Every New Year brings its own set of unexpected adventures, and 2024 has certainly started with a bang—or should we say, a squawk? Picture this: a flock of drunken birds dive-bombing from the sky, giving new meaning to "when life gives you lemons." But instead of lemons, it's fermented apples from my very own Tacoma neighborhood. Join us in the latest episode of Mental Break it Down, where we swap stories of technical glitches and tipsy avian invaders that remind us all to find the humor in life's messy moments.
As we laugh off the remnants of apple warfare, we also take a moment to ponder the heavy weight of New Year's resolutions. This year, we're tossing out those rigid expectations and instead, embracing the gentler art of setting intentions. Hear about our own journeys toward self-compassion, whether it's through adopting a word of the year or aligning our aspirations with our strengths. We're not just talking about change; we're redefining it—away from the societal pressure cooker and into a space that honors the unique paths we each tread. So grab a cup of something soothing and settle in for a conversation that's all about nurturing growth, embracing curiosity, and finding the grounding spirituality that speaks to you.
Instagram @mentalbreakitdown
Email: mentalbreakitdown@gmail.com
Logo Artwork: artofandoy.com
Connect with us of you have questions, want to be on the podcast, or have topics you want discussed!
Every New Year brings its own set of unexpected adventures, and 2024 has certainly started with a bang—or should we say, a squawk? Picture this: a flock of drunken birds dive-bombing from the sky, giving new meaning to "when life gives you lemons." But instead of lemons, it's fermented apples from my very own Tacoma neighborhood. Join us in the latest episode of Mental Break it Down, where we swap stories of technical glitches and tipsy avian invaders that remind us all to find the humor in life's messy moments.
As we laugh off the remnants of apple warfare, we also take a moment to ponder the heavy weight of New Year's resolutions. This year, we're tossing out those rigid expectations and instead, embracing the gentler art of setting intentions. Hear about our own journeys toward self-compassion, whether it's through adopting a word of the year or aligning our aspirations with our strengths. We're not just talking about change; we're redefining it—away from the societal pressure cooker and into a space that honors the unique paths we each tread. So grab a cup of something soothing and settle in for a conversation that's all about nurturing growth, embracing curiosity, and finding the grounding spirituality that speaks to you.
Instagram @mentalbreakitdown
Email: mentalbreakitdown@gmail.com
Logo Artwork: artofandoy.com
Connect with us of you have questions, want to be on the podcast, or have topics you want discussed!
Welcome to Mental Break it Down, a podcast for therapists and the therapy curious where we dig into all things mental health and mental health adjacent. We're so happy you're here, let's jump in. You're recording. Yeah, you hear Down a little bit because Missing with the tape On our backup mics because we've been going through it Today has been a day. The day has been daying.
Speaker 2:We're four days in. We're four days into the year.
Speaker 1:We've been trying to record for an hour and a half 90 minutes. Yes, this is our Thank you for the reframe.
Speaker 2:This is our 8,000 time of trying.
Speaker 1:Yes, let's hear it.
Speaker 2:Oh, I have too much ice in here. It's not really Take a drink.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're going to be new year. Our focus right Like thing isn't working. Our mics weren't working. Our recording program wasn't working. My computer flashed bright fluorescent peak, which I hate, and then shut down. I'm now sweaty. I was perfectly fine before.
Speaker 2:Sam was about to have a conniption.
Speaker 1:It's like if there's a button available for me to rage, quit life, I would have done it just then. I just needed a break and meanwhile you're sitting here seeing all these songs, giving me earworms while I'm trying not to break my computer in half.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood.
Speaker 1:It was not working.
Speaker 2:Here we are, here we are, we survived.
Speaker 1:You don't have to be so close to the mic. I know I'm like Relax, okay, it's okay.
Speaker 2:There we go. We're great. Am I okay, great?
Speaker 1:Woo-hoo, woo-woo-woo, how are you? I'm okay, how are you? Before this, I was mentally good. Physically I'm in a beef with my body. Right now, I'm also in a one-sided fight with birds. Oh, at my house. So that was my morning.
Speaker 2:I saw your car yesterday. I can see why. I can see why.
