Word of the Year
Over the last few years, I have chosen a word to focus on for the year. I’m not entirely sure who started this “trend”, but it’s been popular in the journal and planning community for quite a while. It’s a fun way to frame what you want to focus on in the next year, without setting all kinds of resolutions that we all know we aren’t going to follow through with (ok….most people aren’t going to follow through with them).
Some of the words I have chosen over the years include exhale, calm, create, and believe. They have been words to help keep me centered and focused.
I really struggled with coming up with my word for 2024. Not because I didn’t want to, but because the second half of 2023 was extremely tough, mentally and emotionally. The death of a dear friend, watching my friends lose their own loved ones, watching my dad start cancer treatment and unexpectedly having to say goodbye to my 10-year-old dog was a lot. I really struggled with my mental health during all of this, constantly asking my therapist “Why? Why is it all so much and why is it happening at once? It’s just way too much for one person to have to take on.”
I remember during one session, when I was really going through it she reminded me that it was o.k. to feel my feels, worry about those I loved and to let myself mourn for those who were lost. But I also needed to take time for myself. I needed to stop, take a deep breath, and let things flow through and not hold onto them so tightly. She reminded me to lean on my meditation practice and allow myself to relax and sink into my breath.
It was a good reminder that sometimes we just need to take a minute before moving forward. This led me to my word of the year…..
Choosing the word “Pause” will be a good reminder to do just that. It will remind me to take a breath, a beat, or a minute, and not worry so much about rushing through to the other side of whatever is going on. It is also a reminder to slow down and recognize all the good and beauty the world has to offer.