[alybarylski-blog]

Day 7

We have finally made it to the end of the experiment and I cannot believe the result. I feel so proud of myself for what I have realized and accomplished over the time of this experiment. For today, my final part of my experiment is reminiscing. The first day of the experience was extremely nerve-wracking but, I had high hopes that I could do each part of the experiment. 

It was interesting and exciting to do each part of the experiment. I felt completely out of my comfort zone for every day because I never usually do these things. Each day was a different day of me trying something new and I actually enjoyed trying each idea. 

The first day was the beginning so, I was really nervous about the idea of trying new things. Not using technology when it is there to use (and is something you use on a daily basis) is difficult but, I quite enjoyed it. The amount of human connection and experience you can have without technology is truly amazing. It reminded me that we need to appreciate the things around us more because life is there without the screens. 

The second day was interesting. I was less nervous but, still nervous enough where I didn’t know how the experiment would go. I have tried many diets before but it was strange to just out of nowhere do it. I have never stayed fully strict to the diet through the day (there’s always something that messes it up a little). But, I really wanted to succeed that day and I did. The day without sugar wasn’t too bad and I realized how different one can feel without it. 

The third day made me the most nervous. I have never been good at being nice about things about myself. I never am good with confidence and compliments. So, today was an interesting day. I had hopes that over the day I would relax into it and like the idea, and I did. I am a strong believer in positivity and confidence but I have a hard time being confident myself sometimes. This truly helped with that and I hope to do it more often and I truly recommend trying to compliment yourself and say nice things to yourself throughout the day.  

The fourth day I wasn’t nervous at all. I tend to think about things I am thankful for in my mind throughout days but, I do not usually take the time to truly write out and think about what I am thankful for. I found this experiment quite easy because I am thankful for so many things in my life. 

The fifth day was one of the easier days also. I am not too picky about food but I like to decide my meals at restaurants. I am however, a big debater when it comes to decisions, making me quite indecisive. Having the waitress pick my meal made the process fairly simple and it was an interesting way to have my food. I did not knowing what was coming to me but I was excited to find out. I plan to do this more often just to see what can happen. 

The sixth day was interesting because I did not know what I could be asked to do throughout the day. I have a tendency to go and do things or helping out but this day encouraged me to be positive and say yes to everything, no was not an option (for all safe things). I didn’t have any issues with the day but it was funny for me to have to say yes, and it was interesting to remind myself ‘you have to say yes’ when asked of something. This day was quite entertaining. 

Now here I am, on day seven, thinking of all I have done over the days of this experiment. I had a great time trying all these new things and I plan to do them again to randomly have a fun twist to the day. I recommend trying these out and seeing how you feel about your experience! 

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 6

My usual day activities always vary on my mood, but I have a habit of saying no to things or just not doing things. I also tend to jokingly say no to about everything I am asked to do. Today, I completely flipped the switch on myself and decided to say yes to everything (safe things only). 

The morning began with my boyfriend coming home from work and myself waking up only moments before he arrived. When he did, he came in and asked me if he should shower. I, of course with today’s experiment, said yes. Usually I would tell him it was up to him unless he was covered in mess. 

Next, he asked me to grab him clothes and a towel. I said yes and got straight to it. I really wondered how many things I would do throughout the day as just simple ‘to-do’ tasks and activities. Normally, I would help my boyfriend without him even asking me, but sometimes I jokingly say no, or don’t end up remembering to do things. With this experiment, I am making sure everything I say yes to, I instantly do. 

My next task came not too long after my boyfriend went to sleep (as he had the night shift). I was cleaning around my room and his mother asked me if I would switch laundry, of course I said yes. Next, I got messages from my sister and mother while I was folding telling me to come to their houses. When I have chores and things to do I usually say no, but with my task today, I said yes. 

