“Take Care of You in 2022”-
4 ways I’m practicing self-care this year
New Year resolutions used to be a thing. We would restart our lives working toward a goal at the beginning of every year. And for a little while, it would work. Gyms would be full, bars would lose regulars to Dry January, planners would be purchased, and fresh calendars hung.
I have been a part of all the above. But this year, I am approaching things a little differently. Inspired by a friend, I am giving each year a theme (Thank you, Felicia Fitzpatrick- she chooses one word, which this year is “Open”). This year my theme is “Take Care of You in 2022”, in other words, choose self-care or everything else around you could crumble.
The past two years have been about survival, literal survival. Whether the goal was to find work, pay my mortgage or keep myself and my family healthy, each had some seriously high stakes. I let the things that made my life more enjoyable go.
By December 2021, I no longer felt like myself. Sure, I had hustled and stayed afloat, but in the words of Billie Eilish, “Things I once enjoyed, just keep my employed now”. I was burnt out. I had stopped exercising, listening to music, reading books, traveling, and protecting my Sunday ritual of taking one hour hidden away at Peekskill Coffee House simply to write for myself. Every hour I had was spent working or…