A Real Start to My Six-Month Challenge: Mind, Body, Soul & Financial

Let me be honest with you.

My six-month challenge was supposed to start on June 1st. But it didn’t, and that was intentional. I made a choice to pause, because mentally, I needed a break. I felt like I was suffocating. I had too much on my plate, trying to do everything all at once, business, school, life, meal prep, and emotional healing. Even the things I love started to feel like a burden. I knew in my heart, I needed to breathe.

That’s the first lesson I’ve learned: Don’t overload yourself trying to heal.

Yes, the challenge includes mind, body, soul, and financial healing, but the truth is, all of these areas take time. Just like healing doesn’t happen overnight, neither does transformation. This six-month challenge isn’t a deadline. It’s a starting point. A lifestyle shift. And starting is what matters.

So, here’s my truth: I didn’t start on June 1. I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t even want to begin. But I’ve decided to move forward in a way that feels right for me.

And that’s the second lesson: You get to do this your way.

Start slow. Don’t force it. If all you do today is walk for ten minutes or set aside five dollars, that’s enough. It counts. Even housework can be exercise. Honor your season and your pace.

When I first became a vegetarian, I went cold turkey. That worked for me at the time. But now, I’m learning to be more mindful, especially being older, possibly premenopausal, and on a healing journey. Everything is connected, mind, hormones, emotions, nutrition. So now I’m listening to my body and checking in with my physician. I suggest you do the same.

Meal prep taught me another lesson. I made five full meals in one day and it wiped me out. I realized it doesn’t have to be that complicated. I can simplify. I can treat myself. I can listen to what I need day by day. I don’t need to put myself in a box just to prove I’m disciplined.

And I love walking. I love running. But lately, even that felt forced. I want to get to the place where I can say, “Okay, Angel, it’s time to go run,” and actually want to go. It’s mental for me now. I need to schedule it in a way that works for my mind, not just my body.

So yes, I am doing this challenge, my way.

I’m calling it what it really is for me: a lifestyle shift toward healing and wholeness.

I’m making it sustainable. I’m letting it be rooted in love and not pressure. I’m learning to be realistic, but I’m also showing up and doing the work. Little by little, it becomes habit. It becomes healing.

And here’s a win I want to share, I lost 10 pounds. I didn’t even realize it until my physician told me. I was discouraged, thinking the scale wasn’t moving. But the results are in my body, in my clothes, in how I feel. And that’s more important than any number.

This is not the hard way, it’s the honest way. It’s my way.

So if you’re starting slow, if you’re adjusting, if you’re healing in pieces, that’s okay. That’s still progress.

And if this speaks to you, know this: you’re not alone, and you don’t have to rush your healing. Let it be real. Let it be yours.