Happy new year: Happy old me.

Last night D and I saw in the new year from the quietude of home, surrounded by love. It was wonderful.

Have you noticed how love is such a hot topic during the holiday season? Ironically it is this pursuit of love that can bring so much suffering over the holidays too. So here’s my tuppence-worth on the topic.

The holiday season is generally thought of as a time of joy and love, but for many people, it’s a time of loneliness. Some people live far from family and miss seeing their loved ones this time of year; others dread going to parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations and end up staying home. Social media doesn’t help, when people post their ‘perfect’ party photos in your feed. Don’t be fooled: some people feel emotionally distanced from the people they’re smiling next to, which can result in feeling unloved even when surrounded by others. For those who feel a sense of loneliness, New Year’s Eve can be seeeriously stressful!

So is a new year celebration still a good idea? Yes, if it brings you joy! It’s a great way to mark a line in the sand and move forward with optimism. Personally, I’m happy to say farewell 2021, (what a weird year!) and I hope 2022 is a good year for all of us. What I don’t hope for this new year, however, is that I become a new person. And I hope you don’t either. I hope I love myself more, and I hope you do too. Loving ourselves is the best way to beat loneliness. Learning to love ourselves more means not being hard on ourselves when we get anxious, or gain weight, or say something wrong. Loving ourselves is learning to say it’s ok, it’s not the end of the world or I’m sorry I’m not perfect.

I do not need to improve myself. You do not need to improve yourself. 
I just need to love myself a little more. You just need to love yourself a little more. 

When you love yourself you…
-know when to rest 
-Know when to push yourself creatively 
-stop hanging out with people that make you feel like shit
-do more of what you actually love 
-don’t beat yourself up so much when you make mistakes 
-and subsequently don’t mind so much when others make mistakes 
-look after yourself 
-make sleeping and eating well a priority 
-let go of the past with ease 
-look to the future more positively 
-are up for trying new things 

Nobody’s perfect, and we shouldn’t be our harshest critics. I hope 2022 brings you many blessings and happiness, and most of all I hope it brings you love for your imperfect self. You are smashing just the way you are. ❤️

#happynewyear2022