This year was...rough. Then again, I told 2024 to bring it...
It was a roller coast of good and bad and worse and almost the worst and good again. It was a year of growth and learning for sure. I learned a lot about myself, what I need, what I want, what I still need to figure out. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows; it was a lot of tears and self-doubt and general anxiety 90% of the year. But it's all looking up (hopefully... NO, it is).
Positives: Lots of looking into and completing self-care. Lots of good family memories. Visited my sister (and will be again in a few days). I quit my job (negative: it took me a while to find a new one, but now, positive: I'm happy and comfortable where I am). Lots of babysitting and cleaning for my grandma (lots of memories and little bursts of cash). My dad retired (he deserved it). My sister visited for week. I got a new job at an indie bookstore.
Negatives: Lots of anxiety breathing, lots of imposter syndrome, lots of self-hatred. Lots of being sick (thought it got better as the year went on). We had to put our perfect dog Charlie to sleep (and still no new dog 10 months later). I quit my job and was unemployed for a while, and now I have zero savings. A second visit to my sister was cancelled because hurricanes.
(1) Don't stop reading
(b) Complete Monthly Reading Challenge(s)
(2) Make memories
(3) Share love of books/writing
(4) Be kinder to myself
(1) Books read this year: 555 (might get one more in there before midnight though).
(b) Reading Challenge(s): Monthly Book Shape Challenges. Recorded everything on an A-X spreadsheet. ARCs. Beat The Backlog done (go me!).
(2) 2024 Memories: See above Positive/Negatives as well as below. But overall: lots of anxiety, lots of books, lots of little adventures and moments of strength and cocoa (loooots of cocoa). And I turned 30 this year.
(3) Posts this year (including this one (and the next few)): 370.
(4) Be kinder to myself: For a lot of the year, my anxiety and depression wasn't very good. I didn't know how to handle it, and stress from losing my dog and my job just compounded on it. I wasn't kind to myself until the many breakdowns just kept coming and coming and I reached a breaking point. But it also showed me who and where my support systems laid and how strong I really am. Changes weren't as swift or as successful as I had hoped/dreamed, but I'm still a firm believer in everything happens when its supposed to happen (even if it sucks at the moment). As things in my life got better (and worse and then better), I realized that I really, really needed that mental break (still need it to be perfectly honest). Healing takes time, and its far from linear. But I think I'm finally in a place mentally were I can start to find more of myself and more of my future. It also took me a while (and many, many, MANY reminders) that sometimes relaxing can be doing nothing; that doing nothing is okay. 2024 was the year of mental health, maybe 2025 can be the year of physical health?
Anyone still holding onto their resolutions from last year?
What are your resolutions for this year?
Any existing 2025 reads?
Anything I should check out?
#newyearsresolutions #goodbye2024 #hello2025 #keeplearning #dontstopreading #monthlyreadingchallenge #makememories #shareloveofbooks #bekindertoself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
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