And why this year isn’t about doing more
There’s something quietly rebellious about choosing less pressure in a world that constantly tells you to do more.
More goals.
More productivity.
More self-improvement.
More fixing.
So before I say what I’m choosing more of in 2026, I want to be clear about what this isn’t.
This isn’t a resolutions post.
This isn’t a glow-up plan.
This isn’t a “new year, new me” moment.
This is a gentle, grounding pause — a soft choosing of how I want life to feel.
This Year Isn’t About Becoming Someone Else
Every January, there’s this invisible pressure that creeps in.
The pressure to overhaul your body.
The pressure to suddenly become disciplined, motivated, unstoppable.
The pressure to prove that this is the year everything changes.
And honestly? I’m tired of that narrative.
Every year I feel that familiar nudge — you should really start losing weight now.
And yes, I know I probably should.
But I’m also… okay.
I’m allowed to be okay with my body as it is while still knowing change can come later — in my own time, not because January told me I had to hate myself into transformation.
2026 isn’t about fixing myself.
It’s about living with a little more kindness.
Letting Go of Unrealistic Expectations
Somewhere along the way, we started expecting ourselves to live like we don’t have responsibilities.
To wake up early, meditate, journal, exercise, meal prep, work, parent, create, and still feel calm and fulfilled.
That’s… not real life.
I’m choosing to let go of the expectation that I should be doing everything perfectly.
I’m choosing to stop measuring my worth by how much I get done in a day.
Some days will be productive.
Some days will be survival mode.
Both are allowed.
More Rest (Even If It’s Only in Small Pieces)
Rest doesn’t always look like a full day off.
Especially not with work, overtime, and life doing its thing.
So I’m being realistic.
More rest in 2026 might look like:
- Sitting down with a hot drink instead of rushing
- Going to bed when I’m tired instead of scrolling
- Letting myself stop without explaining why
Even five quiet minutes count.
Rest doesn’t have to be earned.
It doesn’t have to be productive.
And it doesn’t have to last long to matter.
Choosing Small Joys on Purpose
Not the big, Instagram-worthy moments.
The tiny ones.
The ones that don’t need documenting or justifying.
- A really good cup of tea
- Music playing while I cook
- The feeling of fresh bedding
- A laugh that catches me off guard
These are the moments that actually carry me through the year — and I want to notice them more instead of brushing past them.
Joy doesn’t always announce itself loudly.
Sometimes it whispers.
Space Without Guilt
This one might be the hardest.
I don’t get much time away from the kids — and that’s just life right now.
But I’m learning that space doesn’t have to mean leaving the house.
Sometimes it’s just:
- An hour alone in my bedroom
- Reading without interruptions
- Sitting quietly without being needed
And I’m trying to let myself have that space without guilt.
Resting doesn’t make me selfish.
Taking space doesn’t make me absent.
It makes me human.
A Quiet Moment I Didn’t Plan For
When I planned this post to publish today — 12th January — I didn’t connect the dots straight away.
Then it hit me.
It’s my dad’s anniversary.
Fourteen years.
Fourteen years since he passed away, and somehow it still catches me off guard how heavy that number feels.
So today, before choosing anything else, I’m choosing guilt-free space.
Space to cry.
Space to miss him.
Space to talk out loud to him about what’s been happening — because I still do that, and no, it doesn’t feel silly to me.
Grief doesn’t follow schedules.
It doesn’t care about blog calendars or productivity plans.
And this year, I’m allowing myself to honour that without rushing past it.
What I’m Really Choosing in 2026
I’m choosing:
- Slower days where I can
- Softer expectations
- Presence over pressure
- Life first — always
I’m not chasing a perfect version of myself.
I’m choosing to meet myself where I am.
And that feels like more than enough.
Let’s Talk 🤍
If this year feels heavy… you’re not alone.
If you’re choosing gentleness instead of goals… I see you.
If you’re just trying to get through the days with a little more peace — that counts.
Come chat with me.
What are you choosing more of this year?
No fixing.
No pressure.
Just real life.
The Reading Nook 