New year, new you; to-do lists can be daunting, stressful, and altogether counterproductive. With so many people making New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym or finally take that exotic vacation (not that those are bad goals!), it can be easy to disregard resolutions as wishes that are never gonna happen.
Here at Upspoken, we’re using this time of year as a reason to catch our breath, and reflect on everything we’ve accomplished, our hopes for next year, and how we can thrive in 2019. We’re loving this list from Blavity for inspiration.
Here are a few things guiding our reflection.
Reflect on the year.
2018 was hard. With a whirlwind of horrifying news that seemingly never ended, we got burned out. With so much happening in the world, it’s difficult to take a step back and reflect on what has happened externally and personally. This is a good time to stop for a moment and think about the wins (check out this amazing Shondaland list), the losses, the joy, and the hardships 2018 brought.
Reflect on your pleasure.
It’s easy for this one to get lost in the noise. How did you put your pleasure first this year? Did you try something new? Did you speak up with a partner about what you wanted? Did you let go of shame surrounding masturbation? What are your pleasure goals for the new year?
Remember what brought you joy.
Remember those moments that lit up your life. Maybe it was the moment of joy you felt when all of your hard work was noticed when you got a promotion. Or maybe it was feeling love and support from friends or family during a tough moment, getting a new pet, welcoming a new baby into the world, or just an outfit you wore that made you feel beautiful. Think about these moments and allow yourself to feel gratitude.
Set self-care goals.
Okay. This is on just about every list out there. We get that it can feel frustrating to be told to take care of yourself when you’re just trying to get by, but everyone is talking about this for a reason! So many of us feel guilty when we prioritize ourselves, but as the feminist queen Audre Lorde preached, self-care is self-preservation. Envelop yourself with love, compassion, and take a moment to do things that make you feel good.
Use this time to acknowledge loved-ones.
Gift-giving season is supposed to be a time of joy, but the extra financial pressure can also be a source of stress and anxiety. Think about skipping the gifts and use this time to write notes to the people in your life who you are grateful for. Genuine expressions of gratitude and love always go a long way.
Thanks for joining us on this self-love journey and we’ll see you in the new year. 👋🏿