What I'm doing more of in 2022
No resolutions here. Just themes and lessons to carry forward.
Happy New Year, friends!
It has been a minute since I wrote an update. I've been away for a bit, partially because I needed a break from online social interactions and partially because I felt anxious and sad during the last few months of 2021.
I'm feeling much better now and I'm happy to be writing an update!
Themes for 2022
Now that we've entered a new year, I have themes that I've taken from the previous year that I'm bringing with me into 2022:
1. Take pauses.
AKA take a damn break. Whether if it's to reflect on an event that occurred, heal from pain, or recover from feeling blah. It's thanks to taking pauses that I realized...
it was time for me to move on to a new job.
I can decide for myself how I want my relationship with my parents to be like.
things will turn out okay. It always does, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.
2. Revisit what I can control.
No one's life is free of curveballs, yet nobody can be prepared for them. When they happen, regular routines get disrupted and it’s easy to lose yourself.
I let myself slip away for several weeks, but was reminded that I can still do things for myself when times are turbulent. It might seem like I have no control over anything, but there’s usually something there to keep me grounded.
I used exercise to get myself out of the slump.
This leads directly to my next item:
3. Train for strength.
With the help of my first ever coach, I did my first pushup last summer. It felt amazing to see results from training. I have more fitness goals to train towards now and I’m excited to get stronger (next up..first pull-up?!).
The reason why I want to get stronger surprisingly didn’t start with wanting a beach bod. It started with “Ah—why does assembling a few IKEA furniture pieces feel like a god damn workout?“. Any physical transformation is a by-product.
I want my 30s to be healthier and stronger than my 20s. I want to be in control of my body so I can take care of my future self.
4. Maintain meaningful connections.
I feel like it's getting harder to make friends as an adult on top of being someone is shy and introverted. I'm fortunate to have connected with a bunch of internet folks last year, and am even more grateful for those who have continued to check in on me—new friends and old friends.
I want to learn how to balance my "online social energy" and not use it all at once and feel burnt out, like I did in the later half of last year.
A quick list of other updates:
🦾 Added kettlebells, a BaseBar, and an exercise puzzle mat to my home gym.
📺 Finished Steven Universe. I almost love it as much as Avatar: The Last Airbender.
👗 Taking myself on a solo date night to my first Michelin star restaurant soon!
Some gems:
🙌 Need a pep talk? Need to feel HYPED? I revisit this video a couple of times a year, and it does the trick every time (a great video to start the year with, IMO):
🧑🍳 This has been my go-to recipe for salmon these last few months. It’s also tonight’s dinner!
That’s all I got for now.
See you soon,
Mary 💖
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