In 2015 I've already accomplished a few things: I've gotten into a habit of reading more (you can see that on my 50 book pledge), I've gotten into a exercise while watching youtube videos habit (which you can see on my fitocracy profile I quite honestly find it encouraging to find more friends using this site), and I've been really enjoying some of the volunteer activities I've been engaging in (helping to organize GOBfest which is Edmonton's Board Game Convention coming up March 28 & 29, being involved with NAHLA [Northern Alberta Health Libraries Association] and other library associations, doing Kiwanis things etc.).
But this doesn't mean that 2015 is stress-free. Indeed, sometimes these activities as enjoyable as they are on occasion cause me stress — both in a good way and sometimes not. It's occasionally hard to remember that there's only so much I can personally change and have control over — and that I needn't worry about that which I cannot. This should probably also be said about the job hunt and the stress that has somewhat dissipated more recently (but which is still there to a certain extent) with relation to finding the right way to spend my employed time in the search to eventually put one or more of my university degrees to some use (not that they're not already very useful — and I don't just mean useful in the answering trivia questions sense, though they are that too! 🙂 ).
Life is always an interesting balancing act: trying to remember to spend time on myself as well as on other things, trying to remember to say no and not to get overwhelmed with too many things to do. There are always so many forces pulling a person one way or another. But I think it's important not to be too tied to obligations or expectations, even of one's self. Instead it's kind of important to take a deep breath now and then and celebrate the little accomplishments like the fact that I seem to be cooking ever so slightly more often than before, or the fact that I'm actually succeeding at improving some of the accouterments of my apartment as time goes by (furniture, decor etc.). One cannot do it all, and I can't expect myself to do so much that I burn myself out. Instead I need to focus on the little things.
And sometimes the little things simply mean writing the occasional blog post like this one.