Preparing for the New Year
Picking a “word of the year” & writing a letter to myself
The new year has (finally) come. For some, the past year went by slowly. Others can barely believe we welcoming a new year. I’m in the middle of those two feelings and I will admit; I’ve been looking forward to leaving 2020 behind.
In the midst of our collective grief, supporting the bereaved while also processing my individual losses, I am choosing (and trying) to focus on the silver linings, the lessons and the growth that this year has provided. I enjoy engaging in some sort of self-reflective practice, while also setting some intentions for the year to come. This week I am doing two things: picking my “word of the year” and writing a letter to myself.
Choosing a “word of the year”
Instead of coming up with New Year’s resolutions, I am continuing the practice I adopted a few years ago of picking a “word of the year” and base my goals, prayers, intentions, and sometimes, my decisions on that word. My “word of the year” usually depicts how I want to feel in the coming year, how I want my life to look like, or what I want to work on in the coming year.
In example, my word for 2020 was “intentional” and even though the year didn’t go as I (or anyone) would’ve expected, I focused on being intentional, deliberate and purposeful with my decisions, relationships and efforts. I don’t consider my “word of the year” to be a measurement of achievement; it’s not like a goal where I set some parameters in order to accomplish it. I’m the first to admit that I was not “intentional” in all areas of my life, but that doesn’t mean I failed or I wasn’t successful with my word. There’s no fail or pass grade, anyway. My “word of the year” just helps me carry out my values in which I want to base my health, relationships, work, goals, and other areas of my life.
My word for this year? Slow & free. Yes, I picked two words :)
Writing a letter to myself
Recently, I have re-fallen in love with journaling. Every morning for a couple of minutes, I pour out my prayers, my thoughts, my gratitude, my feelings onto a page of my journal. I also love snail mail and writing letters, and I’m taking that love for writing inward, to thank myself, to practice self-love, and reflect on my experiences of the past year. To reflect, I am writing a letter to myself.
If you are inspired to write a letter to yourself too, here are some of the things you can write about. Also, scroll down to download a “letter to myself” template including all of these prompts.
Write down 3 words that describe your experience this past year
Write about some of your losses
Write down 1 thing you let go of
Write about your wins
Think about the best thing that happened to you this past year
Reflect on the greatest lesson you learned this past year
What are you proud of yourself for doing this past year?
Write down 5 things you love about yourself
Write down 5 things you are thanking yourself for
After a year of many challenges, changes and ups & downs, I leave you with a powerful quote from a podcast episode by The Daily Shine “after this year, we never have to doubt our resilience.” No matter what this next year brings, remember, you are resilient.