New Year, New Day Check-In

We are essentially one month into 2020! Has it flown by for you? It sure has for me. January is always a whirlwind of a month for me with trying to recover from the crazy holiday season, setting new goals for myself, and getting back into the flow of work. Because of that, I love taking the time at the end of the month to do a mini reflection, or check-in, which I think everyone could benefit from! 

Did everyone embrace this month’s theme on Autoimmune Sisters? Or did you set some goals or resolutions? This is a good time to go back and make sure you are on the right track for your physical, mental, and emotional health as we continue on through this year. I personally notice that after a few weeks, it is easy to forget or misstep in what I had set out for myself earlier. I hope you don’t feel like this has to be a lofty goal either. Resolutions can be small, like loving yourself more, letting go of what was (remember, burn the ships!), or embracing a new positive mindset. 

Use these easy steps to check-in with yourself in order to keep on track with your goals, or to help you get started with some now!

1. Review the goals and resolutions you set out for yourself at the beginning of the year. Did you lose track over the past couple of weeks of what you set out for this year? Were your goals too lofty or just unrealistic. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew and that’s okay! It definitely happens with autoimmunity because we honestly don’t know what the next day, never mind the next few weeks, may look like. Take a second to review what you planned for this year.2.
2. Let go of any negative feelings or “failures”. Don’t get down on yourself if you feel like you committed to something that may not be in the cards right now. Remember success doesn’t come without failure, and negative feelings happen…but know you are so much more than that! Take a moment to reflect in your negativity and simply let it go! Release yourself of that energy and move on towards the rest of the year. Don’t be afraid to do this every so often to release any negative tension you may build up throughout the year.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff. With autoimmune disease, even the smallest things can be draining to us. Because of that, don’t waste your time worrying about things you simply cannot control, it is not worth your energy or spoons. If you had this elaborate idea of how you wanted to set out for your goals this year and haven’t quite kept up, don’t let it eat at you. Be proud of what you have been able to do. We have more things to worry about so even moving toward a goal slowly is such a great accomplishment!
4. Make yourself a priority. This is something I will always, always, always advocate for. You cannot be the best you can be if you don’t take the time for yourself. Don’t spread yourself too thin or be upset if you really cannot commit to something for a few days. You need time to rest and heal your body and if that means you may need to make a small sacrifice elsewhere, do it for yourself. You deserve it!
5. Reevaluate or update your goals. After going through everything, maybe you decided something you set out for in the beginning of the year isn’t realistic anymore. That’s okay! Reevaluate your goals or make adjustments. There are no rules here! Nothing is set in stone so adjust what you need to make it work in a way that you can achieve it! Let January be the testing phase of how you can really set yourself up to accomplish anything you want over the next 11 months!I hope you take the time to reflect on your goals, resolutions, and embrace the idea of a “New Day”. You can’t change your past, your diagnosis, or live in jealousy of what you once had. You have been set up to create a “New Normal” (what I like to call it!). So, check in with yourself and move forward positively knowing that you are going to kill it for the rest of the year!

-Kelsey