2021 Yearly theme

Theme?

A theme is similar to a new year's resolution. Most folks set new year's resolutions to accomplish something, like losing weight. They're the reason gyms are packed in mid-January and ghost towns by April. A theme sets a broad direction, something to think about throughout the year. It's hard to fail at a broad direction, so you're less likely to avoid it. Any effort counts.

The idea comes from CGPGrey and Mike Hurley.

Previous theme

My 2020 yearly theme was "repair."

Many items in my life weren't working right. During the summer I used an old chopstick to start my fan, sinks were draining slowly, door hinges creaked, and the place was just noisy and cramped, I needed to get a BC drivers license. The list of minor inconveniences went on.

During the year of repair I fixed most of these things, then moved out of that flat! I consider this broadly a success, but there were some things that I didn't fix:

• My "main" laptop is still falling apart.
• I am still paying for a mess of infra.
• My body and mental health is in need of repair.

Part of this is due to the pandemic. I started physical therapy for my back, but that went out the window. However, I could have easily bought a new laptop and consolidated my infra.

Why "self care?"

During the last few years I have prioritised other things: my masters, emigration, my wedding, a large product launch at work, etc. The effects have been numerous:

• Depression, sometimes veering into suicidal thoughts
• Memory problems
• Anxiety
• Difficulty focussing at work
• I've been emotionally distant from my partner
• I've found it hard to talk about my emotions at all

Supporting me and looking after my emotions has taken a toll on my partner. It has taken them away from their dreams and goals. It's past time for me to start looking after myself properly again.

What is "self care?"

Self care means different things to different people. For me, it means building a strong foundation on which to grow. There are many things which I count as "self care:"

• Going to sleep on time.
• Decent food at regular times.
• Routine exercise.
• Hobbies like reading, board games, or playing musical instruments
• Keeping the flat clean.
• Tending to my important relationships.
• Other mental health activities, like journalling and meditation.
• Getting medical attention when I need it, rather than putting it off.

There are a lot of options for me to pick from, but they all "keep me functioning." They're things I might offer a friend if they were having a hard time.

This is not to say I'll do all of this. Maybe I'll only fix my sleep? That'll still be a win for me, because I'll be better off than I was before.

Other themes considered