to get 2 stamps in their National Parks Passport & see the flying fish. So, we hit up:

Pike Place Market, again
The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (totally recommend & great for kids)
The original REI store (because they have a Ranger’s Station inside! Who even knew!?)

All in all, this was a fun weekend besides the abnormal rainstorm that swept through the PNW. I think I might write another post about this later in the month.

Seasonal Depression & How I’m “Coping”

What does seasonal depression look like for me? Right now… it’s a lot of things:

Seattle is grey and raining all day until 3pm when it burns off (leaving 3 hours of day light a day).
A too short of a visit from family and a friend and having to say goodbye.
Uncertainty on WTF to actually do with my life.
My job has required a lot more brain power than usual, and I’m exhausted.
Societal pressures to… find someone, marry and have a kid by age 40. Do I even want to get married? I know I believe in prenups and that’s all.
Feeling behind… yet, right where I belong?
The patriarchy. The literal misogyny women tolerate every.single.day just to get by (and that’s all I’m gonna say today).
Not understanding why it’s taking twice as long to lose 10lbs than it did 3 years ago.
The literal state of the world.
How one of my friends believes they could ever be thought of as a waste of time (it breaks my heart).
Asking myself over and over why I don’t live in a sunny state but then remember how simply beautiful the PNW is in the summer.

I’m doing my best to be positive. I upped my Vitamin D3 intake last month but I’ve been terrible about taking it every day. I’m also trying not to overthink everything in my life right now but it’s tough without distractions and when you live alone. It’s a lot. However, I was (okay, well…) overthinking the other day and I realized if I want to be distracted I’m going to need to build bigger and better goals for myself to keep occupied.

So, here’s another list of everything I want to do:

Say yes to every invitation for a friend or family member that is a joy to be around.
Be active 6 days a week and do Bodypump 3x a week.
Get back into a yoga studio!
Cut back on alcohol.
Schedule a lunch or happy hour with a friend every week.
Try a new recipe every week.
Plan my Birthday trip.
Volunteer at a food bank or women’s shelter.
Listen to 5 books this month
Say my mantra every morning: I am NOT a quiter. I have value & I matter.

This post feels all over the place. I’m normally more organized in these “recaps” or “catch-ups” but, again, my mind isn’t exactly stable enough for perfection right now. Plus, no offense to anyone but perfection can be over-rated and boring.

If you survived this post, please share what you do to get rid of your seasonal depression. I’d also love to hear about all of your accomplishments and what you’ve got planned for March. I might consider doing a monthly recap to update you guys on these goals. I’ve also been debating on adding in a monthly post on all the audiobooks I’ve been listening to. They’ve become a part of my daily tea & walking routine. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day. Sometimes the book is so good, I listen to them in my off-times throughout the day.

Anyway! Happy March. Don’t forget daylight savings is on the 13th and the 25th is International Waffle day, which I will be celebrating. 😉