Hey Happy 2020 a month late! Would it mean anything if I said I had been meaning to write? Yeah, probably not. Just like it probably doesn’t mean anything that I plan to write a bit more in 2020. I say that nearly every year.
That said though, I believe that with my New Year’s resolutions it will actually happen. Why is it different this time? This time I’m focusing on self-care in 2020.
Shawn has been deployed to Virginia for the last four, almost five months. He has another two months to go. My focus has been on pretty much everyone else except for me because of it. My clients. The kids. My family. My yoga classes/students. The kids’ schools. I’m the kindergarten grade coordinator (I thought it was for class coordinator only), and I’m helping coach Z’s basketball team. Between the kids’ basketball practices, Z’s swim lessons, G’s therapy, and my yoga classes, I’m beyond busy. And tired.
And then January happened. Remember how last January, I learned of my Dad’s heart surgery, got fired from PSLS, and dealt with Z’s school suggesting he not come back for kindergarten on the same day? Well a similar January happened this year, but it was in the same week instead of the same day. So I guess that’s progress? I don’t want to go into all of the details of what’s been going on, but the big three from the week were:
- I got the flu.
- G was diagnosed as clinically depressed.
- Z’s school once again suggested he find another school.
The following week, my side gig announced that the site is closing in March, so there’s that. At least that isn’t my primary source of income like PSLS was. While that’s a blow, it’s not tragic.
So as a result of that week, I’ve been running around trying to take care of G and find him a new therapist as well as hunting down a new school for Z. I am not fighting St. John’s this year, because I’m just tired of fighting them. I dug my heels in last year, but at this point, it’s just obvious they won’t deal with his dyslexia at all, even with tutoring. So, I’m done. We may be permanently done, depending upon which school Z goes to next year.
I’ve also been unbelievably depressed. I’m already on medication, and it is helping, but this is a lot for anyone to handle on their own, even without a tendency for depression. This is what has spun me into dedicating 2020 to self-care. I already had a couple of resolutions in mind before all this happened, and I’m keeping those, because those are also a bit of self-care.
Self-Care Resolutions for 2020
Read one non-WH40k book a month.
I love my WH40k Book Club I run with Jen. But, as I look at what books I read in 2019, only one book was not WH40k, and it was a book I received for review. As much as I love WH40k, I need to branch out and read some of my other unread books. I failed this resolution for January, but I did start a non-WH40k book at the end of January for February.
Play/Finish one video game a month.
I know this one sounds pathetic, especially considering that I used to review games for a living. However, with the book club and with single-parenting, it’s been hard to find time to play video games. The Switch has made this infinitely easier since I don’t have to be holed up in my office to play games on it. This one I did fulfill in January, which was Pokemon Sword. I have a game I’m supposed to be reviewing but haven’t because I’m a bad person, and that’s next. I’m debating whether that counts, though.
Go to yoga at least three times a week.
For a yoga teacher, it’s been hard for me to make time to practice yoga on my own. And it shouldn’t be, since I used to do yoga 4-5 times a week. But it is, and the busier I get with work, the easier it is to find excuses to not go. I need to make this a priority for several reasons. For one, I need to practice to keep my own classes fresh. Secondly, I need to practice to stay in shape. Whenever I’m steady with yoga practice, my craving for crap food practically dissipates. Yoga is flat out healthy for me. Third, practicing yoga is important for my mind. My mind is always so clear after practice. With everything going on right now, I need this more than anything and yet I’m having trouble going. I need to kick my own ass.
Write for me more often.
I’ve heard that the main reason why New Year’s resolutions fail is because the maker doesn’t set a plan. Saying “often” is not a plan. However, writing what I want to write can’t be planned. If I tell myself to write for me once a week, I know I’ll fail, because I know such a stipulation stints all creativity. It’s honestly amazing I’m able to come up with two daily dispatches a week for Cheat Code Central. That said, I need to get back into writing non-reviews on the Book Club site and writing, well, anything here.
So those are my goals, and they’re all attainable. I just need to stick to an exercise plan like I used to.
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