Honestly last year got away from me a bit. We had lots of things going on…baseball tournaments, family travel, a big trip to Japan which was incredible. I’ll be honest, I also ate whatever, didn’t sleep enough, and just kept going without really stopping to check in with myself. I told myself it was fine. It wasn’t fine.

Then my body stopped asking nicely. My Trigeminal Neuralgia flared up worse than it has in years. I was frustrated,I’d been doing so well for so long and somehow I’d slipped back into old patterns without even noticing. Pushing my own needs aside, missing every signal my body was sending, just getting through the day on autopilot.

So this year looks a little different.

Food, Nourishing Without Overthinking

This year isn’t about restriction. I’m leaning into a Mediterranean inspired way of eating, simple meals, real ingredients, nothing that makes me feel heavy or guilty after. I’m not following a strict plan, just trying to pay attention to how food actually makes me feel and go from there.

I’m also trying to actually tune in rather than just follow a plan. Sometimes what my body needs is a quiet moment, a walk outside, or just a few deep breaths. I’m looking for a rhythm that actually fits my life rather than something I have to force myself to stick to.

Movement wise I’m keeping it simple too. Walks outside, gentle stretching, slow yoga. Anything that brings me back into my body without wiping me out. I’ve let go of the pressure for intense workouts, that’s not what I need right now and I’m okay with that.

Emotions, Actually Feeling Them

I realized somewhere in the middle of last year that I’d been in survival mode for way too long. So busy just getting through the day that I stopped checking in with how I was actually doing. There were stretches where I just felt numb and disconnected, like I was floating through life without really being in it.

So this year I will be giving myself more space to actually feel things. Cry when I need to. Laugh more. Sit with my emotions instead of just powering past them. It sounds simple but for someone who’s spent years just pushing through, it’s actually a big shift.

I also started cutting back on social media. I noticed how drained and scattered it left me most times so I’m setting intentional off times, no scrolling during certain hours. More face to face, more just being present. It’s made a noticeable difference already.

Choosing Presence Over Pressure

Worrying has always been my thing, especially when I feel like I’ve lost control. But I’ve learned the hard way that stress only makes things worse, especially with chronic pain. This year, I’m choosing to pause. To breathe. To use tools that ground me, like journaling or practicing a moment of calm outside.

I’m reminding myself that I don’t need to do everything or be everything. I just need to show up, with intention, with love, and with the awareness that healing happens in small, everyday choices.

Connection and Rest

Mentally, I’ve learned that I need to simplify to feel clear. Last year, my mind felt like a constant storm of worries and endless to-do lists. This year, I’m working on letting go, of perfection, of pressure, and of the idea that I need to do it all. I’m embracing the fact that progress, no matter how small, is enough.

Something I want to be more intentional about this year is connection, actually showing up for the people who matter rather than just being in the same room as them. Real conversations, real presence, saying yes to the people who fill me up and no to the things that don’t. And rest. Actual rest. Not the kind where you’re lying down but still scrolling, real rest that actually restores you. I can’t keep pouring into everyone else and leaving nothing for myself. I’ve said that a hundred times and this year I’m actually trying to mean it.

Simply Salt & Soul

The Salt (The Science): When we’re completely burnt out what’s actually happening in the body is called allostatic load, the cumulative wear and tear from staying in chronic stress for too long. Gentle movement and anti-inflammatory foods physically signal to the nervous system that it’s safe to stand down. That lowers cortisol and shifts the body out of survival mode so it can actually start repairing and absorbing nutrients properly. Rest isn’t laziness, it’s literally what allows healing to happen.

The Soul (The Wellness): There’s a difference between wanting to improve yourself and actually taking care of yourself. Self improvement often comes from a place of not feeling like enough. Self care comes from a place of this matters and I’m worth protecting. This year I’m trying to look at my health that way. Not as a project to fix but as something worth actually tending to. That shift in how I think about it changes everything.