Chasing Loving Myself Instead of Unrealistic Resolutions

The new year is well underway and I think we all could use a check-in already. How are you feeling? 

Every January 1st, it seems like we’re pressured to create a ‘new you’—to start fresh, set big goals, and become someone different. Sometimes, these resolutions aren’t rooted in what we truly want but in societal expectations or even criticisms, we’ve internalized. We set unrealistic goals, fall short, and then beat ourselves up for it.

What if, instead of criticizing ourselves and trying to become something different, we leaned into self-acceptance and embraced all our parts?This year, I am turning inward as I focus on loving myself and living authentically for lasting joy and contentment. I don’t need to reinvent myself, I just need to become a more whole version of myself.

Loving Myself More

In this month’s Substack article, I write about how the trauma and loss I’ve experienced throughout my life has shaped not only who I am but also my career as a science writer and how I connect with others. Time and again, I find myself returning to love—both as a guiding force and a raison d’etre; a reason for being that I’ve come to more fully embody through this journey.

While I feel deeply called to extend love and compassion to others, I’ve come to an important realization: I deserve that same love too. Part of honoring that truth means learning to protect my space and energy with greater care. My body has been whispering to me and as I’ve started listening, it’s changing who I am in powerful ways.

Joy and Contentment Quotient Inventory*
(JCQ-Inventory)

In my latest article, I have also included a short yet powerful survey that was designed to help you reflect on your current state of well-being, specifically on your feelings of joy and contentment in your daily life. My wish is that it helps you discern what areas in your life you would truly want growth in. I invite you to take this assessment as a first step to self-awareness and self-love.

Join the Healing Together Community

Are you longing for community? Through my Substack, I’m dedicated to creating a respectful and compassionate space where we can connect, share, and support one another. I warmly invite you to join me and be part of this growing community.

Right now, all my articles on Substack are free, and it’s a great time to get involved as we shape this supportive space together. Your presence and engagement mean the world to me! (In the future, I’ll be offering additional content, activities, and conversations for paid subscribers. If you want to support my work as a paid subscriber right now as we build this meaningful community together, thank you!)

And if you want many more strategies and neuroscience-based writing prompts, drawing exercises, and visualization practices to help you work through any unhealed trauma, might I suggest picking up a copy of my latest book, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Guided Journal and check out my Writing-to-Heal workshops here. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported my work and continues to do so—I’m so grateful to be able to share my ideas with you. I truly believe in your ability through love and compassion, to bring about meaningful change, in your lives and others.

Yours,

Donna

[*The Joy and Contentment Quotient Inventory was created by Jackson Nakazawa, D. and Sanzone, M. 2013. First Published in The Last Best Cure by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. New York: Hudson Street Press.]