And a new year begins! 2022 will always hold the significance of being the year my son graduates high school. For that and so many other reasons, I welcome it with a mix of excitement and trepidation. 2022 will bring some big changes.
As I have often said, I am not a lover of change. Yet, I have definitely shown myself that I am more capable of handling it than I give myself credit for. I have learned that my environment may change a lot, but most of what I love, and value remains constant. I take great comfort in that as I begin 2022.
I have never been a big fan of resolutions. Too many people use them as another measure of success and failure. Rather I truly resonate with a quotation I recently saw that states “The new year doesn’t require a new you. It’s okay to be happy with who you are. Make small changes to better your lifestyle or reach your goals, but none of this requires you becoming a brand-new person.”
I love the idea of people working on being happy with who they are. Myself included. It doesn’t mean thinking we are perfect or discontinuing efforts at improvement. It simply means recognizing your strengths and giving yourself permission to have flaws and room to grow. I know I want this mentality for my children, so I need to practice on myself. Validating ourselves as we are, flaws and all, is far more likely to promote continued growth than disparaging things about ourselves.
Let’s be happy with who we are and take small steps towards improvement. Not one or the other.
Personally, my small steps will not be radical changes, but I will work towards a greater mindfulness of acting on my values
I hope to spend as much time with loved ones as I possibly can. In doing so, I hope to be fully present and not distracted by the abundant stressors available to distract me.
I hope to help those around me value themselves rather than overestimate their flaws.
There will be good and bad in 2022. I hope that increased mindfulness of my gratitude for the good will assist me in acknowledging the negative without getting stuck there. This is definitely something I struggled with in 2021. I know I will still struggle at times with negativity. I have been working to notice a positive counterpart to most negatives. It does not erase the negative, but it helps me not feel overwhelmed by it.
Finally, I hope to do my part in making 2022 a better year for every person whose path I cross. I realize that sounds idealistic, but, again, I am referring to small changes. We have all been the brunt of someone’s bad mood, or bad intentions. Rather than judging, I hope to do something small to change the course. Everyone is at maximum stress capacity right now. Rather than judging their reaction to it, I hope to contribute to the healing.
At the end of 2022 I hope I can say that I contributed in some small way to the world being a kinder and more compassionate place.
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