Tomorrow is the first day of my challenge. My question is, “How can I stay motivated to stick with this challenge?” Whenever you start a new thing – whether it’s a new job, a new marriage, a new baby, or a new vacation; there’s always the question of how hard will the new task be.  You know, what will it take for me to be successful each day?

Just like those items, the challenge is remaining faithful to every single task. Challenge tasks Granted it is much harder to walk away from those commitments listed above. I could blow a present task by just not paying attention. No one would scold me and my spouse might not even notice, if I cheated, but I would know.

Safeguards
Due to the ease of messing up. I put a few safeguards in place. One of which was to simply tell you so I am aware that others know and are holding me accountable. Another safeguard is the fact that I made a promise to do this for at least 30 days. That solidifies it for me! Having an ending date helps put things into focus. It’s not forever, right, unless I choose to make it so.

So, as I travel, how do I stick to what I’ve already said I’m going to do? How do I make sure I get in bed early enough to make sure I get 7-8 hours of sleep? And how do I enjoy time out with friends and not draw attention to the fact I’m not drinking alcohol. I did this on my birthday and surprisingly no one really noticed.

The truth is most times friends don’t notice or say anything about what we’re doing unless it is really out of character! Or maybe, for me, I try so many different things, friends believe I’m trying out another new thing.

Writing Helps
Writing down, what I’m eating, how I’m relaxing and my mood go a long way toward making me hang in there! That way when I make it through the day or when I come up on some tough days, I have a guide to help me.  As I went through my bouts with breast cancer, Benita helped me tremendously by keeping a journal of her experience.

She helped by telling me when I might lose my hair and other things while noting some possible ways of dealing with those stressors.  Although each person‘s experience with breast cancer is different, there are some similarities. For instance, she told me to make sure I had lemon drop candy when I went in for chemo treatment. Because of that I never had a dry mouth or mouth sores.  She also advised that I take all meds for nausea. The one time I did get sick was the 1st day of my treatment. After that I never forgot to take that pill.

Aside from this blog and its information, I want women to read as much as possible about what is facing you. This way you’ll know the pros and cons of what and why you are doing what you are doing. Consider adjunctive therapies and above all – don’t stress so much.

I believe I can stick to what I said I’m gonna do (exercise, meditation, weight training, etc) because I’m gonna be tired at the end of the day so I’ll have to go to sleep early. If I don’t do those things, I think it’s gonna be harder for me to get my required rest. The hardest part will still be getting enough sleep.

What Counts?
I’ve got to write down what I do daily, so I know what I did and if I succeeded. That way, when I  start getting lost or saying I don’t know what I should do now – I’ll have a guide.

OK, that’s it for this week.   Continue to enjoy your summer!

Dr. Harriette