Confessions of a Shopaholic

I love to shop. LOVE it. Especially after a hard week at work, I love to go buy a few "treats" for myself. However, I don't like to spend a lot of money. My favorite stores are bargain stores like Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, and department stores like Target where I can find great deals.

I'm kind of a spastic shopper. I usually have a few ideas of items I'm looking for, but I also check out clearance racks and sales. I buy the most random assortment of things! I thought it would be fun to post about my retail therapy shopping trip!

First up: Target. I was actually looking for artwork and a corkboard for my bedroom, but I didn't see anything I liked. Instead I bought:

Champion sports bras. These are my favorite sports bras and I've been waiting for them to go on sale! They are NOT compression, so they're more comfortable than a lot of other sports bras. I love the lightweight breathable fabric and seamless design.
$11.88 each

Hangers. I needed these because somehow I'm always running out of hangers in my closet!
$2.99 and $1.47

Styling station. My first completely random purchase of the day. It's a container for my straightener and curling iron! I've tried hanging hooks in the bathroom to keep it organized, but that hasn't worked. I think this will work better because I can hang it over my towel bar and keep my styling tools off the bathroom counter.
$10.48

Beach Towel. Earrings. The beach towel was another random purchase. I don't really need it, but I loved the colors and it was on major sale! I love checking out the jewelry at Target because they have an entire section of nickel-free jewelry. I found a lot of cute earrings today for a good price.
Towel: $3.48
Earrings: $7.99 each

Pie server. Conditioner. Q-tips. Lastly, I hit up the dollar section at Target for some deals. I've been wanting a small container of Q-tips to take with me on weekend trips. I got the conditioner because it's for damaged hair and I want to see if it helps my split ends. The pie server was completely random, but sometimes all my spatulas are dirty and I need an extra!
$1.00 each

Next stop: Ross.

Wine glasses. I've been looking for wine glasses like these! I saw similar glasses in a store a few weeks back, but the box was damaged. I love the idea of different color stems so everyone can remember which wine glass is theirs.
$9.99

Cosmetic bag. I've been trying to find a good cosmetic bag for weekend trips. This isn't exactly what I wanted, but it's big enough to hold full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner plus make-up and other odds&ends. It also has a plastic lining inside to prevent leakage, so I figured it was a good buy.
$9.99

Last store: Marshalls.

Scarf. I recently bought some new fall tops and I think this scarf will go perfectly with a few of them. I love the maroon color. I don't typically wear scarves that much, but this season I'm falling in love with styles that are pulled together with a scarf or a statement necklace.
$12.99
Water bottle. I have a few running water bottles, but the last one I bought was cheap and it leaks. Last weekend, I ran with Tristan's water bottle and I loved it. It's Nathan brand. It has a big pouch, comfortable grip, and most importantly a spout that's easy to sip and doesn't leak!
$9.99
Eye shadow. I almost didn't buy this because I'm not sure if I like all the colors. I'm also not sure about the quality of Elf eye shadow. But I'm running out of some of my Mary Kay browns and every now and then I like to try some new shades. Plus, it was cheap so even if I only like a few colors, it'll be worth it.
$4.99

There you have it! I had a lot of fun shopping today and found some great deals. I'm excited to try out the new products I got! I love love love bargain shopping!

Pro-action

Today I was in the office at work finishing my notes, and I started talking with a co-worker about some of the long term care patients. I was telling him about some patient complaints, and how I get the feeling that the CNAs and nurses on the other unit are either 1)mean 2)lazy, or 3)don't care. And I was saying that I feel sorry for the patients on that unit.

My co-worker agreed with my observations. Then he asked, "What are you going to do?" I was a little taken aback. I mean, I do my job- I treat these patients for PT- and I'm a little extra caring and attentive to them since I've realized that they probably don't get the best care at other times. I don't even know which CNAs and nurses are to blame for the problems.

His point was that if we see a wrong, we have to fix it. And it hit me that I can complain about the CNAs and nurses all day long, but it's not going to make a difference. I need to take action and fight for better care for these patients. My co-worker and I came up with some ideas that we're going to implement. A lot of it will just be vigilance and persistence on our part to make sure that these patients are receiving the best possible care. I'm looking forward to see what happens, to see if we can make a difference.

Anyway, on the way out, I saw the staff doctor. I rarely ever see him because he's only there on certain weeknights, usually after all the therapy staff are gone for the day. I have a patient that I'm convinced has Parkinson's, but she's never been diagnosed with it. I'd asked the director of rehab and the director of nursing for a neurological consult (and so had another PT), but so far nothing had happened. I decided to talk to the doctor and mention a few of the signs and symptoms I'd noticed.

He took the time to briefly examine the patient and agreed that she likely had Parkinson's disease. He told me that sometimes with Parkinson's, it's best to just start the patient on meds and see how they respond. Then he asked me if I thought she should start on some Parkinson's meds. I was flabbergasted. Never have I ever been consulted on a medical issue like this! I told him I thought it would be a good idea, and that was it. So easy! After all this time of trying to bring this issue to attention, all it took was one moment of proactive behavior, and my patient may finally receive the meds to manage her symptoms!

I'm excited to see if the drugs help, and I'm motivated even more to be an advocate for my patients! This is what makes my job meaningful- noticing something wrong and doing something about it to make a difference in my patients' lives. Today I loved my job.

Combatting Laziness

I finally went on a run this morning after not running for almost 3 months. It was so incredibly hard to drag myself out of bed at 5:45 this morning. Then I kept dragging my feet getting ready. But once I took the first few steps out the door, I already felt victorious! Three miles is easy after the first three steps.

I've realized that I have the tendency to be lazy. I'd rather just sit back and take what comes than be proactive about getting stuff done. I have difficulty initiating new things. Once I start something, I have a certain tenacity and determination to get it done (one example: I once spent hours on an impossible calculus problem long after everyone else had given up).

My problem's always been beginning. I seem to lack the motivation to get started. It's hard for me to get going in the morning, but hard for me to go to bed on time if I'm working on something. I have trouble keeping in touch with friends, because it just never occurs to me to initiate messages and calls. However, I'm pretty good about following through once plans are made.
I'm a good finisher, but a terrible starter.

The big problem is that you can't finish anything unless you start it! I'm trying to find ways to combat my natural laziness and get myself in gear. Some tips I've found on the internet:
-Change your mindset from passive to active
-Remove temptations to be lazy (TV, computer)
-Get things done now instead of later
-Surround yourself with motivated people
-Exercise
-Positive self-thought
-Break down tasks into smaller steps
-Visualize yourself performing/accomplishing task

My favorite advice is from Nike: Just do it. Def something I need to learn- stop overthinking, analyzing, feeling, and making excuses- and just get 'er done.