Something an old pen pal introduced me to the idea of was picking a word for the year ahead of you. I’ve chosen the word ‘enjoyment’ for 2024.
Something my pain psychologist introduced me to was ‘goals vs values’ so for example the goal of reading three chapters and feeling like you’ve failed if you get too tired and don’t read three chapters, or thinking about what you value and enjoy about reading and just value and enjoying reading.
I’ve decided not to set any goals this year like I’ve always done in previous years. Life can’t be predicted. I didn’t manage all my goals last year as I unexpectedly moved into my own home.
I’m just going to focus on what I value and enjoy. I enjoy blogging and YouTubing and I’ll just do it for enjoyment however many posts and videos I do and subscribers I get. I’ll enjoy reading however many books I manage to physically read; I’m just grateful I’m able to read books again, but audiobooks is still reading too. I value my faith. I also value my friendships and I made some wonderful friends last year who mean a lot to me.
I also enjoy having my own home and I feel lucky to have my own home at my age. I want to spend this year settling into my home more and enjoying it and making it more my own space and home.
One thing my therapist said to me recently is ‘you have limited energy, use it on things that are productive and helpful and positive’. My M.E. means I don’t have a lot of energy and I have to be careful with my limited amount of energy. Sometimes I don’t always spend it right; one thing is on social media. Sometimes I waste my energy on social media getting upset, feeling like I’m missing out and getting frustrated. So I also think that this year I’m going to spend less time on social media and focus on the people that matter like friends, pen pals and family and also myself.
