In a Tizzy

Category: being cognizant

  • Being Cognizant: Vegetarianism

    A series about the ways I work towards being cognizant through decisions that make me more mentally engaged with various facets of my day-to-day life.

    Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.


    —-
    3 years and 3 months ago, I embarked on a 3-week challenge to stop eating meat. It began because someone told me I “looked like a vegetarian”, which led to a discussion, which led to an agreement to try vegetarianism for a little while, which led to today where I remain a vegetarian.
    These past three (and some) years have been a learning experience for me that I have embraced despite personal struggles with the change in lifestyle and diet, as well as the frequent encouragement from friends, family, and near-strangers to return to omnivorous ways. It has not always been easy, but I have certainly become more considerate of my eating and lifestyle as a result of this change I made three years ago.

    When I became a vegetarian, I was in the midst of my first year of university and decided to embark on a fitness journey within months of changing my diet – all of these transitions occurring at the same time led to a few setbacks that forced me to think about things I had taken for granted. For example, my energy levels dropped a few months into my new diet, and my exercise continued to increase in vigor and frequency. With these changes in mind, I was faced with figuring out new ways to acquire certain nutrients in my diet to (a) replace the easily-acquired nutrients from meat I had taken for granted and to (b) be sufficient enough for my muscles to recover from intense exercise. I found many new foods (especially in nuts, beans, and many vegetables) that offered me the nutrients I needed that I had never considered necessary, or even delicious, before! It was a great opportunity to try new foods and learn about my body’s needs when it comes to nutrients and exercise.

    Beyond these health-related ideas I have come to consider regularly, I have also grown to be more selective with the food I buy, particularly when it comes to eggs, which I still eat. I make an effort to purchase food that is ethically-sourced, and perhaps even locally-sourced, as I know I am supporting people that live in my communities by doing so (see my list of Farmer’s Markets!). Without realizing it, this lifestyle aligned with my feminist ideals in that I was caring about non-human animals’ well-being and fair treatment as well as making efforts to not support unethical business practices that are exploitative and even dangerous.. Building upon that, I now (usually – I’m still growing) resist the urge to buy inexpensive clothing or goods from stores or brands that I know are not sourcing their products ethically. Vegetarianism has cleansed me of more things than I had anticipated when I began my journey!

    Through vegetarianism, I have become much more thoughtful when it comes to my diet, exercise, lifestyle in general, and even the products that I buy beyond the grocery store – all because I started out by deciding that eating other animals’ does not currently align with my values because of the way it is produced. Regardless of where my lifestyle journey goes, I am grateful for having become more cognizant of how I approach it.

  • Being Cognizant: Budgeting

    The first post in a series about the ways I work towards being cognizant through decisions that make me more mentally engaged with various facets of my day-to-day life.

    Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.

    —-

    In recent months, I have taken on the task of budgeting all of my expenses along with my income on a monthly basis. A budget (noun) is “an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future.” So, to budget (verb) is to plan for certain amounts of money to be earned and spent, and then keep track of what is actually earned and spent (at least that’s how I have defined my budgeting experience).

    I started my budgeting adventure with an… idealistic… mindset of how much money I thought I would be spending on things such as groceries, school supplies, gas for my car, dining out, etc. However, as some guides on how to get started with a budget might tell you, your expenses might not be so simple to predict. As a student who lives away from home but receives financial support from parents, my budgets are not often too scary to approach because I am secure in knowing that if my job fell through or I had to drop a lot of money on one big item and it set me back for a month, I would not be without help. However, budgeting helps me set realistic goals that align with my desires to save money, live comfortably and independently (to some extent), and to be aware of my spending and do some reflection on how I use my money.

    For others that do not have the financial support of parents or other folks, budgeting can be really useful for setting goals to alleviate the stresses of being financially “strapped” (i.e., not having a lot of extra funds once basics are paid off). Creating a budget can help you visualize what money you have coming in, what you need to spend money on, and what you want to spend money on (on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis). Being able to visualize where your money goes can lead to greater monthly savings, more effective allocation of funds (such as phone bills and groceries), and opportunities to treat yo’ self!

    An example of treating oneself upon realizing that
    one’s budget is CLEAR FOR EXTRA SPENDING!


    If you haven’t done so already, take some time to research how to set up a simple budget, and start collecting your receipts! Alternatively, you may want to try tracking your spending by writing down your expenses, keeping an ongoing record on your phone, or using a mobile app – such as Mint – that can break down your expenses as they come out of your bank account.

    Take control of your life in this capitalist world – make a budget!
    (Or let me know if you have another idea.)