As we’re getting closer to the start of 2023, I thought I would take some time to reflect on 2022 and some of the things I learned along the way. So, here’s the list of things that helped me to feel better in 2022.

1.) Step up my exercise routine.

I like to think of myself as being an active person but let’s face it, sometimes life really gets in the way. During 2020 when the whole world turned upside down I started getting very active. I was doing anything to keep myself busy and create even a slight diversion from all the craziness going on around the world. I was going running nearly everyday on my lunch break and following it up with ab workouts and yoga. I felt really good for a while. While everything around me seemed uncertain, I was doing really well with my fitness goals and that helped me to feel like I still had some control over what was going on. But, as you can all imagine, eventually it all stopped.

All the uncertainty of the world finally got to me and I took a break for a long time. Something changed finally and I can’t put my finger on exactly what but I decided enough was enough and I really got back into it in full swing.

To up my activity levels I would try to find easy ways to stay active without it really feeling like exercise whether that be waking up a little earlier to take my dog on a longer walk or listening to a podcast while walking during my lunch break. By focusing on the other activities I was doing while exercising, it really didn’t feel like a huge commitment and instead it could just be something I enjoyed.

2022 was also the year of me getting back into running. Running has become a habit that I try to practice at least three times a week. While I do track my runs and progress using my Fitbit Sense, I really try to focus on the time it gives me to just be by myself with my own thoughts enjoying something I really love. It also helps that I’ve gotten to listen to some really great books along the way.

2.) Get More Sleep

Since I was a child, I always had a horrible sleep schedule. I would always be able to stay up late and get up super early with ease. This type of sleep schedule was something that continued on even after I went off to college and grad school without changing despite the fact that I was now continuously exhausted. This was a learned habit that felt really difficult to unlearn even though I knew it wasn’t benefitting me in any way.

In 2022, I decided enough was enough. I was going to finally try and get on a sleep schedule that worked for me and helped me to feel a little less exhausted. While I won’t say it’s exactly perfect it’s helped me in small ways. To really stay on track, I have made sure that my iPhone automatically schedules sleep focus to start winding things down and stop bombarding me with various alerts. While I still might be up for a while after that watching TV and the like, not having the constant notifications has really helped me to begin turning my brain off so that way I can sleep better. This combined with the increased exercise, has really made a drastic difference in the quality of my sleep.

3.) Take a Break from Work

Now this title is a little misleading. I should be honest; I never really did take a break from work. What I did do, is begin to change how I see work. I used to constantly feel plugged in to what was going on every day even longer after I had already left for the day. I felt like I had to always be available. I would always be responding to things right away or staying late constantly.

What I realized is that this really isn’t healthy. I was entitled to my time, I work hard, and deserved it. What I realized is that except in very rare cases, it could usually wait until tomorrow. Creating this boundary really helped me to reclaim my time and strengthen my mental health while still being successful in my career.

4.) Begin Reading for Fun Again

When I was a kid, I had the special talent of being able to sit down with a good book and read it from cover to cover in little to no time at all. I would relish in trips to the library and bookstore to quench my thirst for another good read. This is a habit that continued from when I was young all the way through high school. Every month, I would be finishing off stacks of books, and always on the hunt for the next one.

Throughout high school I was always in honors and AP English classes, opening my mind up to different books than I was used to but still enjoying the journey.

When I got to college, everything changed. Maybe it was stress, maybe it was being over-worked while in not only classes, but clubs, and retail work all at the same time, but something changed. It was no longer fun for me anymore. Now it felt like a chore. I come from the Humanities, so my course work was highly dependent on reading a crap-ton of books and this is something that never let up even when I went into grad school. Sure, I would continue through the books. I would get all the information out of them that I needed. I would be able to talk about them intelligently. I can agree that they helped to broaden my knowledge base and reasoning skills. But reading was no longer something fun. It was something that had to be done frequently and quickly for a grade.

When I finally graduated from grad school, after being in higher education for six years at this point, I was finally relieved when I didn’t have to go through countless books on a weekly basis. I could finally relax.

Overtime, this relaxation turned into a habit of turning to TV and other media instead of the books that once brought my joy. It was really hard not being able to enjoy a hobby that I once loved for years.

In Summer of 2022, I said enough is enough. I was going to get back into reading whether I liked it or not. Now, little known fact about me, I am a summer child. I absolutely love the beach and really appreciate that in summers, I now get to go to the beach almost every weekend. To get back into reading I made myself a promise that each time I went, I would spend at least thirty minutes reading a book. It took a few weekends to really appreciate it but eventually it stuck.

Now, I can firmly say that I have finally reclaimed my hobby and embraced it in new ways that I wouldn’t have thought about before. While I know I don’t always have the time to sit down with a good book something I have embraced is listening to audiobooks while exercising. That way it helps to take my mind off the workout, while still getting the job done.

2022 Wrap-Up

Now I know I have gone on for quite a while at this point but what I want to say is that improving your life is possible. While we can’t always control the big things, we do have some control over the little things. These were my small changes that I was able to make in 2022 that made a big difference in my life. Going into 2023, I hope to continue on the journey and shake things up a bit more in a positive way.