Micro Changes and Commitments!

Hello there!

Happy New Year! I love a new year, a fresh start, even if it’s a bit fraught right from the beginning as 2025 seems to be. I’ve also really shifted how I move into a new year as I’ve gotten older. Before I became a mother, I had a lot more energy to set goals and make hard and fast changes on the first day of the year. Now I try to be so much softer. I do think my work in life is to get softer and softer and softer, then softer some more. I’m starting to recognize this in others too (any other Enneagram 3s out there? I’m looking at you!). I can tell that my inner work is working when I don’t feel as drawn to people and situations that appear to be flawless or perfect. For me, it means that I’ve healed a part inside that believes that I’m only worthy if I’m perfect.

All of that being said, I’ve decided to recommit to my writing practice. Those of you who have been here since the beginning know I used to blog weekly (!!!) and I truly loved that phase of my life. I know deep down my current capacity would not allow for that frequency, but I’m committing to twice a month to see how that feels. There is much I want to share with you, and I also want to prioritize my work outside of client sessions again. It’s so easy for important things to get lost right now with all we are witnessing and consuming and experiencing, and I want to make sure I continue to keep my values in focus.

I’ve been thinking a lot about small changes and foundational aspects of our relationships to ourselves and the people we love most. Small changes can have huge impacts (see below about the new book I’ve started!) in both directions—positive and negative. I’m curious right now about how tiny micro changes we make in our lives will ultimately have huge shifts for us. Are there aspects of how you are showing up that have fallen to the wayside that you might want to adjust this year? Are there parts of your relationships that aren’t getting the attention they need, but could really benefit from small changes?

This year, my plan is to get back to basics. Here’s what that looks like for me:
1) Moving away from social media. Y’all, it’s a mess out there. I have been noticing what a toll being on social media takes on my nervous system and also how difficult it is for me to maintain a sense of balance with it. It’s all or nothing, and I don’t like how that feels. I also want to show up with interesting thoughts that aren’t influenced by how people might receive them (or influenced at all for that matter). When I spend too much time there, I lose myself and feel disoriented about what I think. It might sound silly, but it's a bit like a fun house with those wild mirrors and right now, I'm drawn to clarity and calm. I feel much more called to share with my email list and blog, and interact in real ways with people who are invested in this work.
2) I’m reading a LOT more. I started this in the last quarter of 2024, and I love it. When I was in the newborn stage of parenting, reading was a luxury I couldn’t afford. However, it fills me in ways that other things don’t, and I have figured out how to stay awake for a bit after the kids go to bed :) My first two books of the year were The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods, and The Evolved Nest: Nature’s Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities. I also just started Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Habits & Break Bad Ones, which is very compelling. I have also been utilizing our local library system as much as I can these past few months, and I appreciate the ways in which it’s rewiring my brain to think ahead about which books I’d like to read and be patient and wait instead of engaging in instant gratification. I created a book list on Bookshop and will keep up with it through the year if you’re interested in purchasing books from that site and funding independent book stores, or just checking out what I've been reading.
3) Finding ways to be creative. Aside from writing more consistently, I’m also committed to embroidering regularly and expanding that practice—it’s enjoyable for me, it’s easy to take wherever I go, and it’s regulating for my nervous system, not to mention that the finished product is beautiful. I’m determined to learn more about free hand embroidery and trying some new patterns as well.
4) Moving my body. Again, so much of this is about committing to something and sticking with it, which is especially difficult when I feel overwhelmed by all that I perceive I need to do (plus everything I actually have to do). But when I have taken time to go for a walk or do a quick strength work out, I really do feel better and have more energy for everything else.
5) Finally, I’m excited to continue my inner work—both related to therapy and coaching, and also personally. I’m looking forward to taking some new trainings and broadening my skills, and I have some relational dynamics I want to work on and heal because they keep snagging me in my personal life, and it’s an energy leak I don’t want to continue.

Of course, all of these are small, daily commitments. They aren’t sparkly and fancy. They are humble. But I feel confident that if I show up for these commitments, my life is going to change positively and I’m going to feel proud about the work I do this year. I also can’t help but believe that they are going to shift my relationships too, and the people in my life will be able to tell that I’m doing things differently this year.

I would love to hear what you’re up to this year, and how you are moving slowly and softly into the new year. Do you have any micro changes you are planning to make this year?

I really appreciate being here with you. Here’s to a year of commitments, small adjustments, and lots of love for each other and this world.

Big hugs,

Elizabeth