There Is No Box This Year.

 By Katie Leigh Matthews, 1/3/2023

1. When overwhelmed, cultivate a sense of wonder and awe.

2. Downsize your obligations to the bare minimum.

Let’s take a quick inventory of your daily tasks: How much of your life consists of things you want to do? How much of it is stuff you have to do? 

3. Breathe out more often and schedule “outbreaths” into your daily routines. 

If you find yourself overwhelmed more often than not, try scheduling unstructured and unencumbered downtime in the coming year. And you can start with breathing… 

4. “Less is more” — leave more things undone.

This is the ultimate anti-resolution — so less, not more. We already put so much pressure on ourselves. 

This year, try easing up on yourself. It can be a really hard habit to break, but make it your mission to prove to yourself that you can tackle your to-dos without your inner self yelling at you. 

Your sensitivity will probably sound the alarms over all the problems this will cause, but that’s only because we tend to see all the possible negative outcomes clearly and severely. Comfort your sensitive nerves with the promise that it will be okay to leave the dishes undone or the email unanswered… at least for the time being. 

 Practice affirming who you are and the sensitivity you bear. It’s a gift for you and the world. You can start by writing down all the reasons you’re thankful for being a highly sensitive person — your empathy, your listening skills, your creativity, and so on. 

5. Spend more time indulging in things you enjoy, like alone time.

 Things like rest, nature, alone time, and artistic expression. It’s also probably taking time to do nothing at all (which is still something!) in order to recharge.

So take note of how you deprive your sensitive self and take steps to gently and indulgently nourish yourself back into balance this year. 

7. Commit to being more open to new experiences and ideas.

This year, experiment with being open to new experiences and ideas. Open to new ways of caring for yourself. Open to being more authentic with your sensitive self out in the world. 

8. Get more rest — really prioritize it.

Make the radical revolution of rest in a world that is aching for. First and foremost, highly sensitive people should rest more. We are worth the rest we require. 

We must prioritize the care of our sensitive natures.