My Goals for 2021

[dropcap2_large]T[/dropcap2_large]he start of a new year always feels like a fresh beginning for me, and although I don’t like to make an official resolution, I do have a few goals:

• Normal sleep schedule.

  I’ve been gravitating toward this anyway because I always feel like my body feels best when my bedtimes and wake up times are regular. I’d love to be able to wake up early again and feel like I have more daylight hours to my day, maybe even watch a sunrise or two.

• Move my body every day.

  I was in the habit of daily exercise before and when the pandemic started it all fell by the wayside. I’d run once a week instead of just going for my usual walks. I’m trying to be better about moving every day, even if it’s not running or a hard workout. It’s better to do something small than nothing at all (when it comes to my body).

• More baths please.

  I love spending time in the bath. It’s a whole ritual for me; I light a candle, add my salts and favorite goodies, drink some valerian tea, and listen to music or poetry. Sometimes I’ll do a face mask or body scrub. It takes about an hour but it’s an hour that’s mine and I don’t have to worry about anyone else during it. It’s a luxury I need to give myself more often.

• Let go of what I cannot control.

  This is the hardest for me right now. I have several people in my life who are even more immunocompromised than I am and I worry so much about if they were to get COVID. When it doesn’t keep me up at night I have nightmares about it. I’ve done pretty well letting go of people I run by who don’t have on a mask since I carry my own and put it on when I’m closer than 30ft to anyone (my personal bubble runs large right now). But how do you care less about people you love?

• Create more content.

  With the amount of stress I’ve been under for the last year I have experienced a lot of burnout when it comes to work. I’m really good at planning what I’d like to do and share and not as good at follow-through. It’s hard to prioritize work when your life’s basic necessities are threatened.

I’m sharing these here mostly to try to hold myself accountable. What are your goals for the new year?