Hello Beautiful Souls,
The new year is upon us; goodbye 2017, hello 2018!
Just like most, I take the last few days of the year to reflect on the past 365 days and think about what’s to come in the next 365. This past year, my anxiety was worse than it’s ever been. My strength was challenged many times and all in all, I experienced a lot of self-growth. The year was filled with new opportunities, love, adventure and many obstacles (nothing I couldn’t handle). So, let’s reflect on the lessons learned in 2017.
2017 Reflection
Self-Aware:
First lesson of 2017 is my realization of how self-aware I am. I know who I am, I know my flaws and I’m not changing that for anyone. My self-awareness actually roots from having anxiety. Being anxious and overthinking all aspects of my life has allowed me to become a very self-aware person. I know what my weaknesses are, I know my authentic self and I know what triggers my anxious habits. Although anxiety is often a stressor is my life, there is some beauty to it. Being self-aware not only helps me with coping and conflict-resolution, but it also helps me read other people really well. This is one of my favorite lessons from the year!
Healthy Living:
Another major lesson from the past year is learning what it actually means to be “healthy”. I’ve been an athlete my whole life and I always thought I had a grasp on what it means to be healthy. This year, however, I learned that healthy is more than hitting the gym and eating a salad. Eating clean and fresh foods is super important not only to you physical health but also your mental health. It can also impact your skin.
I also learned that every body is different; heavy weight lifting may be the perfect regimen for some whereas pilates/toning may be perfect for others. Learning to mix up your workouts and try different things helped me understand my body and how it responds. Don’t be afraid to try something new!
Forgiveness:
This year I had to really learn to forgive and forget. Life is short and holding on to BS that only weighs you down is unnecessary. Getting hurt by people you love and trust the most can be hard but if you hold onto these negative energies it will only make you spiral out of control. Being an anxious person, I tend to overthink these situations way too much. Months after someone has hurt me or angered me, I can still question myself and say “why?”. When really, there is no answer and I need to move on. Forgive & forget. You have to learn what battles are important and which ones are not.
Sometimes we must allow those around us to make their own mistakes in order to learn who they are. Even if we get hurt, everyone is on their own journey and we must understand our growing periods are all different. Learn when to forgive people and let them go or when to forgive them and allow them a second chance. Not everyone deserves a second chance but some people are still learning.
Life is just life:
My last lesson/reflection of 2017 is that life is just life, and what I mean by that is life isn’t so serious. Yes, set goals and work hard towards them. Take things serious if it is important to you or your goals, but don’t forget that it’s just life. Truth is, no one knows what the hell they are doing. We are all just following this societal standard, or maybe our own standards, but we’re all just trying to figure it out. Don’t take things so serious! Just focus on the things that make you happy and do that, everyday.
Contrary to typical new year goals, I wanted to share concepts/habits I want to work on in the new year. Yes, I will set some smaller goals periodically throughout the year to pinpoint some of these concepts, but this is my general direction for 2018.
2018 Goals
More Self-Love:
By self-love, I mean I want to work on being more confident in myself and knowing my own worth. As I begin to enter a really crucial period of my life, I need to start believing in myself 110% because if I can’t take myself seriously, why should anyone else? I have mentioned in previous posts that self-love is more than confidence or just knowing your worth, it’s also about self-help. During 2016, I became very confident in myself but over the duration of 2017, I found that I lost some of this badass “B” vibe because of my anxiety. I let little things bother me and I started to doubt myself. That’s why self-love is one of my first goals for 2018. This year will be about becoming the badass girl I know I am and not letting anyone knock that.
Be Happy + Healthy:
I already worked toward this one in 2017, but I experienced some low points in the last half of the year, which caused some setbacks. Therefore, I want to make my health and wellness a big focus for 2018. As I learned in 2017, healthy eating and physical activity not only improves mood and energy, but it helps my overall health. This is super important for all aspects of my life, so it’s time to kick it into high gear. 2018 will be the year of my best self!
Build a relationship with my anxiety:
My last goal for the new year is to work on building a relationship with my anxiety. Anxiety is something I have struggled with most of my life, but this past year has been the worst for me. Instead of letting it define me though, I want to work alongside it. I learned through my yoga and meditation practice that anxiety is not something you “get rid of”, it’s always going to be there. When you try to get rid of it, it can actually cause more stress and anxiety. The best way to win the anxiety battle is by learning to live with it. That’s why I started yoga and meditation. The breathing techniques learned in the practice help me cope with my anxiety.
This is my first step toward building this healthy relationship with it and I hope to continue working on it in the new year. I will not let the negative side of anxiety to win.
Although I love taking any opportunity to set new goals and refocus my energy on the things that matter, you should start your new year resolutions now. There is no better time than now! I know people knock on the concept of setting goals and “new year, new you” but if that’s what motivates you to start crushing your goals, so be it. Don’t let the thoughts of others hold you back.
Thank you for checking out my year in review and my goals for the new year. Feel free to share yours in the comments below! I hope the end of 2017 is amazing and I wish you the best in 2018. Happy New Year, beautiful human!
xo, Lyss