I left for their houses and I didn’t realize what I was getting into until I arrived. I went to my mum’s house first where she asked me to help clean the table, help my sister with homework, help take the dogs out and set their food bowls, get the cat from upstairs, get my dad from upstairs, make her a tea, etc. Usually my mum doesn’t ask me to do so many things at once especially when I am not home for a few days, so it was interesting that she was bombarding me with things today when yes is my only answer. 

I did not mind helping my mum but it was interesting how many little things I helped her with. Next, I went to my sister’s and the first thing she did was asked me how her hair and clothes looked. She just died her hair red and she had new jeans on. She asked if she looked good and if she should keep her hair like it is and both answers were yes. Usually I would elaborate or tell her she should go for this color or that color but, simple yes’ seemed to do for today. That answer seemed to keep my responses for things short and concise. 

When I got home after being at my sisters, my friend asked me if I wanted to drive around and do errands with her. I said yes and left the house moments later when she showed up. Usually, when my boyfriend is home I try to spend most of my time with him but, today my answer (yes) has been seeming to keep me out of the house more than normal. 

On my way back to my boyfriend’s, his dad asked me to pick up dinner, so I said yes. He asked if I wanted to pick the food and I said yes. This answer would usually be no because I tend to be very indecisive. It took lots of time but I decided to grab stuff for beef stew and call it a day. With my friend with me, I was able figure things out quickly. 

When I got home, I put everything away and then my boyfriend’s dad asked me if I was ready to go. I said yes (even though I had to finish gathering things) and we were on our way because I had a test in Houlton. He asked me if I was prepared and I said yes. Which was true, but then he asked if I was excited and I said yes, but I was more nervous than anything. Normally my answer would be no because my nerves are so bad for tests. But, I seemed to convince myself to be excited when I said yes. 

When my test was done, we left and he asked if I wanted food, I said yes. I wasn’t too hungry but I could always eat it later. When we arrived home, he asked if he should make dinner at 6 and I said yes. Normally, I would say he can make it whenever or I would say what time I would be hungry but again, this made me give a straight forward answer. 

Now, as I am thinking all this over I realize how simple it is to just say a standard answer to things. Also, saying yes to doing things made me very all over the place today which really helped my day go by fast and be enjoyable. I can use the idea of saying yes as a way to keep myself busy and doing things (always being safe of course). I definitely would find it interesting to do this experiment again and see where it can go next time. I recommend everyone trying something interesting like this, you never know what could happen (but always be safe!).

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 5

Today’s experiment has seemed to be the easiest of the ideas because of the circumstances. My experiment today is to have to go to a restaurant and have the waiter/waitress pick my meal for me. I decided to do dinner because the options are more wide spread. This way should could give me a lunch, breakfast, or dinner item as my food (so she had more to choose from). 

I started out by looking at the menu to think of what she may choose. When she came over to ask my order I stated, “how about you choose for me!” I told her I wanted her to decide my meal, drink, and dessert for me. She seemed a little surprised but went right ahead with it. She asked if I had a preference or allergies and when I said no, she asked if I wanted to know what she was choosing. I thought about the option but I wanted to be fully surprised by what she decided for me. She went off with her plan and I was excited to see the result. 

I tried to look down or away whenever I noticed food ready to be grabbed because I wanted to wait to see until she put the plate in front of me. When she came over I noticed what she brought instantly. The drink was a glass of ice water and a mocha milkshake. The food was a buffalo chicken pizza with bleu cheese and French fries on the side. I was excited because I had the pizza only a couple times before and was interested to see if I would still enjoy it. I told her to get right on her dessert plan while I enjoyed her first couple choices. 

Unsurprisingly, I loved everything she chose. The pizza was delicious and the chocolate milkshake really hit the spot. I couldn’t wait to see what she chose for the dessert because I had never had their desserts before. 

As I munched on the food, I realized how great of a plan she had chosen. I was originally worried that I would dislike the food (even though I am not super picky) but, when I go to restaurants I usually have to be in the mood for a few things to decide. I also have a habit of being the last to decide what I want and usually do what I call, “panic-order” because I can never decide between my cravings. This way, I didn’t even need to panic or take the time to decide which made the whole process very interesting. 

