LIFE GOALS FOR 2023 & where have I been
Hey!
How are you doing? Long time no see! I don’t remember the last time I shared a new post, and I’m too scared to look it up. Because of that, today I wanted to share a quick life update AKA why I’ve been away and what I want to focus on during 2023. I have several life goals and aspirations for the new year, and I hope they can inspire you, too!
If you like the content I create here, check out my Instagram @xocaligo! I share beauty and lifestyle content on my feed and cute cat pics on my stories.
✨ where have I been ✨
During late summer and autumn, I was focused on work and “getting the bag” to the point I felt burnt out. Then a few days before my birthday, I lost my oldest kitty, Lizzy, to cancer and dementia. She turned 20 years old just a month before her death, and I knew this would be her last year as she had large tumours on her ribs, but there was nothing to be done – the vet was afraid she’d die on the operating table. I never thought I’d lose my friend so quickly and suddenly, and I’m sad that I wasn’t next to her when she passed, as it happened in the early morning hours. It was painful for everyone involved, and I honestly haven’t fully processed her passing as I just threw myself into work, but I’ll get there eventually.
Photo by Marek Levak on Pexels.
From late October til early December, I had back and leg pain, and couldn’t sit or stand up.
I somehow got a cramp or something similar in my lower back, which subsequently caused pain in my left leg. I had cramps in my leg, too, though my leg had been a bit stiff for a while at that point. My recovery took much longer than it should’ve, as I walked and sat despite the pain at the beginning of my illness. Long story short, I was more ill than I’ve ever been, and I’m glad it is now over.
I learned my lesson, and now I know how important it is to take care of yourself.
I invested in a better computer chair and work table to ensure I’m sitting correctly, and I also try to move around and get at least 30 minutes of daily exercise. (And take magnesium supplements to prevent future cramps – it is helping!)
While I was laying in bed, I thought long and hard about work-life balance and what it looks like for me. If I’d had a better work-life balance, I doubt I would’ve had these issues! Of course, I’m thankful for my job and its flexibility, but it is precisely flexibility that makes it easy for someone like me to get into unhealthy cycles. I wouldn’t change a thing about my job, but this year I will change my daily rhythm and priorities to ensure I’m healthy physically and mentally. (Honestly, though – prioritise taking care of yourself!)
Now I have almost fully recovered, though my leg still feels a bit sore.
Thankfully, my leg pain is improving every day, especially when I exercise and walk around more. I don’t have any back pain anymore, though, and I’m deeply thankful for that. As I mentioned previously, I got a new computer chair and work table, but the work table is yet to be delivered. The chair already makes a huge difference, and I can’t wait to share my new back-friendly work station in a future blog post!
I also have to buy a new mattress, since mine has worn out. If you’ve had back issues, what type of mattress do you recommend? I’ve only had foam ones and I’m thinking of buying a new foam mattress, but I’ve also read interesting things about pocket spring mattresses!
Photo by Алеся Горбунова on Pexels.
✨ my life goals & resolutions for 2023 ✨
My goals and “resolutions” for 2023 include taking care of my health and having hobbies. I also want to work smarter, not harder, and save money to make some necessary purchases. By the way, I can’t speak about my previous new year’s resolutions and compare them to this year’s as I don’t remember them anymore. The only one I remember is “life balance”, and I have yet to achieve it!
1. Take time each day to care for my mind, body and life.
I want to spend time every day to take care of myself as I often neglect myself, which then affects every aspect of my life and health. I want to read stimulating books, move my body, do random chores I know will improve my life and do things that will benefit me in the future.
2. Learn how to play the guitar.
This year I want to spend time on my hobbies, including playing guitar! I don’t know how to play it, but I’ve found some seemingly promising apps. I’d love to restart playing piano, but it is an expensive purchase, so that will have to wait until the end of the year.
3. Get work-life balance in check.
It is easy to lose and hard to regain! I also want to balance my work and not concentrate on only one aspect of it, which I have been guilty of in the past year.
