I knew that things had gone too far when I started thinking about all the things that I could get done while I was on surgical leave. I actually made a list. Who does that? Well, probably more than just me, but the point is it shouldn’t be that way. Many of the things on the list are things that I want to do for myself or my business such as writing projects. Some of the things are things that I have either put off long enough or are less than enjoyable tasks that I need to get done. And of course, there is school. It made it to the list by default. It’s one of those things that has to be done whether I want to do it or not.
My plate should not be so full that having hip surgery is my idea of time off. Though surgical leave provides me with time to recover and heal it should by no means be the path I must take in order to rest, recover and practice self-care. I should not have to become so exhausted that burnout feels normal. Well, that is, until it doesn’t. The revelation was unsettling and I knew that I needed to get a better handle on taking care of myself. The need to have surgery should not have been the kick in the rear to make me do better, but it was.
Sometimes God has to take drastic measures to deal with His children. I am working to not be so hard-headed next time. So since the last part of 2021, I have been contemplating ways to improve in this area. Turns out that having surgery at the beginning of the year has set the tone for what I hope and plan for 2022. I’m calling it the year of my reset and as I am writing this I am changing my word for the year to reset. It was rest/self-care which for me is included in reset.
Here’s what I am NOT going to do in 2022 (I mean I’m going to do my best):
Over-commit
Utilize every moment of my day doing stuff
Be chronically rest deprived
Feel guilty for taking "me" time
Place undue pressure on me
If you are guilty of any of the things on this list then I encourage you to join me in trying to do better for yourself too.
I am going to Reset in 2022 by:
Resting more
Relaxing more and without guilt
Being intentional about self-care
Improving my overall health and wellness
Setting and maintaining boundaries
Maybe you could stand to do a bit more of some of these too? Join me and let me know. It may help to have people in your corner to help hold you accountable. That’s what I’m going to do.
May 2022 be the year that we all do the best with what we have and take better care of ourselves in the midst of it all.
How can you plan to be a better version of yourself in 2022? What self-care activities would improve your overall health and wellness? Who can help hold you accountable if you start to revert back to old habits?