Q1 2024 Report, Sprinting Through Life, and Dumpster Diving
Slowly exiting my flop era and taking out my beauty trash.
As Q1 2024 comes to a close I have taken a look at the balance sheet of my life and am coming here to report to my shareholders, I mean, readers about where I have netted out. I don’t know if you can tell but I was actually a Finance major in college.
Coming out of a particularly rough (health-wise) 2023 my main focus coming into the new year was to feel better. It’s not something I can quantify or make into a tangible goal but the need to feel better has been my guiding light the past few months. The good news? I am feeling better! Mainly my stomach issues (which probably deserve their own newsletter) have not taken up all the space in my brain. My life no longer revolves around my gastro problems and the mental toll it used to take on me has significantly lessened. Below I have compiled a list of the life changes that have made the biggest difference in my quest to feel better:
Almost stopping drinking - As I write this in mid-March I have had a total of 4 glasses of wine in 2024, quite the departure from my cocktail and wine loving self from years past. After downing 8 espresso martinis at a wedding in November and then suffering from awful heartburn for a week after I knew it was time to make changes. I enjoy a drink while out to eat but the disrupted sleep and pain is just not worth it anymore. I have completely stopped drinking hard liquor and only allow myself wine when I really want it. It’s really simple, when I don’t drink I feel better physically and when I feel better physically I also feel better mentally. When I am feeling good mentally I don’t need to feel buzzed to feel good about myself.
No more coffee - I woke up (in Paris(slay)) on January 1, 2024 and told myself I would not be drinking coffee from this point forward and I have stuck to that commitment. This one was painful but it needed to be done. As you all know I am a basic bitch and loved my iced coffee in the morning. Coffee is acidic and a perpetual trigger for my debilitating heartburn. Cutting coffee out completely has lessened my instances of heartburn by no less than 75%. I love coffee and I miss it, but it's a sacrifice I needed to make in order to help myself. I still drink caffeine in the form of tea which does not appear to be a trigger. As an added bonus, knowing that I don’t have the crutch of a strong cup of coffee to get me through the day inspires me to go to bed earlier and better sleep has also (shockingly /s) improved the quality of my life.
Omg… am I in my self care/ glow up era??? Read on to find out!
Taking my supplements - Uh no duh, but hear me out. If you have read my older newsletters you know I swear by my probiotics which I think helped my digestion issues immensely. I have also added magnesium into the mix. At the suggestion of my nutritionist, I take magnesium citrate during times when my stomach just refuses to do it’s thing (thankfully much more rare these days). I also take a magnesium chelate (yes the Moon Juice one, leave me alone I’m a material girl) with tart cherry juice and topo chico before bed and it knocks me the fuck out. Best sleep of my life. Did you know that if you go to bed at a normal hour and get good sleep you don’t spend the next day tired and groggy? Science is amazing.
Finding a good doctor - I’ve always gone to doctors that ranged from pretty good to trying to sell me $400/week protein only diet plans because losing weight would solve all my problems (it would solve most but not all!!). Never in my life have I felt truly heard and understood by my doctor until I met my new gynecologist. She made time for me, she listened and answered my questions and she helped me make plans to address all my issues. I came back from the appointment understanding what good medical care felt like. She was kind while still calling me out on changes I needed to make to be a better version of me. She helped me understand that I should feel this way after seeing all my doctors. Healthcare is too expensive to spend money on shitty doctors.
Though my feeling better journey doesn’t have a tangible goal attached to it, let’s revisit some of my 2024 goals to see how I have progressed.
Stop drinking hard liquor/cocktails - Really knocking this one out of the park. Gin who? I don’t know her. Tequila? Never heard of her in my life! I know wine but we are distant acquaintances at best.
