It’s funny—I’ve known since I was 13 that January is named after the god Janus, who has two faces: one looking forward and one looking back. But now I see how fitting that is.
The New Year is a natural time to reflect on the past year—what was good or not so good. It’s also a time to look ahead and think about what we might do and what changes we might want to make.
I tell myself every year that I’m not interested in New Year’s resolutions, mainly because of my previous naive attempts that I soon forgot about. But, just like Janus, I can’t help but reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one.
Last year had its challenges. I lost three people I was close to, including my sister, within nine days. I badly re-injured my back and was in pain for months. My elderly parents both caught Covid, which was worrying, though they recovered. Financially, a lot of Wildmind’s sponsors had to cancel their subscriptions for financial reasons due to the dire post-Brexit economy in the UK.
But it wasn’t all bad. I had a book published on my birthday and managed to avoid getting Covid. Toward the end of the year, I got back into the habit of walking daily. My meditation practice continued strong despite everything, and although the pandemic reduced my social life, I’ve adjusted.
I spent the year writing on one topic, which is new for me. I started a course called “Politics as a Spiritual Practice” and sent the last email on December 29th. This deep dive felt like writing a book, and I hope to find a publisher for it this year. However, sitting for long periods while writing probably contributed to my back injury.
This brings me to the point: I’m good at self-compassion but not very good at self-care. Self-compassion means responding kindly to our own suffering, giving ourselves the comfort and reassurance we need. I’m pretty good at this.
Self-care, on the other hand, means taking care of our needs to prevent suffering in the first place. It includes eating healthily, sleeping enough, taking breaks, and exercising. While I’m good at eating and sleeping well, I’ve been bad at exercising and stretching.
Some people are good at self-care but not self-compassion—they live healthily but aren’t emotionally supportive of themselves. Ideally, we should be good at both. My back injury was a wake-up call about the importance of self-care. I’ve started seeing a physical therapist and have learned exercises to strengthen my core and improve my flexibility. Once I get over a chest infection, I plan to walk daily again.
Reflecting on the past and looking forward, I feel it’s appropriate to have a general aim for the year: “Thriving Through Self-Care.” I want to be healthy and happy, full of energy and joy by the end of this year, and I believe self-care is the path to that.
Having general aims isn’t enough, so I’m setting specific goals: to walk an average of 30 minutes daily and stretch for at least five minutes each day. If I miss a day, I’ll make up for it later. Accountability helps, so I’ll update people in the Wildmind community about my progress.
I’ve also started working a four-day week after reading studies showing it can boost productivity. It’s been a month, and I feel more creative and joyful, ending my workweek less exhausted.
Another part of self-care is rebuilding my subscriber base after losing a third of my income. It’s hard to create while worrying about finances. Long-term, I’d like someone to help with community engagement so I can focus on teaching.
Looking back on last year and ahead to 2023, I plan to incorporate these lessons into my life. One more goal: I’d like to write on this blog three times a month to keep myself accountable.
I wish you a very Happy New Year! If you have thoughts about self-care or New Year’s goals, feel free to share them in the comments below.