New year Review: what is in and what is out for 2026

I am returning to my blog after a month long hiatus, and while we are well into the new year.

I keep saying I would like to come back here and write updates more often, but then I never do it. Yet I know this is something I would like to do, so I will make the time and put more effort into it.

After all, this is mainly a way for me to document my life, so who cares if my updates will be a little boring and not very creative at times. Right?

I don't necessarily make "New Year Resolutions", but I do have "resolutions", in the sense that I have goals and things I strive for, a need for something to push me to avoid repeating the same year over and over again.

Since I have learnt that adding without removing ends up in being overwhelmed and stuck, I will once again do this in the format of "what is in and what is out".

In

Exercise. For real. I keep starting an exercise streak, going for a few weeks, and then stopping for twice the number of weeks. I need to be consistent. For my health. I have an office job and sit all day, and this causes me all sort of health problems. Perhaps hire a personal trainer?
Eating healthy. For real. Something else I know I need to do and I want to do, but that I keep ignoring. I tend to stress eat. My hunger cues are messed up. I think salad is soggy grass and boring. But I really need to keep on mind that I am not getting any younger, and that healthy food means I improve my chances of being independent and feeling good for a longer time.
Mindfulness. Living in the present. Accepting that the past is gone and that the future is not under my control. Being thankful for the experiences I had, and appreciative of my life now. This is really tough for me and I might actually need to go back to therapy.
Documenting my life. Journal. Come back here more often and actually collect photos and memories.

Out

Doomscrolling. I don't even want to think about the amount of time I wasted making myself miserable while looking at the news and at posts on Bluesky and Mastodon. I will continue to be informed about what is happening to the news, but I will cut the unnecessary follow ups, comments reading, opinions, etc. This should free up a bunch of my time I can reinvest in my "Ins".
Alcohol and caffeine. Not that I have an addiction. I already only drink a couple of glasses of beer once per week, and coffee maybe 3 times per week. So it's not much and I don't feel like I need these. So why not get rid of them and only keep them for special occasions and a treat?
Spending money on stuff. I already have things. Far too many things, one would argue. I am going to stop buying things and keep my money for donations, gifts, travel and experiences.

I know my "ins" are pretty much the same as back in June, and I was inconsistent with all of them, and that my defective brain often struggles with self worth and with looking forward to experiencing life, but I can at least appreciate that I know where I want to be and that I am consistent with what I think should be in my life.

And my "ins" are all things I have been doing after all, and that I know how to do. I just need to love myself a little more consistently.

And it does feel weird to write that I look forward to experiencing a great year, considering all that is happening in the World right now, but I need and want to focus on what I can control.

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