I’ve never been one to focus on accomplishing new year’s resolutions. They’ve always felt a bit abstract and unnecessary to me. Inspired by the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin, I did start picking out a word of the year.
I like the idea of setting an overarching theme to my year of things to look forward to, instead of focusing on things I need to change.
This year having to choose a word of the year kind of snuck up on me. Truth be told, the start of the new year snuck up on me.
2021 Word of the Year
My 2021 Word of the Year was “Growth”.
I focused on growing in my writing. I finished writing my first novel and made edits that I need to flow through onto my digital copy before sending it off to beta readers.
I’ve also continued to write on my blog, though slowing the pace a little bit. Where I lacked this year was growing my following here on my blog – at least in the numbers on social media.
The growth wasn’t as high as I had initially hoped for in terms of follower counts. However, the number of visits to the website and pins viewed has increased substantially in the second half of the year.
My relationship goals went okay as well and I’ve been better at maintaining contact with my friends than I had been in the past. Though it is still not as frequent as I would like. Part of me misses the days when I’d get to see my friends often similar to when we were in college and that is just not realistic in adult life.
We did grow a garden this year, which was a fun learning experience. The tomatoes were definitely the best produce that we grew this year and more often than not, my daughter ate them before we could even get them inside the house.
Looking Ahead: 2022 Word of the Year
This year when it came to selecting a word of the year, I felt tired. Tired, exhausted, a little overwhelmed.
What I realized is that I need a break. To move slower, go slower. As someone who leans towards perfectionist tendencies, I was feeling a little bad about feeling this way towards the upcoming year of my life.
But then, I listened to Episode 354 from the Happier podcast. They picked their “22 for 22” and it was “Rest”. In the episode, they talked about how people are feeling tired and that made me feel validated and so much better to know I’m not the only one feeling this way.
My 2022 Word of the Year is going to be “Restful”.
This year my daughter has stopped taking naps on the weekends. She’s also been fighting bedtime at night and waking up before my alarm many mornings.
All of those times were the key times of the day that I would fit in my “me” time. That time to myself is what makes me feel like “me”.
Without it, I get irritable. I feel lost. I feel on the go…all.of.the.time.
I don’t get the time for my brain to shut off…to relax.
So, this year, I’m going to put an emphasis on being restful.
Merriam-Webster defines rest as “freedom from activity or labor” and “peace of mind or spirit”. They define restful as “being at rest”.
Getting “Restful” Time
Part of this will be me actively working with my husband to ensure that I get some time to myself in each of our weekends. I will have to ask for the time I need.
The other part of this is working with my daughter. We’re trying out a sleep reward chart to see if that will help her stay in be at the end of the night.
I’ve also invested in one of those color-changing lamps/sound machine combinations. I’m hoping that she will learn to follow the colors we set on the light. For instance, red means it is time to stay in bed and green means it is okay to get up.
This lamp also comes in handy in the middle of the day. I’ve started using it to mark what we’re calling “quiet time.” This is a time where my daughter is supposed to stay in her bedroom and play quietly by herself in the middle of the afternoon instead of her nap.
Focusing on What Makes me Feel “Rested”
The other part of my word of the year will be focusing on things that help me feel rested.
This includes getting a good night’s sleep, keeping up with my workout routine, sticking to those hobbies that make me feel rested.
It may include things like getting on more hikes this year. More meditations out in nature. Taking more work meetings on my deck instead of staying stuck inside my office.
Basically, it will be focusing on those simple things that bring me peace and make me feel calm. I want to take a slower pace and take the time to look around and actually see what is out there in the world.
Resting the Mind
Some of this will also include thought work to help my mind rest. I’ve noticed lately that my ruminating thoughts have been increasing and I’ve been periodically falling back into old thought patterns when I’m having a hard time.
This year will be more focused on positive affirmations, belly breathing, and going back to the basics that I learned way back when I first started therapy.
I’m hoping that with these simple changes, I will be able to feel more rested and more present.
Pick Your Word of the Year
If you feel so inclined, pick your own word of the year for your theme.
I’ve found over the years, that different things work for different people. Some people choose to do New Year’s resolutions. Some like to create a list of things to do in the year. Others do nothing.
All of the above are good. What is important is that you do what is best for you.
This year, instead of having many goals, I’m slowing things down. I’m focused on being “restful”.
