Photo credit Diana Simumpande, Unsplash.com
“Not everything that is faced can be changed.
But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James Baldwin
The year 2020 is now a reality. With each new year, I reflect on the lessons learned in the previous one and refocus where necessary.
“Girl, get up and make the phone call.” I repeated these words at least a dozen times last year. I pondered this phone call to my dad to let him know I was moving back home after thirty-two years. I knew my dad would welcome me back home with open arms. And, while there my plan was to do absolutely nothing, but lay in the bed and binge on Netflix for at least a few years to rest my mind, recharge and refocus.
Yes, this sounds juvenile, but at times I was feeling defeated, tired, overwhelmed, and burnt out, which made me yearn to be an adolescent again without any cares in the world or adult responsibilities.
In 2019, there were challenging times. I gained too much weight. Neglected to stick to my workout routine. Finally admitted out loud to myself and a close friend I had become an emotional eater. Attitude wasn’t always the best, and I was also easily irritated. Depression decided to revisit. Grief overpowered and consumed me. Money was funny. Health challenges got on my nerves. Overall, I found myself in a rut. Therefore, I eventually had to face what was going on in order to make some much-needed changes in my life.
In retrospect, during these challenging times, I also was reminded to press the reset button and of the following:
- Being still to hear from God is crucial to my well-being
- Setting healthy boundaries is essential
- Allocating time on a daily basis for self-care is nonnegotiable
- Incorporating mindfulness in my everyday life is necessary
- Having peace of mind is a beautiful thing
- Engaging in professional and personal development should be ongoing
- Goal-setting and execution should always be a priority
- Improving time management and strategic planning skills are pivotal to achieving goals
- Embracing change and being flexible allows for growth
- Taking risks builds confidence and character
- Being disciplined, focused, determined, and avoiding distractions are required to grow personally and professionally
- Expressive writing for me is cathartic
- Encouraging and instilling hope in others blesses my soul
Although it wasn't an easy feat, I am truly thankful to God that as a therapist I made it a priority to be mentally present and actively listen during individual and group sessions with clients while going through these challenging times. However, I'll confess while in staff meetings, there were times when I wasn't as present as I should have been due to thinking about the challenges that I was experiencing at the time.
Even though I experienced some challenges in 2019, the year was also mixed with blessings and victories. I am blessed to live to see another new year in spite of the struggles I experienced last year. I also celebrate the victories─God pushed me out of my comfort zone to close one door and open another; I began reading and writing more consistently and silencing my inner critic; and I made it a priority to be more grateful.
Happy New Year!
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