**Finally posting this, it was written and sitting on my desktop. Better late than never. 🙂
Follow up to my 55-Day challenge
5/5/2026
10:30 pm
Hello and good evening from here.
Well, it has been 55 days since I decided to invoke my own personal challenge to see if I could make some positive changes.
Here is where I am at so far.
Personal well-being and health
- Maintained taking all supplements and medications daily.
- Increased sleep time up to 7 hours per day with no interruptions to sleep.
- Lost another 4 pounds and maintaining it with still 10 to 11 pounds to go.
- No spikes in blood glucose or blood pressure readings.
- Did not start treadmill walking due to knee and ankle pain issues. Still taking Ibuprofen as needed for pain. Continued exercises to maintain flexibility. Ultrasound and x-ray scheduled at end of May.
- Did not fully change eating habits but maintained serving sizes.
- Increased self-care, taking more rest, not overdoing daily and household needs.
Personal Development
- Maintained daily handwriting practice journal to help with hand and finger dexterity
- Maintained morning meditation routine
- Increased content to correspond with arts and crafts projects on newly created YouTube and Instagram companion accounts.
- YouTube Stats March 10 to May 5
- 64 videos shared
- 18,765 views gained
- 19 new subscribers
- 16,565 impressions
- Instagram Stats March 10 to May 5
- 15 reels shared
- 3 posts
- 68 new followers
- 3,000 new views
- Decreased viewing of television and movies by incorporating more podcasts, documentaries, and audio books.
- Increased daily writing practice and set blog post goals for the remainder of the year.
Household Routines
- Started daily and weekly cleaning routines
- Began downsizing and spring cleaning to remove unneeded items
Crafting Projects
- Goal to complete at least 3 projects a week
- Diamond Art Projects completed – 5
- Beading/Jewelry Projects completed – 4
- Art work Projects completed – 3
- Organization Projects completed – 6
- Secondary goal is learning new techniques and methods while using new media such as watercolors and acrylic paint markers.
- Began reorganizing craft supplies and tools by ensuring like materials together on individual shelves. Keep consistency and better inventory.
Planning and Scheduling
This part of my progress is still currently waning. I am not in the mindset or mood to tackle setting up a schedule so right now it is a mental to do list and I set up my white board calendar for the month. Sometimes I write things down on a sticky note and post them by my desk but it is not a habit yet.
That is the biggest obstacle; developing habits.
Summary and Conclusion
55 days is not a lot of time and it went by so quickly when my reminder beeped at me.
I had to go back and look at my stats, all the to do lists checked off, and reflect on how I felt, that “Intentional Enjoyment” that I spoke about in my March blog post, “The 55-Day Challenge”.
Did everything I accomplish bring a sense of peace, calm, happiness, and overall sense of well-being? Yes and No.
I did exactly what I wanted to do because I can. I am not bound by the supposed “rules or expectations” of a relationship, job, or responsibilities.
I got up when I wanted, slept when I wanted, went wherever I wanted, ate whatever I felt like, spent whatever I desired, and worked on projects that I enjoyed. Those were the positive actions.
As we all know with every positive action there is a negative too.
Here are the negatives:
- I felt tired all the time with no set sleeping schedule, too many naps during the day.
- I ate too much junk and fast food despite sticking to serving sizes which caused sluggishness.
- I was only able to lose another 4 pounds and not the typical 1 to 2 pounds per week as my goal.
- I did not start my treadmill walking and I seemed to have more pain in my ankle, knee, and hip. It was most likely due to the excessive sleeping as well.
- I continuously worked on projects daily with little breaks and had more tremors as the result. I had to slow down the overuse of my hands, arm, and shoulder.
- I listened to a few audio books and picked up the books I wanted to read but that was all. The books are still sitting by my desk. I just could not mentally start it. I felt mentally tired most days and overdid things when I had a boost of energy.
- I did not find a balance in my daily life.
- I went over my allocated monthly budget for personal spending.
- I felt okay overall but also know there was something lacking. Anxiety made that feeling of lacking worse. It was a mental block and “old thinking” that got in the way.
I was trying to live by the quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” which is true, we need to see the beauty in the world around us, all the amazing things but there is a limit.
This old habit of all or nothing got in the way. In the way of accomplishing simple tasks as well as how I dealt with my relationships with others. Others understood but for a person who was always that “go getter”, it felt overwhelming at times. I know I can do better.
The question is though, “Who am I doing this for?”
It was real simple answer, only me. No one else is expecting me to be someone else and I think they like me the way I am. That was comforting to know and helped me find peace in those moments of doubt.
“Life is not perfect; it’s hectic sometimes, and we manage the best we can.” Is what I wrote previously, it is true. This 55-day self-challenge just reemphasized that point.
We manage the best we can. That is all anyone can expect of us.
Thank you so much for stopping by and supporting my blog.
Have a wonderful week!
Peace, love, happiness, and good vibes, always!
Suzanne
love to bake 