Welcome to "Chit-chat January 2023." I hope you are well. 🙂
How has your month been?
Some changes with how I write this year on my blog
I continue to go with the flow of my writing, but I am making some little changes to how I write this year. Please see below.
My self-reflection posts as I mentioned in this post, "October to December 2022 self-reflection," I will be writing these posts every three or six months instead of monthly. Three months being where I mentioned more likely that I will write these posts feel like the right thing to do.
My chit-chat posts, I feel this year to go back to writing just once a month instead of twice.
These are the only two changes in how I write some of my usual posts this year.
I hope to write a few posts from my garden this year. This could be a post of it's own or mentioned in a chit-chat post.
Deleted my Twitter account
This may, or may not come as a surprise to you, but I have deleted my remaining Twitter account after I announced on the 10th January I would be closing it soon that day, or the day after.
In the end, I closed it later that same day.
As much as my blog stats show that Twitter gives a positive to my blog, I had some niggley feelings about being on Twitter since my week off from anything online in November, but more so since Christmas that I tried to shake off and couldn't. Plus, I was seeing some stuff I didn't want to see which don't help my mood sometimes. So that's it. Twitter no more. I just couldn't bear being there any longer, so hence my decision became rather sudden. I had to leave for the benefits of my mental health.
Now I have said this before and I have gone back. The experience I had this time was much better and mostly a positive experience, with good support. But since Christmas it's felt different. I couldn't shift that feeling and I tried to ignore it in case it was my January blues feeling I had not helping. But I know I won't be going back again. So if I do, (I won't,) then just remind me what I said here originally. 😁
January blues and Brain Fog
I thought January was starting off well, but then not long into January I seemed to have the January blues. It's not helped by terrible brain fog either.
I have never used the words 'January blues,' so this is my first.
Kindness to myself went out the window as well through my ongoing frustration with my brain fog, because in the end I bought a dvd that I kept reminding myself not to buy because I had seen it before. So, in the end, brain fog won.
The dvd was second hand when I slipped up and bought it. The film, if anyone was curious, was called "Dark Waters." But it didn't stop me being annoyed with myself any less.
Dissociation
I have also experienced some dissociation this month. But not to the amount I was having last year.
These have happened both at home and at work in both jobs.
At home, I have kept myself busy in the hope of not having anymore.
At work... well... I was working and so I couldn't get any busier. But I was on autopilot, so at times I was re-checking my work because I couldn't remember if I had done it or not.
Got my hair trimmed
A couple of weeks into this month, I spontaneously went into a hairdressers I passed to see if they were doing dry cuts again. I used to go to this hairdresser before Covid existed and stopped due to how the restrictions affected me that the government did. With the hairdressers looking quiet, it made it easy for me to pop in. I thought, now or never, and went back when I received a text to say she was ready.
My hair is now how I want it since my fringe grew out and those lengths are where I want them. So, after this trim, it meant my layers were now soft around my face rather than looking like "two levels" as the hairdresser put it.
Currently, as I write this, my Blogger profile shows how my hair is now since this cut, my blog email too, as well as updating my WordPress profile with the same photo that I use when commenting on WordPress blogs.
Dvd's watched
- Honey 2 and 3
- A Christmas Gift from Bob
- Dark River
- Tulip Fever
- Magic Mike (Watched once before, but watched again with me watching the others I have not seen yet.)
I am using the WordPress Reader again
When it comes to reading blogs I follow on WordPress, I have gone back to using the WordPress reader and not via my email like I used to. This is because of being forced to log into my WordPress account with some blogs even though I am already logged in when I want to comment. Yet I can click the "like" button on the very same blog that requests me to log in to comment.
This also happens if I click on blogs in the reader to read directly at their blog. Clearing the cache and cookies did not solve the issue. This problem only started to happen this month. So, as I will be using the reader directly again to read blog posts, I hope no new issues arise.
A year since Thich Nhat Hanh's passing
22nd January marked one year of Thich Nhat Hanh's passing. There were ceremonies being held for him. I watched a couple of these. One of these live ceremonies I was able to watch as it was happening. I also watched a documentary. All of these are on Plum Village YouTube account.
A reminder when commenting here or at any Blogger/Blogspot blog
Before typing in the comment box, choose your profile first from the drop down menu on how you wish to comment.
You have the choice of:
- (Google) (Your name appears at the side of Google if you have a Blogger Profile.)
- Anonymous
- Name/URL
If you don't have, or don't wish to have a Blogger profile, but want to leave your name, then choose the 'Name/URL' option. You don't need a blog link to leave a comment using this option, so just leave your name and that part for the URL blank, if you don't have a blog.
If you want to be anonymous, then please use the 'anonymous' option.
If any issues using the 'Name/URL' option, then please feel free to leave your name at the end of your comment when using 'anonymous.'
I have since updated my "Policies/Disclaimer" page with this information.
Also, please bear in mind comments are moderated on this blog. So you are not going to see your comment straight away until I approve it. (Spammers won't get approved, like the one already received this month.)
Until next months chit-chat, there are other posts in between to come.
Take care and bye for now.
© "Liz's Onward Journey," by Elizabeth Fisher
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