By Heather Watts, Shamim Ahmed, and Kaitlyn Corlett
Midnight has struck, the ball has dropped, and we are well into a new year, and a new decade. While 2020 certainly challenged us (to put it lightly), we have learned a lot about ourselves and our world. The rhetoric around welcoming a new year usually surrounds what we need to improve upon; what we need to start doing more of in our lives to grow our success. It is important not only to think through habits and practices we want to shed as we step into the new year, habits and practices we want to take up or start, but also honour what has sustained us and what has served us well. We, at the Redefining Traditional Team invite you to re-think your approach to a New Year’s Resolution, and reflect on what you want to stop, what you want to start, and what you want to continue.
Heather:
When I reflect on the past twelve months and what I want to stop, start, and continue, I am realizing that 2020 has been a year that I have taken on a lot. In fact, I’ve been involved in more projects and work assignments than when we were working and going to school in-person.
- What I want to stop: saying yes to every opportunity or ask that comes my way. This requires me to value my time, experience and expertise more, and seek opportunities that will help me grow along my journey.
- What I want to start: prioritizing my inner growth by making time to engage in journaling and reading that feeds my soul. I want to read literature beyond what is asked of me on a course syllabus!
- What I want to continue: listening to my body. My body is a site that holds and processes my emotions, and I want to honour this and continue to be intentional about checking in on my physical wellbeing and emotional wellbeing.
Shamim:
Last year was difficult. Difficult for most of the people and I am no exception. Being a public health professional and a doctoral student on social and behavioural health sciences, coronavirus and its devastating effect on human body and mind, engaged me throughout the year to dig deeper and inquisitively investigate more and more to learn better about the virus. I am not sure how far I have been successful, but I tried my best. I have been vocal speaking about the important social acts that we needed to follow and the limitations we had throughout the year to tackle it adequately. Despite that, my personal wellbeing and PhD were affected by the outrageous global effect of coronavirus. In the coming year…
- What I want to stop: I would love to stop worrying. Last year, a lot of time I spent in worries, sadness, frustrations and depressions about many things. I know these are normal, and I am not ashamed of those moments, but I will try to give more focus on my mental health and physical fitness so that anxiety doesn’t win over peace and happiness. I will stop trying to do something that will not bring any fruits in the long run, rather put me in sorrow.
- What I want to start: I do not want to start something completely new this year. I don’t want to make promises to myself that I cannot keep. I will try to improve the quality of all the work I do, gradually, day by day. I will try to be a little happier than the day before. I will try to enjoy all the small things we have around us and will practice minimalism in my life as much as possible. I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
- What I want to continue: My role as a public health professional who wants to help and support people who are in need of it in terms of fighting coronavirus. I also want to keep up the fighting spirit within me to make progress in my PhD despite all the adverse effects. I want to continue listen more and speaking less and speaking only when it is absolutely necessary and when I have adequate knowledge to share with others. I will also continue my effort not to hurt a single soul, in any means.
Kaitlyn:
What I feel so grateful for is that there’s a lot that I want to continue. I think all of these intentions are in this ‘continue’ mindset as it feels so daunting just starting something from scratch! Since March, lockdown has forced me to address some patterns in my life that are going to take a long time to fully understand, acknowledge, and address through actions. So for me…
- What I want to stop: Feeling like I need to take everything on. From the work I do here, I know that work is better when it’s collaborative. I’m getting better at asking for help – and I want to do this more so that I can move into professional opportunities that challenge and excite me!
- What I want to start: Putting my desire for health and wellness into action. Over the last few years, my body has been through a lot! Exercising and physical wellness is complex and very emotional area of my life. In 2020 I made a stronger commitment in prioritizing my mental health and my relationship with food. In 2021, I want to transform this into physical practices and reading more into how much our bodies hold when we go through major life experiences. Yoga… walks… breathing exercises… the sky is the limit!
- What I want to continue: Investing in my passions and creativity that also support others. As an artist first and foremost, creativity and art is what fuels me in every area of my life. Even though I got my masters degree in Education – every single area of my work was rooted in the arts and arts-based practices and community development. I want to continue to believe in myself in 2021. That my creativity and visual arts practice is worthy. This is something I have actively been trying to be consistent in the Fall, and I am committed to continuing in this new year.
What might be your Stop, Start, Continue intentions for 2021? Drop them in the comments below, or join a conversation in our Facebook group!
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