Speaker 1:It's even worse today. So backstory is I live in a part of Tacoma, washington, that way back in the day all of that area down south was orchards, that in Puyallup. So everybody, most of my neighbors, have an apple, that kind of thing, and so towards the end of the season when the trees drop their leaves, it's left with whatever apples didn't fall. These apples hang in the cool and the warm and the cool and the warm and they ferment, and so last couple of weeks of December and first couple of weeks of January the birds are eating these apples and the birds are absolutely hammered. They're lit.
Speaker 1:There's just flocks of robins just not flying in a pattern, not usually just looking for worms and bugs, but they're just like fighting and falling off the roof and my car is parked underneath a tree that they love to hang out in and just absolutely cover it. Infermented apple shit Ew.
Speaker 2:Why do you park somewhere else? Where Girl, where Like right, not underneath the tree? Usually you would at where I park when I come to your house, that's still underneath the tree, is it?
Speaker 1:Yes, it's a little bit out, I just started, so in the morning. I'm thinking this is a little bit moist out and it's raining because my windshield wipers just have to clear Just absolute piles of bird applesauce, I mean, ew. And then in the spring that same tree they roost in just dumps sticky sap onto my car, just, and I just washed it. I really think you need to park somewhere else. There's nowhere else to park that I can keep an eye on my car and take a look at it.
Speaker 1:Right across the street. No, it's always full of the neighbors.
Speaker 2:I think you need to cut that tree down.
Speaker 1:I want to Do it, but I also feel bad, because it's a good tree. It's been there for ages, but it's a terrible choice for a tree.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, it was put there.
Speaker 1:They're offered by the city. It's been there for ages but it's making my life just a challenge.
Speaker 2:I see that you have some control of this situation, but you're going to choose not to exercise that control. Quit patronizing me, I'm not, I'm just saying you could, you could, I'm not parking my car where I can't see it.
Speaker 1:There's shenanigans, totally fair.
Speaker 2:I get that part, but you could have the tree taken down or trim it With what money and also with what like it's technically on city property. Can you call the city? I don't know how this works.
Speaker 1:They're not going to do anything. I mean, maybe I could call the city you could?
Speaker 2:Could they trim it? No, make it less accessible? No, it's right next to the street.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter. It's right next to the street, there's going to be drunk birds in it and it's going to continually shit sap.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, you've been dealing with this for years and years, and years.
Speaker 1:I know the springtime, but this year, for some reason, the drunk birds are like really on one.
Speaker 2:I did park next to you yesterday and then I got out of my car and I was like, oh God, what is this?
Speaker 1:I just cleaned her and vacuumed her out and everything.
Speaker 2:I was like my backpack. I was like, oh my gosh, I cannot, my backpack cannot touch Samantha's car. There's so much poop on it.
Speaker 1:Would you have known what it was if I didn't tell you before Of?
Speaker 2:course it looks like either bird vomit or bird poop.
Speaker 1:Because it's not white, it's old applesauce.
Speaker 2:It literally looks like it. Yeah, okay, anyways, welcome to Mental. Break it Down. Happy New Year. It's 2024. Is it Four days in? You're already feeling boo, it's just a continuation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just. You know how do you feel?
Speaker 2:End of 2023 went last quarter wrap up. How was it for you?
Speaker 1:Ooh silence, I really don't do that too much.
Speaker 2:Do what? Mentally wrap up my year, I guess, or just a moment of reflection Like how did the year end for you?
Speaker 1:It feels like a marathon. We're still running.
Speaker 2:Sure, this is life, like a lot of things happened last year. We talked about that.
Speaker 1:It was a good year A lot of transitions, a lot of new things. Starting off the new year I was like I'm not a big fan of. I don't do resolutions anymore Because those are things.
Speaker 2:That's our topic, don't get into that. I'm asking you about your wrap up, Samantha.
Speaker 1:And I just told you I don't really do one.
Speaker 2:Okay, fine, let me tell you about mine. But I think you and I agree, last year was a lot of a lot, a lot of really great things, a lot of new things. I don't think I've ever cried as much as I cried last year, with happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, tears of stress. You and I have shared those in this very office and it was a big year, I think, for me, for you, for a lot of us, for a lot of people in my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really was.
