Looking Back On 2022, Looking Forward To 2023
I’m always a little excited and at the same time nervous when it comes to writing these end-of-year posts. Excited to look back on all that has happened in the past 365 days and nervous at the thought of how quickly it all went by. I think it’s safe to say, as we get older, time really does seem to fly — my grey hairs are peeking through 😉
All jokes aside, I have to admit that 2022 was a year of many significant smaller moments and building good long-term habits. So, in this post I’m going to share what I consider my ‘wins’ of the year. It didn’t matter whether I finished or accomplished a goal (that’s not the point); I’m simply celebrating showing up for myself.
- Making 45-60 minutes of movement a priority every single day. I am a former couch potato who now looks forward to daily exercise — I learned to make it fun for myself. I consider it a huge win that I don’t feel like exercise is a drag anymore.
- Going to bed early and not fighting sleep! I am a night owl and feel my best after dark. But, with kids, the late night life is not sustainable at all. It was affecting every other aspect of my life badly (not to mention the dull skin and acne breakouts from lack of sleep!) and I had to fix it. I trained myself to go to bed earlier; it took about 4 months to break my bad sleep habits and I finally did it.
- Following my skincare routine every single day, no matter what. It’s now built into my daily routine. Giving my skin 5 minutes of TLC in the morning and evening boosts my mood and I love that feeling. I highly recommend it to everyone ;).
- Treating family dinner time as a non-negotiable part of my daily routine. I may not eat at the same time as my kids, but we always sit together and chat while they eat. The conversations are peppered with a lot of me saying “sit straight, take a bite etc.”, but I have to admit it’s one of the nicest (albeit also frustrating) times of the day. It reminds me so much of my childhood and growing up with family dinner time and it makes me happy to recreate the same ritual with my kids.
- Calling family and friends, instead of texting! I’m not great at phone calls or video calls, but I’d like to believe I’m making it more of a priority. I schedule calls into my calendar and, if it’s on the calendar, then it’s a commitment.
- Liberating myself from the negative thoughts and constant apprehension that creeped into my mind about being a content creator with the help of a friend. She called me out when she heard me apologizing and explaining myself to her about why I wanted to film a reel. She just said: “Stop apologizing. Stop the negative talk right now. Feel proud about what you do”. I realized what I was doing to myself and saw how damaging it was to my self-confidence. Letting go of my anxieties about what people may think and leaning into content creation with the focus to create good quality content is a small, but very significant win for me. Btw, follow me on Instagram, if you aren’t already :).
- Launching my weekly email newsletters. It still has a very long way to go. I even took a 3 month break from it. I was far from being consistent and growing the newsletter like I wished. But, that’s not the point. I’m celebrating that it exists and how much I am learning so much in the process.
- Elevating the design of the blog. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the direction it’s going in. I’m also learning to take my time with it and not feel pressured to have it be perfect right away.
- Slowing down and saying “no”. I used to be a notorious over-planner and thrived on making multiple plans a day. I think I used to do it in part because I was afraid to say “no” and felt the need to see people often to feel secure in my relationships and friendships. There’s been a shift here. This year I prioritized my time, my peace, my joy, and my family. I slowed down. I said “no”. And, it’s been so freeing. I feel more balanced and less stressed. Quality over quantity — I finally get what that means :).
As I’m writing this post, I realize that 2022 was a year of getting consistent with routines and solidifying good habits for my own well-being. I can feel the positive shifts in different areas of my life. I feel healthy and happy from the inside.
I’ll end this post with the one thought: Don’t wait for some “perfect moment” to start focusing on yourself and doing the things that make you happy. Do it now. Do it every day. You deserve it.
I hope 2023 is joyful, relaxed, and fun. Cheers!
Related:
Looking Back on 2018, Looking Forward to 2019
Looking Back on 2019, Looking Forward to 2020 (And A New Decade!)