I put my leftovers aside and let her know I was ready for the dessert when she made her choice. Again she asked about any preferences but I really wanted her to choose whatever she wanted. I focused on my phone while she worked on things because I, again, wanted to wait till it was in front of me. 

When she brought it out, I was instantly excited. She brought out a slice of fresh, warm apple pie (homemade) with homemade whip cream on top. I only have apple pie every so often but, I had heard their pie was good so I was excited to try it. The first bite I took was amazing and the pie was the perfect choice. 

At the end of the meal, I packed my leftovers and thanked her continuously for doing such a great job. I explained to her my experiment because she asked why I had an interest in her picking, and she thought it was a great idea. She even stated that she should try that herself sometime. 

I think this experiment was really beneficial and got me out of my comfort zone. Usually I like being in control of things but, can be terrible at decision making at the same time and this experiment really took the reigns out of my hands. Even though I was nervous, I really enjoyed this concept and think I am going to try it again in the future. It was an exciting and interesting experience and I couldn’t thank my waitress enough for going right along with it. 

Everyone should try something like this! It may be worth it. 

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 4

Today’s task seemed more simple than others. I planned to write a list of things (as the day goes on), that I am thankful for. This seems easy because I am so thankful for anything and everything that I have in my life. 

I started the day off by waking up to my boyfriend coming home. As I knew this was my task today, I instantly began thinking of what the first thing on my list would be. 

#1- I am thankful for my boyfriend. He is amazing and so special to me. I appreciate everything he does for me and couldn’t imagine life without him. I never thought someone could love me as much as he does and I could never thank him enough for how he treats me. 

I added this into a list on my phone, that I would later right down, and then I focused on my boyfriend. As he fell asleep, I began writing my list down on paper as well. As I did this, I thought of others things I could put. As I responded to some phone notifications, I thought of another things for my list. 

#2- I am thankful for my friends. No matter what happens with all of us, we are there for each other. I appreciate the time they take to spend with me and that they are there for me. 

Since I was on my phone, I decided to go through my Snapchat memories. This is something I often do, just to reminisce moments every once in a while. As I looked through the pictures and videos, I could not help but laugh and smile constantly. I loved looking through my memories. These are one of those moments I appreciate my cell phone because it can capture exact memories for me. 

As I was looking through the memories, my gratitude for the people I was watching was soaring. 

#3- I am thankful for my mum. She means the absolute world to me and I do not know what I would do without her. She picks me up when I am down, takes care of me when I am ill, and does everything in her power to make her children, grandkids, and husband happy. 

#4- I am thankful for my dad. He battles his own issues every day but still works so hard to put a roof over our heads, and supply love to the family and more importantly my mother. He is a perfect example of what a girl deserves and is right there for us when we get hurt. I thrive to have a relationship like him and my mother. 

#5- I am thankful for my sister and her babies. Her two baby boys have changed my life so much for the better. They have made me want children of my own even more and are the most beautiful nephews I could ever have. My sister gives the world to them and everyone around her. She supports me endlessly and loves me even when I am wrong. She is my best friend. 

#6- I am thankful for my sisters. They put a smile on my face whenever I need it and even when I don’t. They listen to me and help me whenever I need it and I know I can go to them for everything. I love them forever and could never imagine my life without them in it. 

#7-I am thankful for my pets. Every pet I have had and every pet I have between the mini families in my family are so special to me. Even though I am allergic, I enjoy their love so much. They are my furry friends and my heart soars whenever I am around them. 

#8- I am thankful for my brothers. They are my protectors and my guardians. They are there for me to the end through anything and everything. They will protect me over all and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

#9- I am thankful for my “in-law” family. Although I am not married yet, my boyfriend’s family have treated my like their own and I could not imagine life without them. They have supported me, helped me, and loved me since they moment they met me and I couldn’t be more thankful for how welcomed they make me feel.

