The Winter Gloom

Our winter holidays have so much build-up whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. December is the month when it all comes to a head. Then you celebrate the new year! Afterward, everything seems much colder and drearier. It’s still cold, but the bright lights fade, leaving us feeling less festive.

How do we combat gloominess? Especially when – we Arkansans know – winter could last well into April or decide to finish in February only to make a comeback a couple of weeks later! We truly never know. I don’t know about you, but even my urge to drink cocoa is gone!

About Me
Most people get through it by having resolutions or deciding on a goal for the year. Gyms are packed in the first few months, and everyone’s fridges are filled with healthier foods.In this way, the beginning of the new year starts on a high positive for many. However, this often goes by the wayside quickly for many – we’re only human!

We have to work to hold onto that cozy feeling and plan spring gardens or vacations we want to go on in summer. Instead, we should let the cold days push us towards warmer ones because we know they’ll come! Good things always come around, even if things are drearier now.

Wishing You a Happy (and Productive) New Year!

I wanted to take a moment to talk about New Year’s resolutions. It has been a crazy year. Not just for me but for many people. I’ve lost loved ones, gotten more than one fantastic opportunity, and have had time to reevaluate what I want to accomplish moving forward into 2023. My most significant conclusion was the importance of focusing on myself—my health, my goals, and the gifts I have to offer the world.

I have talent, and it’s hard to say that out loud sometimes. But we should all shout from the rooftops that we all have gifts to give the world. Yes, we need to eat; no, we shouldn’t all quit our jobs and become starving artists, but maybe you can afford to cut a few hours at our job to go back to school. Perhaps you have enough saved from skipping Starbucks to get a Fitbit and start running in the mornings? It’s all about small steps toward big accomplishments. So that is my focus for 2023. I resolve to make headway on the things I want to achieve.

I’ve been writing a book since 2010, but it has never gotten anywhere because I have had too many real-life barriers and mental health hurdles to jump to get anywhere with the project. So, I beat myself up every single day about not progressing. Not just that, but about my weight, eating habits, and training goals with my dogs – leaving me feeling like a failure rather than looking at the steps I’ve made toward my larger goal.

So, for this year, what can you do to get where you want to be? Let’s all focus on ourselves a bit more and forgive ourselves for previous “New Years” that maybe we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do. Learning how best you work as an individual is just another step in the right direction of achieving what you set out to do.