Happy New Year!
Wow- 2020?! Does anyone else feel like 2000 was just a few years ago?! Time flies!
With all of the unknowns that come with chronic illness, I find it hard to make realistic New Years resolutions. Will my symptoms improve or get worse this year? How many surgeries and hospital admissions will I have to endure? Will I be able to work part time or will I have to put my business on hold again this year?
Finally after thinking about it for a few weeks- this is what I’ve come up with:
1. Be better at asking for and accepting help when I need it
-I’m the worst at this. I am so luckily and grateful to live close to my amazing parents and other family members. I have a hard time admitting when I need help, especially since becoming a mom. As my sweet 10 month old daughter becomes more mobile, I’m going to need more help chasing her around on days when my symptoms are debilitating. My family always volunteers to help with my daughter, but sometimes I have a hard time saying yes because let’s be honest, the mommy guilt I feel is real! This year I will be better at accepting help and realizing my family loves spending time with my daughter so it’s okay to ask for help!
2. Stop putting off doctor appointments/medical testing
-Ugh, this one is a hard one. Are you ever soooo sick of hospitals, medical testing, appointments and surgeries that you just put off an important appointment for way longer than you should? I am extremely guilty of this. I’ve been putting off seeing my urologist for months because I know I need another surgery, and that’s just something I don’t want to do. Well my body finally had enough and I have a kidney infection since I haven’t had the surgery I need in way too long. So tomorrow I will call my urologist and schedule my appointment as well as testing I need to get done. It’s not just me anymore- I have a husband and a daughter who needs me, so I need to stay on top of my health so I can be the best version of myself for them.
3. Dive in deeper to photography
-This is my fun new year’s resolution! Last year for Christmas my parents bought me an awesome DSLR camera. I know the basics, but I’m looking forward to diving deeper and learning about all of the cool things my camera can do!
4. Blog at least once a week
-I absolutely love blogging, but when I had a high risk pregnancy and then a baby, I put it on the back burner. Blogging about life with chronic illness is something that is therapeutic for me, and if one of my blogs can help just one person feel like they are not alone on this journey, I feel like my purpose in life is complete. So this year, I will make time to blog at least once a week. It’s so important to me to show others that they can have a beautiful, extraordinary life despite fighting chronic illnesses.
5. Have at least one date night a month with my husband
-Ah, I love this man so much. He is my best friend and I truly cannot put in words how incredible he is. He is the most empathetic and sweetest man I’ve ever met. Life with multiple chronic illnesses, careers and parenting can lead to not making enough time to spend time together just us two. So this year, I will take advantage of the fact that our families always want to babysit and give us a date night at least once a month!
6. Meal prep consistently
-As you all probably understand, the days I feel awful the last thing in the world I want to do is cook. That’s why this year I am committed to meal prepping meals that are easy and I can just dump into the crockpot! Bless the person who came up with that wonderful invention. Us spoonie mamas thank you!
7. Self care for a few hours at least once a month
-I’m also not very good at this. Usually the only time I get to myself is when I drive to the doctor’s office and let’s be real- that isn’t very relaxing! This year I’m going to try my best to get a few hours to myself at least once a month- and you should, too!
I’d love to hear your new year’s resolutions! Tell me about them below! This is our year, friends!