4. Create many baskets AKA diversify income.
I have many ideas on how to do that, and I hope it will work out. Are you thinking about this, too?
5. Have self-care moments every week.
For me, self-care ranges from a shopping spree to deep cleaning my bathroom to taking a bath and doing a face mask. It truly depends on the time of year and the season of life.
6. Declutter everything before the move.
My mum and I want to move to Czech Republic within the next year or two, and we have far too many things to lug around.
7. Spend one day per week working on my future.
This goal can range from exercise to developing new hobbies, organizing a closet, or learning how to make sushi- my future me will thank me either way!
8. Spend one day per week to work on my side hustles.
I know my side hustles will take more time than just one day, but that’s not the thought behind this resolution. Through this, I can learn how to set boundaries, structure my time, and ensure I have one day each week to create an even better future for myself!
9. Take care of dinner daily.
Usually in my home we split chores equally, but these past couple of months, my poor mum was an angel and took care of everything as I couldn’t leave the bed. Now that I’m healthy, I can restart my chores and take on dinner duties, too! Maybe I’ll start sharing my dinner recipes with y’all… Would you like to see them?
10. Prepare for the move to Czech Republic.
This is the toughest goal as it combines saving money, diversifying income, decluttering the apartment, figuring out all the logistics and also learning the Czech language and stuff about their culture.
11. Go on a walk or run every day.
I remember how hard it was a year ago to go on a daily walk, but I also remember how happy I felt when I did that, so I want to start doing it again. Eventually I also want to go on runs, but that’ll start only in spring or summer – I don’t want to break my neck on the icy pavements!
12. Don’t let myself get burnt-out.
The second toughest goal for 2023! Burnout is a devil that happens when you least expect it, but it doesn’t happen purely because of work. It happens to me when I have too many things on my mind that create an unbeatable monster: chores, work tasks, creative ideas, sudden changes, everyday errands, hobbies, world events, family drama, etc. However, there are ways I can prevent it – I just have to sleep 7-9 hours a day, eat well, avoid news and take life one day at a time. Yeah… It ain’t easy.
Photo by Tereza Godina on Pexels.
I also have a list of other life goals for 2023, but I’ll share them as I achieve them.
These goals include things like stuff to buy, things to learn and one-and-done goals, like moving to the Czech Republic. I hope to talk about them as I reach them; in fact, I’ll try to share another post this week about the few mini-goals I’ve checked off already! Other than that, I also have some goals for my blog and social media, but I’ll talk about them later, perhaps at the end of the month.
How have you been lately? Do you have any new year’s resolutions? Leave a comment, let’s chat!
Until later,
xoCaligo
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This is not a sponsored post; all opinions are my own. I am not being paid to promote anything. Thumbnail photo by Алеся Горбунова on Pexels.
I'm a 23-year-old blogger girl from Riga, Latvia who enjoys different books, tasty food, cuddling with my cats, and reviewing cruelty-free beauty products!
This post is a perfect mix of informative and engaging.
Wow, this is a very thorough post for the new year. I’m glad your cramp got better. A new chair a work desk will help too, I’m sure. I’m for one are very interested in your new setup, as I just got a new desk too, in December.
Learning to play the guitar sounds really interesting, do you play any other instruments? Getting the work-life balance in check is quite hard. Hopefully the way you planned it, by breaking it down to smaller chunks, like taking a walk every day will help.
I’m glad you want to see my work setup! It’s coming along nicely and I’ll share it this Wednesday or Thursday, as I have to finish organizing and cleaning my room.
I used to play piano as a child, but I stopped after ~4 years for many reasons. I’d love to start playing again, but I’d have to buy a digital piano and it’s just too expensive for now, so I’ll learn guitar instead.
For now the work-life balance is going fairly well, mainly because I physically can’t sit for longer than an hour or two at a time. Once I feel leg pain, I do some chores that include standing and walking, and soon enough the pain is gone and I can work again! I feel like this pain is teaching me how to take care of myself better, and for that I am grateful.