Whew - wasn't last year kind of a mess? I don't know about y'all but even though that calendar has rolled into 2021 there is still some definite weariness in my soul and heart in regard to last year and this new year. A friend from college (hello Nicole *waving*) shared these questions on her blog and I thought I'd tackle them here on mine too!
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What did 2020 teach you? Ooh man... maybe it taught me that I'm a bit tougher than I thought? That things can get hard but more often that not I can find the light in the midst of the dark.
What is one small thing that you can do to change your life? Take charge of my thoughts! The things that aren't true or the scenarios that I let my mind wander to - banish those! Speak truth to the incorrect or outlandish thoughts that my mind conjures up! Don't let myself entertain thoughts about things that may never come to pass!
What do you need to practice doing more or less of in the New Year? I need to be be more intentional about my daily Bible reading.
Have you practiced self-care in 2020? If not, how can you make sure that you practice self-care in 2021? I'd say that's a yes - I instituted regular exercise, monitoring my eating and lost 50 pounds! While at times some aspects of that were hard or I didn't want to do them, I know they made my mood and health so much better. I also indulged in not one but THREE massages! *sigh* I need to do all those things in 2021!
In the past 12 months, have you grown? I've grown more confident in myself. I've dealt with a lot of self-esteem issues that I know were directly related to my appearance and it's amazing what losing some weight can do for a girl! Beauty is more than skin deep though and I also think that growing in my walk with the Lord has also improved my self esteem because I am more able to view myself through His eyes as opposed to the world's eyes. Whew. That was a lot! *smiles*
How did or do you plan to practice boundaries? I'd like to be more intentional about not allowing people to walk all over me/inviting people that make me feel badly about myself into my orbit. I tend to be introverted and avoid confrontation... but there is a difference between being argumentative and standing up for yourself. I also don't want to continue to invite "friends" to be in my life when they don't make me feel good as a person.
Did you achieve any career milestones? If not, how can you achieve career milestones in the New Year? I don't know that set any career milestones for myself last year but I did mark five years at my job in March, which was great! I also don't know that I have any career milestones for myself in 2021 beyond continuing to learn and improve myself.
What were your 3 challenges this year? How did you overcome them? I think my three challenges were 1) losing weight and altering my diet, 2) conquering working from home and 3) trying to reign in my anxiety!
Losing weight and altering my diet wasn't necessarily a challenge to overcome; it was more a challenge to embrace. I'm going to continue to embrace that challenge in 2021! Working from home initially made me incredibly anxious... probably because I didn't have a fall back right down the hall from me. I overcame that by believing in myself and embracing the knowledge that I was hired for a reason and I know what I'm doing!
Reigning in my anxiety is something I'm still trying to overcome - because it really didn't come into play until the last portion of the year. I have; up to this point, used a lot of prayer and Bible reading and that has worked well. However in 2021 I'm going to continue to try and overcome that and may add some medicine into the mix - and I'll have to overcome the thought (the lie) that going back on medication is not a failure!
How has the pandemic changed you - or your family? Unfortunately the whole pandemic situation has caused my anxiety and depression to really kindle itself into a bit more of a roaring fire. I've not dealt with anxiety very often but I did deal with depression in college - but I haven't had to deal with that for years. Alas, the last year has really been such a drain on the country as a whole... and sadly, I haven't been immune to that. Hopefully in the beginning of this year I'll work to get that better in hand.
I think my family has been changed in more minor ways - thankfully even though we dealt with the reality of a positive COVID test in December, my Dad recovered. I know that's not the case for everyone who got that diagnosis. My family was changed because we are usually traveling and out and about all the time... and we really had to adjust to being at home and finding contentment in that.
Who can you thank as the New Year starts? Emmanuel; a name for God that means "God with us" and I know He truly was with me throughout this year. He's always with us - thankfully. I'd also thank my family and my friends because you learn just how close you are/how much those people mean to you when your year is like one that we just went though!
What's a skill you learned in 2021 that you can take into 2021? Or what's a skill you'd like to learn in 2021? I'd like to find an actual hobby... like knitting or crocheting or painting. I love to read but I don't know if reading tons of books is considered a skill! I'd like to get better at being more in touch with my artistic side - whether that be painting or writing or photography. I'm not sure yet!
What are you most excited about in 2021? I'm excited for the prospect of hope and change - for the better.
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Well - some of those questions were... a LOT. But we all struggle in some way or another and honestly, I think we all really struggled in the last year! The last year was a lot to handle and flipping the calendar to a new year doesn't mean the whole world will change overnight. However - I have hope for this new year. I have hope for the promise of new and better things to come. And I hope you do too!
Love this! You are awesome!
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