Happy New Year! I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that it's 2022. A new year for me usually means a fresh start and a whole new set of goals to tackle. And while the former is definitely still true, I'm not so sure about the latter. 2019 was a tough year for me and then the last two years of the pandemic tackled onto that... well, it's been a lot and I've realized the kindest thing I can do for myself right now is to not place any more pressure or stress on my shoulders.
So instead of labeling these as goals or resolutions, I'm just going to tell you what I hope to do this year (which might look a lot like last year and the year before that) but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. And if it does, then great!
Here are my hopes for 2022:
Savor every joyous moment and "devour my nicest things." I saw both of these on Instagram and just loved the sentiment behind them. On New Year's Eve, my cousin asked me what were some of my favorite days from the past year. And I think he was a bit surprised because I just started blurting out a bunch of things but truthfully, I could clearly picture those moments and I think, more than ever, it's important to cherish all the good, whether those moments are big or small, with my family and friends. And for the second part, it's about not waiting for special occasions to use the nice dress or being afraid of messing up a pretty notebook. Instead of waiting for an "unspecified future moment," just use the nice dress at home or designer bag to the grocery store (which I totally do). With both of these, it's all about being in the moment and I want to continue doing that.
Journal, online and in an actual notebook. My private online photo journal has become a part of my daily routine at this point. It's hard to believe this will be my third year continuing with it but I love documenting each day with a photo and a small snippet. It actually helps me to be in the moment and remember it. Then, a couple months ago I re-reread a bunch of my diaries that I had from 1994 until early 2003. It was both cringe-y and amazing to see my younger self's thoughts throughout the years. It brought up memories I'd long forgotten and also reminded me of the ways I have and haven't changed. It ended up inspiring me to write in a journal again, which I started to do last month and I want to continue with it this year. But no pressure. I don't need to write every single day, just when the mood strikes.
Take better care of my physical and mental health. I always have physical health on my list and to be honest, I'm struggling a lot with my weight at the moment. I'd love to get back to a weight I feel good in but I'm also not going to beat myself up over it. I think being more active is what I really need in my life, which will benefit me both physically and mentally, so I'm hoping to make more time for that again this year and try to stick with it. Then I started to deal a lot with anxiety last year but now that I'm more aware of what triggers me and how to handle it, I want to continue taking care of myself and learn how to have true rest days (I struggle with a need to always be productive).
Go on another vacation. The dream would be Paris again with Alexa or even London again by myself. But honestly, I would be happy with another East Coast road trip or a week long beach vacation with my cousins. As long as I get to travel somewhere with the people I love, I'll be happy!
Start tracking finances again and resume house hunting. And finally, the two biggest adulting things on my list. I'm good at saving and budgeting my finances and really doubled down these last couple of years. But I always, always fall off the bandwagon from November to December because of all the holidays (no regrets!). So using January to resume my usual finance tracking is pretty normal. But I would also love to resume townhouse hunting and hopefully find something this year. I don't want to settle for just any place though so I'm happy to take my time. I still love my apartment anyway, minus the kitchen. But finding a beautiful, two bedroom townhome close to my dad would be the dream.
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What are your hopes/goals/resolutions for 2022?
I also fall off the budgeting wagon in Nov-Dec. I blame all the sales! These are such great hopes for 2022- I'm looking forward to spending more time with you and Alexa and Andrew and I just booked a vacation that I'm really looking forward to!
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