#10- I am thankful for the things I have and the opportunities I have been given. Through times in my life I have been provided for and have had opportunities that have made me, me and have changed my life for the better. 

After writing number 10, I felt satisfied. I have never realized how blessed I am than I do right now. I cannot thank everyone in my life enough for helping me be myself. 

This experiment has opened my eyes. Sometimes in life we take things for granted and I think this has really showed me how much I have. I plan to show how thankful and say how thankful I am for everyone around me more often because I could not imagine life any different. 

I think everyone (especially with Thanksgiving and other holidays coming forward) should think about what they are thankful for. I have never thought this deeply about what I truly have and I wish I had before. 

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 3

Before even beginning today’s challenge, I knew I would have a hard time. Normally, I am not the most confident person (not in any means really) and I have a hard time liking how I am. I wanted to try this challenge because I want to train myself to be positive about everything that is me. I deserve to love how I am as a person and I should, as should everyone else. Everyone is different but everyone is amazing in their own way, and I, personally, need to remind myself of this. 

I was nervous for the first set of the challenge. The challenge focused on complimenting myself. I planned to go in front of a mirror four times throughout the day and saying something nice about myself two times (each time). 

When I first woke up, the first thought on my mind was a reminder to myself that this was my challenge today. The second I remembered, the nerves began. I took a breath though and relaxed myself because this shouldn’t be so difficult or hard to think about. It should come natural for me to be confident in myself (which is what I hope I can eventually achieve--this being the first, small step). 

I decided to do my makeup today to help out the process a little bit and help me find ways to compliment myself (as well as help me believe myself a little more). Before I even started my making I looked in the mirror and stated to myself; 

“You are beautiful without makeup and you are beautiful with it.” 

This was the first compliment I would state for myself and it was more difficult than I imagined to actually say it. I took a breath and continued doing my makeup, hoping the the process would be a little less nerve-wracking for me. When I finished my makeup, I looked in the mirror and stated; 

“You do your makeup beautifully even though you do not need it.” This completes the first set of the two compliments. 

Then I continued with the day normally. I cleaned up my room, started laundry, and made some breakfast. My boyfriend has night shifts tonight, so I stayed in bed with him mostly through the day because that was our little routine. In between resting with him, I worked on homework. The next set of compliments came around when I was putting away towels. I happened to be in front of the mirror and decided I might as well do the next set. 

“Your eyes are uniquely blue and they pop in the sun. Your skin may be pale but it is beautifully rare and porcelain. Both make you unique in your own way.”

 This set of compliments was done all at once, and honestly felt really nice to say. I felt proud of myself a little for being able to just say it. My eyes and skin are two things I worry about and dislike sometimes, so I knew saying this to myself would bring confidence to those aspects. 

I continued through the day by making lunch next. As I continued with the day I thought about the next two sets. I wondered what I would say when the time came and how it would make me feel. 

The next time came around when I was cleaning the bathroom up. I looked in the mirror and said, 

“You work hard and do well at the things you strive for. You are good enough for anybody and you are good enough for yourself.”

This set was a little different than straight compliments but the little ‘pick me up’ felt great. This is something anyone can be reminded of and I needed to hear it. 

The last set came when I took off my makeup after eating dinner. I decided I wanted the last set of compliments to be me looking at my bare skin. My natural, bare face with nothing but the true ME looking back. 

I stated to myself, 

“You are smart, you are kind, you are caring, you are perfect as you are inside and out.” 

I decided to go all out with this set because I wanted to truly help myself see what I was saying. I wanted to get it through my head that I am perfect as me and that is that. 

By the end of this, I truly felt better. I realized I can see some things I like about myself whether it be 24/7 or just random moments--I can work towards finding a confidence in myself. I think this challenge was really inspiring and I plan to do something like this more often. Everyone deserves to feel special, and sometimes we need to do it ourselves to really make it try to believe it. 

