2019 has come. Another year, another beginning. But before I finally bid farewell to 2018, I just want to write a blog recalling some nice things that had happened to me that year. The Bible and life gurus tell us to practice gratitude to live a more positive life. (Even Jason Mraz tells us to be grateful.) I treat my blogs like my own diary, so allow me to share to you the things I am grateful for in 2018!
WHY IS GRATITUDE IMPORTANT?
"Train your mind to see the good in everything."
Gratitude is the highest form of happiness. One cannot be fully happy if he or she isn't grateful. But one can be fully happy if he or she is grateful. Do you get what I mean?
(image source: Pixabay)
Being grateful makes you feel content and appreciative of what you have in life. If you do not practice being grateful, then you will never feel satisfied which in return, will make you feel sad and harbor negative feelings. You will always see and focus on what you lack instead of what you already have.
(video source: Team Fearless via Youtube)
Gratitude gives you a sense of accomplishment and completeness. Thus, leading to happiness. A lot of people around the world are unhappy because they keep comparing themselves and would rather think of what they don't have and that they should have more. If we could only stop for even just a short moment to recall our accomplishments, whether big or small, I am certain that we would feel happier with our lives even without trying too hard.
The heaven and the universe isn't deaf with your needs. There is a saying, "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." Do you believe in law of attraction? (I do!) Like attracts like, so the more grateful you are, the more you will be blessed with more abundance. It is just like doing a favor with your efforts being recognized by receiving a "Thanks!" or "Thank you very much!" from people you had helped. Doesn't that make your heart warm? In return, you'll be kinder towards them because you know that they appreciate what you did for them. Same goes with life. Be thankful and life will be kinder to you.
MY 2018 GRATITUDE LIST
☺ HEALTH ☺
■ SLEEPING AND WAKING UP EARLY
(image source: Pixabay)
I've been struggling with my sleeping for years already. Eventually, I got used to it so I have accepted that maybe I am just a night person or a night owl. 3 A.M. to 4 A.M. already became a normal sleeping time even though I know it's unusual for many. However, my sleeping pattern changed to worse around September to October last year. Even though I lie in my bed at 11 P.M., sleep won't come until 6 A.M. or 7 A.M. I still get to sleep 6-8 hours, though the insomniac feeling really bothered me. Who wants to lie in bed and wait for 7 hours to sleep?
(image source: Pixabay)
I know that I've been wasting so much time because of it and it's also causing more dark circles under my eyes, so I've thought of finally solving it. There's one technique to change the body clock that is effective for me but I hate doing. Staying awake for over a day. I skipped sleeping at 6 A.M. and waited for the night to come. As expected, I was already asleep by early evening and woke up around 3 to 4 in the morning. Best feeling ever! I felt renewed and happier!
I would start my day by listening to Jason Mraz's songs like "Back To The Earth" and "Sunshine Song". Being able to wake up early made me accomplish more things. It was a good two months of rising early. Sadly, I am slowly falling back to my old habit because of my allergy and holidays. But I will try my best to return and maintain my new sleeping time.
■ ALLERGY
(image source: Pixabay)
Of course, I am not happy of getting my allergic rhinitis triggered twice last 2018. The first one was last January 2018 after going to Baguio City and the second was just last December. I still actually have allergies while writing this blog, but I'm somehow grateful with my current allergy attack because it made me dig deeper about it.
I learned more about the allergy and also learned that I can buy the medicines for it over the counter. I've always thought that it needed the doctor's prescription. I hated going to my doctor because he would always give me a lecture like it's all my fault for having my allergy triggered. (Lol.) So I have already taken my medicines and I am already beginning to feel better.
■ NO MORE STRAINED EYES!
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Hallelujah! Another one that I've been struggling with is eye strain due to over exposure to smartphone and computer. My eyes would get blurry and teary due to the stinging sensation even though I was just exposed to the screen for two hours. I would even get headaches sometimes. I had my eyes checked last January 2018 and thank God my eyes are still healthy with a 25/25 vision. The doctor didn't recommend me to wear eyeglasses but only advised me to frequently rest my eyes. He also prescribed an eye drops to help relax my strained eyes. It was helpful but for just a short time because the eye drops expires within six months.
