2021: A Year in Review

As I look back and reminisce on what 2021 brought me, I realize that I had a pretty good year, but not without some hardships. At the beginning of 2021, I wrote a blog post with some of my goals for the year. As I read through them, there are a few that I absolutely crushed and a few that didn’t really happen, which is okay!

One goal in particular that caught my eye was to write more blog posts. In 2021, I took the plunge of shifting my focus from travel to IBD awareness. Through sharing my journey online I have gained an amazing and supportive community of IBD patients and caregivers, so thank you for reading along! I have also gained a better sense of awareness for myself and have been able to address some of the things holding me back in my waking life. I feel so proud to be bringing awareness to a disease that people know so little about.

I also did make my goal of moving out a reality. While it wasn’t easy to venture out on my own with the added responsibility of taking care of a house and my health at the same time, I have learned a lot from the experience and grown to be more independent. I remember thinking at the time that moving out would be the best experience ever, but it has been difficult to say the least. Nonetheless, I now know what I can afford and what I want my future home to look like.

By far, the toughest part about 2021 was losing my family dog about two weeks after I moved out. It felt like my entire world was imploding. She was my best friend and she passed away during a time when I really needed her. It took me a couple months to recover from that, but I eventually found my groove and remind myself everyday that the time we had with her was irreplaceable. It’s never easy losing someone or something you love so dearly.

Looking ahead to 2022, there are a few things that I want to accomplish. As I sat down to write my list of goals, I realized that I always write the same material things (pictured above). This time around I want to try something different. This year, I want my goals to reflect my wellbeing, which include:

• Letting go of my fears
• Doing things outside of my comfort zone
• Putting myself out there
• Gaining my self-confidence back
• Tapping into my adventurous side
• Not being afraid to live my life to the fullest

I spent much of 2021 living in a constant state of anxiety, not only due to the pandemic, but out of fear of my disease flaring up. Living this way does not serve me well. I constantly have to remind myself that I am young and have so many years ahead of me. The world is my oyster, but I sure haven’t been acting like it. I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to live an amazing life just because I have a chronic illness. I think by changing my outlook and shifting my focus to the things that I CAN do with chronic illness, I can accomplish anything I want to this year, and so can you!

Cheers to a healthy and safe 2022!

What are your goals/resolutions for 2022?