New Years Thoughts 2023
I’m writing this curled up in my armchair on New Year’s Eve. I’d planned to do a fun family party to end the day and then start the new year with a freezing cold dip in the sea with Paul and the children (children watching), but as has so often been the case this year, it’s all gone wonky. One child in a full leg cast, husband and oldest child with a nasty cough, and me in a super bad flair-up. Not being able to walk makes getting to the ocean rather tricky.
I decided four or five years ago to stop making new years resolutions. They were always toxic and hard to achieve, especially in the middle of winter. You know the type, lose 25 pounds (no, I don’t need to lose that much by any stretch…. toxic remember), do a HITT workout every day (chronic illness….. not sensible), make everything from scratch….. you get the point. Super high goals with zero tolerance for failure. I always failed. Always. By February, if not before.
So like I said, I stopped making them. But this year I am going to approach it a different way. After a year of loss and struggle and pain (and some really good stuff too), I am going to set some flexible new years goals of things I want to start doing more of.
Things to do MORE of in 2023:
1. Family walks – ideally once a week.
2. Reading – 12 books this year?
3. Painting – start a sketchbook like the one I did during my A-levels.
4. Focus on and plan around my period cycle (more of this in future posts).
5. Continue my focus on seasonal living – foods, crafts, activities, traditions, etc.
6. Move my body – in a slow and sensible way. It’s taken a battering this year. It needs to be moved for love, not weight loss.
7. Drink more water. Everyday. (Why do I find this so hard?)
And I think for now that is it. In all honesty, January isn’t actually the best time to be setting ‘goals’ as it’s the time of year that the natural world rests and resets. No flower can bloom all year after all.
If I had big goals I may have decided to set them starting in April, but I’m choosing to see these as tools to help me rest, reset and look after myself throughout the winter season.
How do you feel about New Year? Do you do anything to celebrate, or set goals or plans?
Wishing you a peaceful and healthy start to this new year.
Livvy