I don't want to spend Php 700 ($13.34 USD) every six months for eye drops. After my eye drops expired, I researched over the internet and learned about anti-radiation glasses. I bought an anti-radiation glasses two months ago and I must say, it is my best purchase for 2018! My eyes no longer feel stinging and no longer gets blurry. Simply amazing! It's cheaper than the eye drops too! For people out there who are in front of their gadgets for several hours, go get yourself an anti-radiation glasses. Protect your eyes!
■ MORE PEACEFUL MIND
(image source: Pixabay)
My mind has always been a disaster. I always get feelings of anxiety but nobody notices it. Since my mind was becoming unhealthy, I decided that it is time to take care of it. I unplugged myself from social media to clear my mind. Today, social media is the best source for anxiety, insecurity, depression, and other negative psychological effects for the mind.
Stepping back from social media actually brought some good benefits. It helped me sleep earlier, have peaceful mind, focus more on blogging, and more time to reflect on my goals in life. I still use some social media apps from time to time, but after a 2-month break, I just see it as a distraction and time-killer. Aside from stepping out of social media, I also made a little decluttering in my room. I gave away some of my clothes for the second time and threw away unnecessary things. These helped my mind become clearer, calm, and at ease.
☺ TRAVEL ☺
■ BENGUET, PAMPANGA, AND QUEZON
(image source: Katsanslimites)
I am not a person who always travel so getting to travel outside my province for three times in one year is an awesome experience and memory. I went to Benguet in January, Pampanga in April, and Quezon in November. Benguet and Pampanga were trips with my friends while Quezon was a trip with my godmothers.
My Benguet trip was a memorable one because it was my first time to go beyond Baguio City, particularly in the municipality of La Trinidad to visit the Strawberry Farm. This was also when I discovered that not all places in Benguet province has a cool climate. Seriously, I didn't expect getting sunburned in Benguet!
The province of Pampanga was also my first time to visit. We went to Korea Town, a museum, a beautiful old mansion, and an amusement park. I've finally rode a roller coaster and ferris wheel, but felt nauseated in one ride which caused me to vomit. Oh, we'll talk more about it some other time!
Last is the Quezon province. It was my first time to go there and oh man, what a long ride it was! The travel was very much worth it though. Everything was fresh to my eyes. My godmothers and I visited churches and religious landmarks in the Calabarzon region. I have also finally seen a coal plant and a part of the Pacific Ocean. I am certainly in love with this province. The foods and peaceful environment is something to admire.
☺ ENTERTAINMENT ☺
(image source: Katsanslimites)
My 2018 was welcomed with a bang with ONE OK ROCK's Ambitions Asia Tour in Manila last January 29. Attending one of their shows was a surreal feeling and a moment that I will always remember. It was also my first time to enter the Mall of Asia Arena. This concert was extra special because I've met my fellow ONE OK ROCKer friends! I wish to see them again in the future.
This is also the year that I collected an artist's merchandise. It's just a speck in comparison to the other fans' collection but it's already enough for me. Thinking about it now, I can't imagine I've spent so much for these items. Well, I can use them so there's nothing much to regret. I will just try to control my expenses on such items in the future.
☺ BITLANDERS ☺
(image source: bitLanders; screenshot and edited by Katsanslimites)
I think 2018 is my best year in bitLanders because I was able to achieve a lot of things. I am now finally able to write more than 10 blogs in one month and saw my biggest improvement on my daily earnings and rank on the leaderboard. It was my best moments on bitLanders and I hope to experience it again someday. Thank you bitLanders!
Read: "Why You Should Participate on bitLanders' Blog Tasks" and "A Katsanslimites' Guide to Writing Blogs Efficiently"
THANK YOU 2018!!!
(image source: Pixabay)
2018 has been a very good year for me, even when I got allergy twice. I was able to travel, attend a concert, improve blogging, fix my sleeping pattern, protect my eyes from eye strain, and become more productive and at peace by lessening the use of social media. Our business was also doing fine. My health and life was overall good. Thank God and the universe for giving me a wonderful year!
Looking forward to 2019 is important but I believe it is equally important to look back and be grateful of the blessings you received on the previous year. I think we should all say goodbye to the previous year with gratitude. That way, we would recognize how blessed we already are and look forward to the coming year positively.
(video source: TED via Youtube)
Thank you 2018! Hello 2019! Happy New Year!
Thanks for reading!
✧ Katsanslimites
