A Year for Expression and Self Care

2016 has been labeled a Dumpster Fire, and I know that on the big scale, on the things-not-directly-related-to-my-personal-life scale, that is too true. The world out there is poised to collapse, with artists who made so much positive impact dying and political forces moving to destroy basic human rights.

But the thing about 2016 is that, for me, it was the year of anxiety attacks. There were good things that happened–a new job, a couple of maybe-dates, two of my good friends getting married, more confidence in my singing voice, and healthier diet & exercising routine. I tried to focus on creating healthy habits, but I really spent most of the first half of the year curled up in a ball trying to convince myself that my panic attacks were not, in fact, heart attacks.

It means that a year with the potential for great joy–my first trip to NYC, seeing a Broadway play, and BroadwayCon, GeekyCon, new job with bosses/coworkers who appreciate and understand my drive–was really a year when I tried to navigate dealing with massive anxiety. I developed good and bad habits of handling this and then had to back pedal in a lot of ways so that I could try to move forward in 2017.

My resolutions for 2017 are geared toward self care, mostly. They include the following:

• stable night routine to promote better sleep
• improve my morning routine habits to include more time to focus on things that fill me with gratitude
• continue my healthy diet/exercise habits, because they make me feel more successful than I actually am
• find ways to use my voice and privilege to promote good journalism, human rights, diversity, and compassion

So the last goal is lofty and vague, but with the current political climate in the country, I need to find ways to give myself hope for the future–for my future, my niece and nephew’s, for Amudha’s, for my family’s, for the people I love and interact with in Arkansas. 

There are some amazing things ahead for 2017, but there’s also a fight ahead. I’d like to think the new year will give us some motivation to get started. What are you doing to promote self care and expression in 2017?