2013 Resolution #3: Be Kinder to Myself
Like many people I know, I am a person that has a tendency to take care of other people first and myself last in many respects. I have a hard time accepting help from other people or letting other people take care of me. Part of this is an independence that I really value, but it is important to recognize that one needs to let other people take care of them sometimes and to take care of oneself. I think this goal has/will present itself in a lot of ways and will affect both the short-term and long-term. Physically, I want to treat my body better, not only by diet and exercise which I have discussed in detail before, but also with "maintenance work" like going to the dentist which I haven't done in WAY too long and going to massage/physical therapy for my back injury/pain that I acquired last summer. Mentally/emotionally, I started meeting with a psychologist for the first time in last week. I have thought about going for several years and have gone back and forth about whether I should/needed to go or not and finally decided to do it. It was a really great decision and I encourage everyone to meet with a psychologist or other mental health professional/counselor if you even feel the slightest inkling that it might be a good idea (it is). Honestly, the biggest question it's raised for me is why I had waited for so long to meet with someone. Socially, I want to be honest with myself about relationships and people that are toxic in my life. By that, I mean that I have some relationships where I am giving a lot of myself and getting little in return. Ultimately, I feel guilty about possibly ending the friendship and the cycle continues. On the upside, I also want to identify the people that I really enjoy spending time with and to make that happen more often.
Overall, I would like to be kinder to myself in that I want to figure out and do more of what I want to do rather than what I feel like I should do or what others think I should do. I have a lot of hobbies that I neglect in favor of doing other things that I feel like I should do (like cleaning), so this year I want to cultivate them more. They include gardening (so psyched to have my own house!), drawing, yoga, brewing beer, playing music, playing bocce on the beach, and, of course, writing! I think 2013 will end up being a very trans-formative year for me, and I look forward to it.
