A look back at 2021

I was trying to figure out how I was going to wrap up 2021 beyond the 52-in-52 review (which is coming) when I stumbled on this excellent list from All About Planners – 60 questions to ask yourself. I’ve cherry picked from the list below.

Want a summary? It’s been a hard year, but I’ve come out of it understanding myself better than ever, and taking some huge strides with my mental health. There’s still work to be done, but I’m proud of what I achieved.

General Questions

Rate the year out of 10 (10 being the best) – I started with like a 5, then started to really appreciate all the things that didn’t happen (the bad stuff) and it’s jumped up to a 7.

3 words to describe the past year? Enlightening, trying, familiar.

Favorite memory/s of this past year? It’s the small things for me – laying in bed with my son and husband beside me, just chilling out. I love these quiet, simple family moments.

What were the most significant events that happened in my life this year? I know I’m going to forget something huge, but for me personally, it was being diagnosed with anxiety and understanding my eating disorder. Both of those things have shaped the way I deal with my life, and while it’s not easy, I can at least say I understand myself a lot more.

What am I grateful for this year? The health of my family. I am so grateful that in the midst of a pandemic that my family have been blessed to remain healthy.

What new skills did I try or learn this year? So much with my crafting. I’ve dabbled in sublimation, etching and more. I have had so much fun with craft this year, and it’s exciting to see it rubbing off on my son.

What thing did I improve on the most? Understanding my anxiety and when I’m triggered. I feel like I’ve made significant improvement on knowing when to give myself some time so that I don’t overload (of course – I say this when I’m laying in bed feeling nauseous from an anxiety crash, but I’m not perfect)

What thing/s can I change or improve on next year? Continue to focus on my needs, and addressing those, to avoid anxiety i.e. get enough sleep, eat in a way that nourishes my body, exercise. I really want to introduce strength training next year and get back to feeling strong.

How am I different this year compared to last year? How have I grown? I understand that I have anxiety – and that was a huge discovery. This year I grew because I went to therapy – I was no longer in denial, I asked for help, and I reaped the benefits.

What advice would I give myself if I could go back to the start of this year? My eating disorder is fulfilling needs that I’m not meeting myself. Go back to the basics – get some sleep, take baby steps on nutrition, and go easy on myself. You’re doing well kiddo.

Relationships

Rate your relationships this year out of 10 (10 being the best) 8. I think I still need to invest some time into growing that into a 10, but I’m really very happy with where things are at. The remaining points are for my husband – I still need to spend more time with him and open myself back up instead of being in my “shell of survival” mode.

Who was the most important person is your life this year? It’s a tie – my husband and my son. These two are my everything. Everything I do is literally to try and be the best person I can for them. My husband drives me nuts sometimes, and I’m sure I complain like mad, but truly, I adore him. I never, ever ever want to do life without him. My child is my reason for life itself. Every word I say, every action I take, he is in my mind. About 3/4 of my anxiety is about making sure I am being the best possible mother and role model for him. I want to give him the best life possible.

Am I happy with my relationship with my significant other? Yes, but it’s needs work. They say a happy marriage takes work, and ours lives up to that. I love spending time with him, he drives me crazy, but I never want to wake up to anyone else.

Are there any friends I didn’t connect with as much this year, as I did last year? If so, why? I actually had a falling out with a friend this year, and we haven’t spoken for a long time. There’s a good chance that she’s going to read this too. Know that I love you, and our friendship, but that I still feel incredibly hurt that you were unable to see things from my point of view and how hurt I was. But I was tired of defending myself to you….and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Favorite moment with your friends? So, so many. I have so many wonderful friends, and it could be anything from just hanging out watching Die Hard (Christmas tradition), to coffee at a shop (and spilling my hot drink all over myself), text messages about pooping (I have several “poop friends”, you know who you are), finishing a 15-month long race, to laughing until I cried. I have so many amazing people in my life.

Favorite moment with your significant other? We were in our caravan on a weekend away, just the two of us. It was raining outside, we were drinking wine and doing a jigsaw puzzle. It’s so simple, and seems insignificant, but it was the fact that he joined in an activity that is so against his usual interests, and we sat there together so comfortably….I was just so much at peace. That 1-2 hours of just sitting together, not even having to say a word, meant everything to me.

Health

Rate your health this year out of 10 (10 being the best) Maybe a 5? My fitness is decent, my mental health has improved, my nutrition is disgusting.

What mental state were you in the majority this year? E.g. relaxed, anxious, stressed, time poor? Anxious – hands down. Whether it was work commitments, run club commitments, home life, relationships etc. I understand it, but I haven’t gotten on top of it. The challenge continues.

How many times did you exercise per week? Literally every day thanks to my running event with friends that saw us run over 48,000km in the space of 15 months.

Are you happy with your weight? Absolutely not. I am still overweight and unhealthy. But ask me whether I am proud of my body instead (the better question), and I will say 100% yes. My body kept me moving this year, it did some amazing things, and it has continued to charge on despite its treatment. I love my body and what it can do for me.

Favorites this year

1. Fiction book – not sure I actually read any fiction this year!
2. Non-fiction book – Dave Groh’s autobiography “The Storyteller”. Just amazing, and had all the feels.
3. Movie – umm….um…..I know I saw some but I don’t remember which. I’ll just say Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings because I love Marvel movies.
4. TV series – I binge watched a lot of The Office this year, and loved it!! Contemplating a re-watch actually haha.
5. Most played artist and / or song – according to Spotify this was my top 10 list. I have zero recollection of listening to Uptown Funk that often, and “One More Time” is thanks to my son. Secretly I love that he loves it, but I’m pissed that he doesn’t think the original Daft Punk version is better. We’ll have words when he’s older.

So that’s about that! The year has gone by in a bit of a blur, partly why I’m reintroducing the “One Second a Day” 52 goal for next year – I want to be able to look back and remember! I’m working on putting one together for this year still, but I’m not sure when it will be ready. I’m trying to remember that I get one hour at night after my son has gone to sleep, and it shouldn’t always be filled with doing stuff!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful year, thanks for sticking with me during 2021 and reading my blog! Here’s hoping for a healthy, wonderful, enriching 2022.