Birthday Month Rituals

And just like that, we’re in October! Can you believe how quickly this year has gone by? Now brace yourselves because the last 3 months of the year always fly by! Before you know it, you’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve (for me this basically involves sitting at home in my comfy PJs, watching TV and trying to stay up till midnight because it’s just too lame to sleep before that! :D)

Anyway, what’s even more exciting about October is that it’s my birthday month! Woo hoo!! Bring on the presents (and cake!) I don’t really know why I still get excited about my birthday. One would think that after 30something years, the novelty would wear off! But what the heck, I make sure I am made to feel extra special in my birthday month..

Every October I do some things, without fail. They are like rituals for me. It is that time of the year when I like to focus on myself. If you want to know what my October rituals are, read on!

Health check: I think it’s really important to get a complete health check done once a year (at least), especially when you’re in your 30s. Let’s be honest, we’re not getting any younger and we owe it to ourselves to take charge of our own health. We’re living such hectic and stressful lives that we often tend to prioritise other things over our health. A lot of the times, there are simple/straightforward fixes that can really improve the way you feel. These days a lot of hospitals and clinics offer annual packages. They can be as basic or as in-depth as you want them to be. If relevant (or if you’re due), get those pap smears and mammograms out of the way. It’s also breast cancer awareness month, so a lot of the clinics offer free checkups to those who meet the criteria. It’s really better to be safe than sorry!

Along with physical fitness, also pay close attention to your mental health. If there’s something bothering you, talk about it, deal with it in the right way. There are many options available, so consult with your GP and know what’s best for you. Mental well being is as important as physical health and yet we tend to ignore the signs. If you’re not feeling 100%, you’ll just know. So with all this in mind, every October I do a complete health check and really focus on my health. If I’m not healthy and happy, how can I take care of my family?

Get pampered! What’s a birthday month without any pampering?? I just had an amazing facial experience and have already booked a spa session for later this month. We all deserve to be pampered on our birthdays, right? So I do whatever it takes to help me relax (within reason of course) - spa day, mani-pedi, haircut, massage, etc. etc. There are unlimited choices available! On my birthday, I want to feel extra relaxed and rejuvenated.

Make a promise: Every birthday, I make a promise to myself. It’s basically one thing that I aim to do for the whole year. Something like a birthday resolution, but I dare not use the ‘R’ word, because we all know what happens to resolutions. This isn’t something I share with anyone (as in what the actual promise is), but I try and keep at it for the whole year, until it becomes a way of life. Last year, I made a promise to myself that I would become a stronger and fitter version of myself. It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears but I’m on the right track and in a much better place than I was last year. If you want to know what kept me motivated, read my post on My Fitness Journey. This year, I’ve made another promise to myself, and I’m going to definitely work towards achieving it. Let’s see how that goes!

Print some photos: You know what I really miss sometimes? Going through actual physical photo albums and reliving those beautiful moments with family and friends. I know this is the digital age and everything is available on the phone and tablet, and you can swipe till your fingers and wrists hurt but the photos go on and on and on.. but it somehow still doesn’t feel the same. When I was growing up, taking pictures was reserved for special occasions like birthdays or parties. We didn’t have the liberty to click hundreds of pics because there was limited film and you had to give the perfect pose and perfect smile in the first take! There were hardly ever any retakes.

Once the camera ‘roll’ finished, we waited in anticipation for my mum or dad to get those photographs developed, hoping and praying that there was at least one decent pic where our eyes weren’t closed or we didn’t look silly.. Once the album arrived we would all huddle together and go through each photo, commenting and critiquing as we went along. It was a ritual. I really miss those days, I am a little old school like that. So once a year I go through a few gigabytes of pics and get a few printed for my personal album. I think I should actually be doing this more often!

Contemplate: I spend a lot of time with myself, thinking and planning for the future. October for me is a time when I think about new ideas, new propositions and new beginnings. I like to write down my ideas in my diary, and figure out ways to achieve them. Last year, in October I decided to actually start my own blog. It took me a while to actually get everything sorted and there were a few hurdles along the way (mostly mental hurdles), but I got there in the end. And I’m so happy that I did! Next year it’s going to be something else and I have started the thinking process already! I’m quite excited :)

So as you can see, I’m having a really busy month! I’m not too pleased about getting older, but then I stopped counting after I turned 30. It’s all pretty much the same after that :D. So, to all those who are in their Birthday month, I hope you make the most of it!

Happy Birthday Month To Us!

xx

Kirti