NEW SERIES: January's Word of the Month is…

I woke up this morning overwhelmed with all the expectation and opportunity and ANXIETY that comes with a fresh year and a clean slate, and as I felt my throat slowly start to close up, I took a handful of deep breaths and came to a few realizations:

I am okay.

There is no one bearing down on me to have things figured out.

It’s okay that it’s January 1st and I have no plans or goals or bright ideas (I’m sure they exist somewhere, I just haven’t sat down to sort them all out).

Any sort of timeline I perceive myself to be on is self-imposed.

I am not behind.

I don’t have to have all of the answers right now.

I have not screwed this year up already.

Waking up with this sort of impending doom is not how I want to approach my day/year/DECADE. And I know I can’t be the only one feeling the pressure of a blank canvas.

So I had this idea *full transparency — about 2 hours ago* to start posting a word of the month on here every month of 2020, accompanied by a blog post and a mantra or two and who knows what else! As always, I’m open to your suggestions!

 
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I know a lot of people have a word of the year, and I don’t know if I have ADHD (I mean, I definitely do LOL) or if I’m just an overachiever, but having a new word to focus on for just a few weeks at a time seems like a good way to develop a range of positive characteristics and habits. We’ll see which ones stick by the end of the year. It’ll be fun!

As I haven’t fully fleshed this out yet, I’m not sure exactly how this will progress over the next 12 months. But stick around and we’ll see what happens!

This month’s word is:

 
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We could all use a hefty dose of realism at times, amiright? I am the KWEEN of placing unrealistic expectations on myself. I get impatient when I don’t naturally get something. I feel frustrated when I don’t have all of the answers. But here’s the deal — I don’t have to know everything. In fact, it would be completely impossible for that to ever be a reality! And as someone who wastes a great deal of time chasing perfection and control, I’m going to do my best this month to keep myself in check and set some realistic goals and expectations for January and the rest of the year so I don’t find myself unnecessarily burned out and frustrated.

This month, I would like to:

  • Make contacts in my new career field.

  • Start trying to find a steady source of income to support our family during this transition.

  • Go to the gym a few times a week.

  • Work on decluttering my closets.

  • Take a tiling class or find someone to apprentice under.

  • Find a new primary care physician and schedule a physical (Do you have any recs? If so, send them my way!).

And if these things don’t happen or sort of happen but not all the way — it is okay. I am not a failure. Any movement is a step in the right direction, and I will do my best to accept that and not be so hard on myself. I find that in moments when I feel especially stressed or overwhelmed, repeating a simple mantra to myself and taking a few deep belly breaths can help me reset and realign.

I whipped up a few graphics for you to save or share or do whatever you need to do to stay mindful and KEEP IT REAL!

I hope you feel encouraged to come along for the ride or even come up with your own word of the month. Let me know what you’re up to so I can cheer you on!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We’ve got this.

All my love!

 
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lifestyleNatalie Sheppardself care, mindfulness, realism, word of the month, calendar, manifest, mantra, intentionComment