New Year's Resolution 2023
What. A. Year.
I knew going into 2022, that it was going to be a year to remember. We had so many things to look forward to and a lot on our plate. Which really lent itself to what I had dubbed 2022, my Year of Mindfulness. My focus was on my mental health, anxiety, and stress. Not only had those things taken a hit over the last couple years, but with such a full year ahead of us, I was worried about them worsening. So making mindfulness my goal seemed like a good idea.
Probably the biggest thing that affected my mental state in 2022 was planning our wedding. While it was an absolutely magical experience (check out my wedding day recap!), it was also really difficult. Planning a wedding is a lot of work, and doing it from a completely different state presented even more challenges. And when you’re somebody like me, who is prone to anxiety and overwhelming stress, it can be a tough experience. There were a multitude of decisions to be made - which entrées did we want to serve? Photo booth or no photo booth? Did I pick the right wedding dress? How did we want the ceremony chairs arranged? What time should we schedule the rehearsal? If the weather was sour, where would we do the ceremony indoors? Did everybody RSVP? My mind was constantly moving a mile a minute and my stress levels were usually at max capacity.
I couldn’t afford to let myself get bogged down with the negative emotions this year. I didn’t have the time or energy to sit in the sadness, loneliness, or frustration. I was determined to dedicate 2022 to bettering myself and my mindset. Hence, my Year of Mindfulness.
With so much going on this past year, I had to make it a point to really follow through with my resolution. Some of the ways I prioritized my mental well-being in 2022 were:
Found a new therapist and started attending regular monthly sessions
Ran a half marathon and put more effort into my physical health
Recognized and reflected on things that don’t make a positive impact on my life - excessive social media use, toxic accounts that needed to be blocked/muted
Started to build a new community in San Diego - met new people, was open to new experiences, attended meet-ups
Was it an absolutely perfect year for my resolution? No. There were definitely periods of time when I found it harder to keep a positive mental attitude. I had days where I found it difficult to leave the apartment, hard to remain upbeat, or have mindfulness as a top priority. But if I’m looking at 2022 as a whole, I’m calling it a success. I fought through the hard days, the tough emotions, and the mental roadblocks. I’ve been striving to be a better version of myself every day, and a big aspect of that has been my mental well-being.
If you’d like to read more, below are my previous resolution blog posts (how am I on my seventh year already?!):
OK, so for 2023. Going into this next year, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I want my goal and focus to be on. I feel like my prior resolutions really tackled the areas of life where I was struggling the most. So, where do I go from here?
It took some time, but eventually, I decided to dubbed 2023 my Year of Fulfillment.
What that means for me is pursuing the things in life that make me happy and mean a lot to me - writing, baking, my health and fitness, travel, content creation, spending time with those who mean a lot to me. I want to continue to build myself up and fill my cup in ways that bring me joy. Maybe that will look like trying a new bake each month and creating a clearer schedule with blogs and videos I want to make. Maybe it’ll come in the form of running more races in 2023, and setting more writing goals for myself. Or maybe it’ll just look like trying to lessen the moments where I sit in emotionally low, unproductive moments. Whatever it may be, I want to feel fulfilled.
If 2022 was about identifying what makes me happy and benefits my mental health, then 2023 will be about putting it into action.
What’s your resolution for 2023?
