Tending to my own needs

Right after the ending of my toxic relationship with my ex-boyfriend, I immediately felt like it would be a challenge to pick myself back up again and go on with my life.  I had devoted so much time to his needs since he demanded it, that I completely neglected my own.  However, I know I deserve a lot better than that.  Since my mind has been programmed in the past year to think that I don't deserve to have my needs met, it is refreshing to know that I do deserve the best and that my needs are important.

I have realized how many amazing friends and family I have that I had been isolated from, and I've also met a bunch of new, incredibly nice people in the process.  My life has been better than ever.

The truth of the matter is that I have gotten a fresh start in life, and I am determined to make the best out of it.  After spending most of my relationship caring for some else's needs, I neglected my own, including spending time with my friends and doing the activities I enjoy.  So, I decided to make a list of the things that I need to do that make me happy and that tend to my needs.

I realized that the best way to have a fresh start in my life would be to make a plan for my personal and work life.  The first item on my list is to find a new Upper East Side apartment...and I have already put in an application!  It is a cute apartment in a perfect neighborhood in the Upper East Side, and it's also close to a lot of my friends, which will make my other goal (to hang out with friends more often) a lot easier!

Here is a sneak peak of some photos I took of the apartment.  The furniture in the photos is owned by the tenant who will be moving out shortly.  I hope I get the apartment so I can decorate it with my own furniture and accessories :-)

Hardwood floors...pink bathroom tiles...and a garden view... This apartment was made for me, don't you think?

Once I find out if my application is approved and I can move in, I will start pursuing the other bullet points on my list.  I will join the nearest gym, and hopefully start back up in my half marathon training again.  I would like to train for it by raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in memory of my neighbor, Connor, who passed away of Leukemia a few years ago at age 7 as well as for my grandmother who has been recently diagnosed with lymphoma.  On top of that, science research is clearly near and dear to my heart, since I am getting my Ph.D. in immunology, so it would be the perfect way for me to do several things I am passionate about all at once.

Lastly, I hope to dedicate myself full-time to my studies as well as to devote a lot of my time to my friends and family.  One day I hope to find love out there, but for now, I am focusing on being the best person I can be.

Questions of the Day:

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a rut?  Have you ever made a life plan?