My alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I sighed and turned it off, then just lay in bed, blinking blearily at the ceiling. I didn’t want to get up. 2017, on paper, should be the best year of my life. I should be happy and excited to wake up every day. But I wasn’t.
It was only June, but already this year I have gotten married, bought my first house, changed my career, and was (am still) planning our wedding celebration for this fall. Stress is a terrible thing, even when it’s from good events. I kept getting sick; I gained about 20 pounds (horrifying for my health); I was in and out of various doctors and specialists until it was discovered that I had developed TMJ; to top it all off, I suffered an anxiety attack where I collapsed on the floor at home and flopped around like a Magikarp while Mr. Hubs gaped at me incredulously.
It was time for a change. What exactly was causing my stress? While there were a lot of stressful events happening in my life, it was important for me to get to the root of it. And I realized that the problem was two factors:
- Our financial situation
- My health
I had let my health go within the last year and had gained roughly 20 pounds, going from 176 to 195. For my body type and height, an optimal weight projection is 135-140 pounds. I was already overweight at 176, so I put on a lot. I had been watching what I ate and exercising from previously being 198 pounds and I had slacked off and promptly gained it all back. My carpal tunnel worsened, I was always tired, and I just awful – not to mention that my self-esteem was in the toilet.
Our money situation is that hulking beast you think you hear breathing heavily in the closet late at night when you’re attempting to sleep and convince yourself that you aren’t five and still scared of the dark goddammit. Mr. Hubs and I are “millennials” (though we both loathe that term), and like most other people our age, we didn’t think we would ever own property and have gobs of debt, most of which is from student loans and from our mortgage, since we managed to purchase a home this year and are still planning the wedding.
Mr. Hubs, bless his heart, is not a financially minded soul. I used to work in finance and so the burden of managing our (nonexistent) money has fallen upon my shoulders. Between that and my health, for which I know I have no one to blame but myself, I was anxious and depressed constantly.
So I decided to do something about it, starting with my health and managing our money. This blog is going to be my way of keeping myself accountable and sharing my/our experiences as we pursue financial freedom and health, since Mr. Hubs is also joining me on a fitness journey. I hope it motivates both myself and anyone reading this.
For what is the point of life but to be happy? And who is stopping you? No one but yourself.
