I’m not the sort of person who makes New Year’s resolutions. They just don’t work for me.
I’ve also never chosen a Word of the Year before. I’ve thought about it, but a word has never come to me before. A word has never resonated with me enough to choose for a year.
But 2019 is different. A month or two ago, three words came to me. They kept coming to me. Not a word of the year, but a mantra. Three words to help me work through my depression, my anxiety, and my Crohn’s Disease this year.
Just breathe. Focus.
I spend so much of my time feeling overwhelmed. My thoughts race uncontrollably. I struggle to complete tasks. It’s hard to find the right words for my writing. What should be simple becomes complicated.
I’m tired of feeling this way. It’s why I finally visited a mental health community center last summer. While I’m not happy with the psychiatrist nor comfortable with the therapist, I do feel better on antidepressants. Just not better enough.
So this year, I have a mantra.
Just breathe. Focus.
I honestly believe God put these words in my heart. I hope these words will help calm me. Help me regain the focus I’ve lost. Regardless, I know that if I follow this mantra, God will change me this year.
In addition to a mantra, I have another plan to help me in the new year. I’m resuming my monthly goals, but in a completely new way.
I started writing out my monthly goals to develop healthy habits and to keep track of what really mattered to me. For awhile, this helped me a great deal. Even now, I can look back on some of my past monthly goals and see how much I’ve grown.
But eventually my monthly goals turned into an obsessive to-do list that I could never complete. Even writing the monthly blog post became a burden to me.
So after three years of writing out goals almost every month, I took a break. For all of 2018, I didn’t record monthly goals. I attempted other ways of keeping track of my life, with some successes and some failures.
Now it’s time to write out monthly goals again, just in a simplified version.
But first, a quick look at my broad intentions for 2019!
2019 Intentions
Just breathe. Focus.
This mantra guides my intentions for the year.
Holistic Health
To improve my health this year, I need to consider my body, mind, and soul. Health isn’t just about good nutrition and exercise. I need to take care of all of me.
- I will establish new self-care routines and follow them consistently.
- Dan and I will build healthy habits together.
- I will see medical professionals as necessary.
Less is More
I want to stop feeling overwhelmed by all the things. To do that, I need to cut back on all the things.
- Each month, Dan and I will clean out a small category of items. This will be a manageable task that shouldn’t take more than two hours.
- Dan and I will do at least three “low-spend” months to minimize unnecessary purchases.
- All of my content creation will prioritize quality over quantity.
January Goals
My 2019 intentions guide my monthly goals. Like before, I’ll organize my goals by category. However, instead of creating a long to-do list for each category, I’ll just focus on a few things, and sometimes only one thing. Trying to do all the things will hurt both my ability to focus and my overall health.
For my health:
- Find a new psychiatrist and/or therapist to see.
- Create a self-care tracking chart.
For my marriage:
- Plan a date night/day outside the home.
For our household:
- Go through all socks, underwear, bras, and undershirts. Toss anything in bad condition.
- Spend 20 minutes a day, 4 days a week cleaning out my office.
- Figure out and write down a system for maintaining the home.
- Follow “low-spend” guidelines. Overall, only buy necessary items, plus anything needed to complete other goals on this list. Don’t purchase any of the following:
- Alcohol (date night exempted)
- Clothes/accessories
- Books
- Candles
- Home goods
- Makeup
- Tools/supplies if they’re not needed for a current, ongoing project
For my career:
- Stay on track with Kappa volunteer position.
- Plan the 2019 Love Blog Challenge.
- Line up all co-hosts.
- Write 4 posts in advance.
- Create a group Pinterest board.
- Create 1 YouTube video.
- Start Blog By Number course.
This is not a long, stressful list. These are minimal goals that I can accomplish this month, goals that align with my overall intentions for the year.
I also hope that my new mantra will calm and steady my mind this year. It’s okay if I don’t do everything I want. I just need to accomplish a few things with a clear, focused mind.
Tell me about you and your goals! Did you choose a word of the year? Do you set monthly goals or New Year’s resolutions? Let me know!