Workout 3 times a week - Ask the creepy guy at Planet Fitness (who I am convinced lives there) if he sees me there often and watch him make a very unsettling face and say yes. I have really been prioritizing exercising in the morning when I know I have night plans (creepy guy there both morning and night tho). On days when my ass really cannot make it out I do Peloton workouts at home or take a long walk. I see the positive impacts exercise has on my mental health and I crave it. I am lucky to have a body I can move and I want to take advantage of that as much as possible.
Send out a newsletter each month of the year - So far so good and I just surpassed 100 subscribers! Tell your family and friends to subscribe! Everyone should know about my stomach issues!
Finish 40 books - So far I have finished nine books this year including titles like Yellowface, How to Murder Your Life, Convenience Store Woman, and The Body Keeps the Score. I am currently reading a book on Elizabeth Taylor that is absolutely blowing my mind. I’ll be doing a book round up once I hit the halfway mark on my goal.
The verdict for Q1 2024? I think I am killing it. If you disagree though let’s fight it out in the comments.
The Secret to My Success? Life Sprints
You know how the old story goes. A project manager and app developer walk into a bar and they decide to use Scrum methodologies in their personal life.
Though I consider myself super goal oriented I found it really hard to stay on track with my annual goals. Life would get busy and by the time December came around I would have a hard time remembering what I even wanted to accomplish in the first place. As me and my husband were setting goals for 2023 we knew something had to change.
Enter: life sprints. Every other Monday Alex and I set time aside to sit down to review the progress we have made towards our goals and set smaller goals (a mix of things that will help us achieve an annual goal or something we know we need to do in the coming week) for the next two weeks. For example, if my goal for the year is to finish 40 books then a current sprint goal for me would be to finish Elizabeth Taylor by Kate Andersen Brower, which I am currently reading. If my annual goal is to work out three times a week for the whole year then my sprint goal would be to work out 6 times or more in a two week period. Breaking larger goals into digestible tasks has absolutely been a game changer. I also set goals in my sprints that don’t directly feed into my annual goals but that I know I need to accomplish. Things like “buy my mom an International Women’s Day gift” and “schedule a dermatologist appointment.” These goals allow me to not put things off and serve as a to-do list for that two week period.
As much as setting smaller goals helps me work towards the big picture, actually setting time aside to talk to check in with my husband every two weeks is what makes these life sprints so useful. We start out every sprint review by looking over our annual goals and discussing any advancements we’ve made towards achieving them. We then follow that up by reviewing our sprint goals and talking about why we have not gotten everything on our list crossed off. We usually also have some sort of financial or savings goal so we also go through our finances and spending for the last two weeks. This allows us to be on the same page about where we can cut back and any big expenses that we need to be aware of.
Since we are both obviously very #techsavvy, we utilize Trello for our big picture/annual goals and a shared Apple Reminders list to track our sprint goals. Using a shared document allows us to keep each other honest and also helps us to divide and conquer for goals that impact both of our lives (things like pulling weeds in the front yard and sending invites to a dinner party we are hosting).
Though I know this sounds nerdy, I absolutely love our sprint reviews and look forward to them. We usually eat dinner and then sit down with a sweet treat as we do the review. It’s a time for us to really connect and support each other in our ambitions. If you are having a hard time sticking to your goals I really suggest you try this method out.
Have any questions about life sprints? Leave them in the comments! I also want to hear about what methods everyone else uses to keep track of their goals.
March 2024 Empties
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray - Since I only use setting spray when I am doing a full beat (trying to look fancy for a night out) it took me forever and a half to work through this mini bottle. This product gets the job done and leaves my skin looking juicy while keeping my makeup on all night. I am interested in trying some other setting sprays to find my holy grail but this one is definitely in the running.
May Coop Raw Sauce - My dry ass loves an essence and this one is elite. It’s hydrating and light and leaves my skin feeling plump and juicy. I used it every morning prior to putting on my serums and moisturizer. I have come back to this product many times and I think it will always be in my buying rotation.
