I’ve had a weird writers block/imposter syndrome bout lately on substack and can’t seem to find the inspiration or ideas to follow through with. I just went looking through my drafts and found one from October last year called “things I’m trying: a dabble in changing my beliefs”. I’m combining that post with an ‘ins and outs for 2025’ that I also started writing a few weeks ago.

Normally for me the start of the year equals a real enthusiasm for resolutions, goals and lists of what I’m manifesting. I really just haven’t found the same gusto this year. I’ll always remember a few years ago asking my brother what he hoped to achieve that year, he thought about it and said “nothing really”. He was just simply content and present. I read somewhere that if you don’t feel yourself really wanting anything, then you should just practice gratitude for what you do have. Maybe I’m slowly bringing a little bit of that energy into my life? Maybe I’m just well and truly past my ‘self development phase’, maybe I am just living what I used to journal yearning for.

Anyway, I take you from that brain dump to my more gentle approach of things I’m welcoming in 2025 and things I’m trying:

• Embracing being ‘bored’:

  • You know that moment when you’re with someone and perhaps they duck back inside to get something, or you’re waiting for the traffic light to turn green, instead of pulling out my phone to ‘pass this time’, I’m practising just… existing.

  • Turning my phone off. A sense of relief washes over me when I do this and it’s remarkable how much time you feel as though you’re getting back.

• Hobbies:

  • My friends and I have started playing tennis every Monday and it’s one of the highlights of my week.

  • I’m in a real sudoku phase and am doing them every night before sleeping.

  • I’m training for a half marathon! I feel nervous saying this because last time I trained for one I had to pull out because of an injury, but I’m following a program and that’s the goal.

  • Water colouring: I got really into this over the Christmas/Summer break. I’m no good at it, but hopefully I’ll get better.

  • Using my journal more as a scrapbook and trying to write little gratitude lists every night.

• Releasing guilt…

  • When my productivity isn’t strictly between 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Repeat after me: I am not a robot :)

  • When the podcasts I’m listening to are not ‘productive’; although with that said I’ve started trying to introduce 1-2 educational podcasts a week and it certainly helps me to be more conversational.

• Movies:

  • This is my year of watching more films, I’m calling it. At home and at the movies. Let me know your must-sees, I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have seen it.

  • Agreeing to watch the show/movie my boyfriend chooses even when I’m not sold on the trailer/premise.

• To take my own time and future into my own hands

• To finally become a loafers girlie

Wish me luck!

See you in the next one x

All images via pinterest.