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 2

In a usual every day time, I eat at least a small breakfast, a simple lunch, a good dinner, and sometimes a snack throughout the day. Well the past few days I have been ill so today’s little challenge was more simple than I thought it would be! I planned to stay away from sugar the whole day and I think overall I did a lot better than expected. Although technically, I am having trouble eating (because I have just begun being able to again) but, usually that doesn’t always stop me from eating what I want at certain times. 

I have had many times in my life where I have kept from sugar and sweets, etc. so this was just a repeat of a time like that. My day started today with my having saltines (because they were easy on the stomach). My lunch consisted of plain white rice which has 0.1 sugars but because of the portion it stayed in that general area. My dinner was a stew that my boyfriend’s dad and I worked on to make as very little sugar as possible (which ended up being 2 grams I believe). The stew consisted of veggies, grass-fed roast, and red potatoes. I drank only ice water throughout the entire day as well. 

Although, I am used to drinking basically only water all day, but the rest of the day was interesting because for a long time I haven’t tried to pay attention to sugars so much. I try to keep general tabs so I do not over-do any sort of category (carbs, calories, sugar, sodium, etc.) but looking for that one specific aspect was different. 

Throughout the day, I felt energized. I am not sure if this is because of no sugar but, it was interesting that I did feel a difference in myself. I think it can be a task to go without sugar because many, many things involve sugar but, with the right meal plan one could handle the lack of simply. 

I believe that if I looked further into different types of meals and planned ahead, I could have time without sugar to test if the energy level (that fast of a change at least) is truly because of this. I believe it could be because sugar is known for being draining (especially in larger amounts). I really enjoyed trying this today and hope to try similar types of experiments eventually as well. 

Changing your diet can be interesting but, if you really try to make it work, anyone can do it. This experiment would have been more challenging if I had not been sick recently so I hope to try this again soon when I can eat anything, because it would be interesting to see where else I could go with this. Thank you for reading and I hope you can try this for yourself too! 

[alybarylski-blog]

Day 1

My usual days consist of the same daily routine. I wake up to send responses to the messages on my phone, I kiss my boyfriend before getting up and moving around (still on my phone). I go to Instagram, then Facebook, then back to snapchat throughout the day. I go to Amazon some days, YouTube on others, some days it varies. But, every day I spend at least three hours worth of time on my phone. I also spend at least one hour doing homework on my laptop, and at least six hours of TV time throughout the day. 

In today’s time, it is easy to be sucked into the world of social media and technology but, some days it is nice to just block all of that away. Which is exactly what I did today. 

Last night, I notified my friends and family that I talk to on the phone on the daily that I did not plan to use technology today (besides posting this). When I woke up I instantly got up and got my breakfast and coffee going. I had no work today which meant full time to focus on my goal for the day. I proceeded to go on a walk around my yard. Just enjoying the air and the weather while relaxing into the nature. Then, I got my boyfriend up and we went to my brother’s house to celebrate his birthday. At his house, his girlfriend and him (as well as my boyfriend and I) stayed off technology and really focused on each other. 

We played Monopoly, Sorry, Uno, Uno Flip, Rummy, etc. Any game we could think of we played and we enjoyed our time. Even though this seemed so simple, it was strange to not have the use of technology.  My day continued with my boyfriend heading home to rest before work, and myself going to my friends house to paint. During this time, my friend and I, used our imagination to paint rather than using pictures from online. We really focused on what we were doing and the time we were spending together. Now, I sit here typing on my computer, and I feel out of place. 

It was so nice to be away from technology. I enjoyed my day more. I feel like my day went by slower, and I was able to actually-- live. 

I can honestly say that I enjoyed taking time away from my devices and social media. I think it can be beneficial physically, mentally, and even emotionally for one to step away from the business. Some times it is nice to just breathe in the fresh air and live. 

I plan to do this more often now that I have taken the time to experience this. I hope everyone else attempts to live their day without technology, see what it can do for you! 

#breatheinthefreshair #notechnology #familytime #livinglife