Fit Glow Beauty Concealer - This is the product that made me quit beauty influencers. A micro-influencer who I thought I could trust swore up and down that this $42 concealer was better than anything she’s tried from other brands. I decided to take the plunge and purchase, hoping that this product would conceal all my imperfections and insecurities. It was… fine. A totally mid concealer that did the job but was not worth the insane price tag. What really killed me was when this same micro-influencer featured this product in a declutter video a month later stating she had much better concealer options. I unsubscribed that same day and continue to send negative energy her way to this day.
Caliray Come Hell or High Water Tubing Mascara (Travel Size) - Up until this week I thought I was the only person on the planet that thought travel size mascaras were way better than their regular sized counterparts. Turns out many people have caught on to this hack. I have repurchased countless tubes of this mini mascara and have turned quite a few people on to it as well. I have loved this tubing mascara so much that I haven’t even bothered to try with the regular size. It makes your lashes look natural but amplified, never clumpy. Like with any tubing mascara it’s also super easy to take off. It is perfect. No notes.
Cosrx Snail Mucin 96% Power Repairing Essence - If you bought this product expecting it to totally transform your skin then you are a victim of TikTok Shop propaganda. I’m sure there’s a class action lawsuit brewing somewhere. If you were like me and just expected this product to provide an extra layer of moisture (like any other essence) then you will probably agree that it gets the job done. It’s nothing special, I think there are better essences out there but for the price this really isn’t half bad. Just remember to adjust your expectations before purchasing.
Klaris Fundamental Ampule Mist - I will usually say that hydrating mists are a great place to save money in your skincare routine. Unfortunately this product is worth the higher ($27) price tag. This mist hydrates my skin without any irritation and just served as a great first layer for my essence and serums. This might be my favorite mist I have ever tried. I went back to my cheaper mists after this one and I already can’t wait to use those up so I can get back to buying this one.
Tower 28 SOS Rescue Spray - Despite the care I show my skin I somehow still ended up being a #dermatitiswarrior. This hypochlorous acid helps with my flare ups but calming irritation and inflammation. I have repurchased this many times and will continue to do so. As an added bonus they sell 16oz refill bottles so that you don’t have to buy a new sprayer each time.
Makeup by Mario Softsculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer - I know I just swore off beauty influencers but I trust Things I Bought and Liked (TIBL) with my life. This woman has never steered me wrong and this product is no exception. This cream bronzer isn’t super opaque so it provides a healthy tan without being streaky and too obvious. Apply it with a big fluffy brush (like TIBL suggested) for a super natural look. I will definitely repurchase once I work through all my cream bronzers.
Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum - I always switch between using a copper peptide serum and a vitamin c serum as my daytime skincare. This serum helps keep my skin plump and hydrated with the copper peptides helping with irritation and inflammation. I have since moved back to using my vitamin c serum but I will definitely purchase this one again when my dry skin is more of a concern.
Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre - This was one of my French pharmacy purchases from one of my trips to Paris. Though technically a moisturizer, I would more so put this in the primer category. The ingredients in this product do not make this suitable for daily use but it is a really great primer for your makeup if you are rocking super dehydrated, dry skin.
Milk Makeup KUSH Fiber Brow Gel - If you like a strong hold in your brow product then this is not for you. It was definitely not for me. I won’t be repurchasing.
The Ouai Thick Hair Treatment Masque - This is a really quality hair mask that I have repurchased a few times. It smells great and leaves my hair feeling really soft, especially when I leave it in for a prolonged period of time. A word of warning though, if you are a slick back bun girly that uses a hair mask to wet your hair to get it really slick this is not the product for you. This product is too thick to be properly brushed out so I only put it in when I know I am not leaving the house.
Thank you so much for reading this installment of the Gborysh Gazette. I’m so happy to have you here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. (And if you have the time to like it or leave me a comment, that would mean a lot to me!)
P.S. I don’t have any affiliate links :)
I've been so curious about magnesium supplements! Will be texting u4 more info.