My word of the year in 2021 was expand—and oh how this resonates with the way my life has become aligned with some deep intentions, prayerful discernment and straight up, scary courage. But it’s all been worth it.
Count it All Joy
This year didn’t get off to the grand start I’d envisioned especially with the word I chose for 2022: commence. My intention to kickstart the year in a fashion fit for my new beginning did t quite turnout with a splash. But it did begin with a thud, a hard crash rather. I lost my baby boy, Nova a few days before Christmas and went through an unexpected end to a friendship shortly after the new year commenced. In other words, these losses caused what otherwise would be a bright start in a new year to be a dark closet where I hid in a cloud of grief and sadness.
10 Ways to Manage Depression
Covid-19 caught nearly all of us by surprise, leaving us ripped of our routines, schedules and normal circumstances — everything we typically rely on for stability and consistency. If we weren’t already prone to or struggling with depression, COVID-19 certainly stirred up prime circumstances for depression to show up (many of us without any prior experience with mental illness or the coping skills to deal with it in healthy ways).
Worry: The Joy-Stealer
Not all worries are created equal. For instance: “Will I be able to feed my family for the week” or “Will I lose my job now that they’ve cut costs significantly?” These worries, while not helpful, are warranted; they also keep us on our toes so we become vigilant against our fears (by resourcing ourselves against perceived threat).