My Word For 2022: ENERGY

Do you choose a word for each year? I haven’t in the past. I typically create a small goal for each month (see 12 little monthly goals for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) because I like the idea of small things at which I can chip away, rather than one giant commitment. 365 days feels too long… 

But this year I decided to also add in one main theme for those 12 monthly goals. My word for 2022?

ENERGY. 

I was inspired by a few things. First, I’ve recently been re-introduced into sleepland. YAY! Dayton started sleeping 12 hours through the night recently.

After a sleep-deprived third trimester of pregnancy followed by 3 months of newborn life, I forgot how fantastic I feel after a great night of sleep. Now that I’m sleeping through the night again, I feel excited during the day. I’m having fun setting fitness goals and I just feel like me again. Getting enough sleep made me think about how important my energy levels are in my life. 

I also chose this word based on inspiration from a book I just read. It’s called I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan To Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life. It’s by Dr. Amy Shah, a beautiful and vibrant woman with glowing skin and a fit body; she writes in a no-nonsense and fun way, and I can imagine that’s how she speaks when she’s working  with her clients. She specializes in food sensitivities and gut health and hormones.

As I was reading it, I found myself thinking: what would day-to-day life feel like if I had 10% more energy? Or maaaaybe 20% more?

Right now, I wake up most mornings feeling tired, and my brain is in a fog until I’ve drained my first cup of strong coffee.

In the afternoons, I always want to take a nap (it usually doesn’t happen) and I crave sugar around 3:00 pm.

After Nate and I have put the boys to bed home at the end of the day, I want to be able to have a meaningful conversation with him. But I typically feel too cranky or sleepy to talk much.  

I tell myself that I’m doing fine; I sleep 8 hours a night and eat fairly healthy(ish). My energy levels are pretty good. And I have the excuse of being a mom of two babies. That takes a lot of energy, so always being a little bit tired is definitely normal. 

But what if I could change that? People say having two young kids means that you’re “in the thick of it” and you’re supposed to feel like there’s never enough energy to go around. Buuuuut what if even when my boys are 5 and 7, or 13 and 15, and 22 and 24 I still feel a little tired and sluggish?  It couldn’t hurt to try to improve my energy levels now. 

And so….here’s the plan: 

My focus word for 2022 is energy. How I create it, how I save it, and how I use it. I want to see if I can generate more calm energy in my body. What are the funnest ways to spend my energy? (Spoiler: I spend a lot of it on wasteful things right now, like overthinking my clothing choices and NOT having a closet of easy, beautiful clothes to quickly grab.) Friendships, cooking, to-do lists, fitness goals, sleep…those are all within the realm of my word this year. 

I chose the word ENERGY because I deserve to live a life full of it. I want to treat myself to a clear mind, a strong body, and inspired emotions.

I also want to improve my energy levels because I love my children, and I want to show up for them. When I get them out of their cribs in the morning, I want them to be greeted by a mom who is alert and engaged, not groggy and foggy.

And finally, I love Nate so much. There are so many experiences I want to share with him in this life. I think that I could enjoy even more of those if I figure out a way to generate more energy in my day-to-day life. I want Nate to be married to a woman who is full of energy.

I’m so excited to share my 12 monthly goals with you, because they’re all consistent with energy. I have some really fun plans for this year!

I’ll publish my 12 monthly goals post tomorrow. For now, here are some of my goals from previous years:

12 Monthly Goals for 2018

12 Monthly Goals for 2019

12 Monthly Goals for 2020

12 Monthly Goals for 2021

I’m off to spend the day with my two little boys. (They are growing entirely too quickly…Dayton is zooming out of this newborn stage.) I’m sure we’ll be at a playground somewhere around Austin today. Enjoy your day! xx