I was going to start this blog post by saying that every year in December, I set goals for the next year. But it seems like I didn’t do that here last year! And I wanted to shake it up a bit this time, anyway.
In previous years, I set maybe ten goals – some for academia, some for travelling, and whatever else I wanted to do. Since I had breast cancer surgery, then chemo and radiotherapy this year, December feels very much like a finishing line and I’ve spent the final couple of weeks of 2025 getting my breath back and repeating to myself that we made it. So the bar for the near future is pretty low. The only real goal I have for 2026 is to finish my PhD. And perhaps to take it easy and not be hard on myself. It’s understandable that my expected timeline for my PhD has been pushed back a bit. So I’m trying not to be too disappointed or even ashamed of that. I still worked on it this year despite cancer treatment. I’ve done really well. And I’d like to see it through to the end during this next year. By not setting other goals, I’m making this the priority. Of course, there are other things I hope will happen, like holidays, and I’ll be sure to take breaks. I’m also not going to set goals around things I can’t control. For example, staying healthy – that’s not a goal, it’s a hope. I can’t control it, so it isn’t featuring in my outlook for the year. Whatever happens will happen. I just want to finish my PhD and find calm and joy and self-care in between.
While I’m not setting a goal for it as such, something else I’d like to do is spend less time on social media and more time doing things that don’t involve screens. A friend gave me a The Office crochet kit to make my own Jim and Pam, but I’ve never crocheted anything before. This week I started learning and now I can make a sort of lopsided square-ish thing, which is more than I could do a couple of days ago. It’s been really fun doing something new with my hands. The same friend gave me a Magic Library to build, and I have a couple of new jigsaw puzzles too, as well as more books to add to my TBR pile. I have colouring books and journals and things as well, so I could make myself a little repository of things to do that aren’t scrolling. And I’m going to continue exploring autism and trying to lean into my wonderful, weird self. Of course, there are plenty of things to do that involve screens and are intentional, that I plan to continue. Like watching my favourite YouTubers and playing The Sims. No need to banish screens completely. I think “intentional” is a good word. Maybe my word for the year. Living with purpose – to complete my one goal for the year, and to find the joy in that and in resting and playing in between. Some years, I’ve felt fearful of the new year. I thought this time would be the same, remembering that in early January 2025 I found the lump. But for reasons I don’t see the need to examine too closely, I feel hopeful. Let’s take it easy, one thing at a time.