Speaker 2:And when I say big, I think it's easy to think, oh, it's all positive. No, a lot of transitions, changes, good and challenging changes, but a big year. I think I was ready for a new one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Ready for a new year.
Speaker 1:It's like okay, can we just be Be? Yeah, can this year just be existence?
Speaker 2:I want that. That's what I want.
Speaker 1:Sustained neutrality for the most part there's gonna be ups and downs, but can it just be boring?
Speaker 2:Yes, uneventful but still enjoyable. Yes, I kept feeling this sense of I need next year to be calm. Of course, I want things to happen, I want growth and all that, but I just want calm. I feel like I kind of survived 2023, but in an all-encompassing way. I don't know what is that Well, because I don't feel like 2023 was bad, so I don't feel like I survived it in a bad way.
Speaker 1:It wasn't bad but it was a roller coaster. It was a roller coaster Because it was a lot of a couple weeks of chill, big momentous things happening. It was a lot of energy expenditure, at least for me.
Speaker 2:And things happening in the world.
Speaker 1:I feel spent.
Speaker 2:I feel spent too. I'm ready for a recharge. Also, I got incredibly sick at the end of 2020. You did Like Thanksgiving hit and Sonia was out. Sonia's been out Like.
Speaker 1:It was last month, I think. I've seen you like five times, I know.
Speaker 2:I've had laryngitis. I don't know if I sound back to normal, but I was going through it honey.
Speaker 1:Every weekend you had for a holiday, it was just spent like.
Speaker 2:Recovering.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you poor. Thing. I was like that last year, remember. Yes, it was like I got desperately sick in the middle of December, in the middle of January, in the middle of February.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in 2022.
Speaker 1:And yeah, in 2021 and 2022. Yes, yeah, last winter season was no good for me.
Speaker 2:It was my turn. It was apparently my turn. I don't like it. I'm so sorry. Yeah, but here we are Same old us.
Speaker 1:New year, same bitch.
Speaker 2:I think I'm fine. I don't need a new me.
Speaker 1:I'm great, I'm great and also, that's there's. It's not like the like the slate gets wiped clean because it's a new year but I mean, it's just like a this will start on Monday. A fresh calendar.
Speaker 2:It's like a vibe and a feeling.
Speaker 1:It's not an actuality Cause, like our calendar, doesn't really have any connection with, like, astronomical changes, season changes, nothing like that. It's fairly arbitrary.
Speaker 2:I feel it's just a day, another day.
Speaker 1:It's just vibes and you can be in control of vibes. Yes, so it can look however you want it to look.
Speaker 2:Well, what's the vibe for today, just today?
Speaker 1:Yeah, just today I don't know now I was so activated by the technology and having such issues. I don't know what my vibe is right now.
Speaker 2:Buzzy, buzzy. Yeah, it's an energy.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I have a, would you rather?
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, it's not gross like the ones you always present. That put me in these like horrible positions. Hey, what's with the personal attacks today? I love you, samantha, so much. I'm feeling very protective of myself but, not from you. Anyways, here we go. Okay, here's your. Would you rather, okay, okay, samantha, would you rather never be able to hug your best friend again or never be able to text them again?
Speaker 1:Never be able to hug. Why? Cause texting is a vitally important part of my everyday life, uh-huh, and I think you're the only person that I ever really hug, and it's because you trained me Cure. Give me a hug. Hugginess is not my natural vibe, uh-huh. And you, from very early on, you were a hugger when we left. And I was like okay, great.
Speaker 2:Well, because it's a connection to you, I sure I felt like you also invited yourself over to dinner and so I felt like, oh okay, well, she's gonna push herself in, so I'm also gonna push myself in, fair and now. And look at us now.
Speaker 1:Yes, but in this question I would be okay without hugging the texting. I would not be able to do.
Speaker 2:Okay, and this is your best friend that we're talking about.
Speaker 1:Okay, like whether that it'd be like any friend really yeah.
Speaker 2:I would agree with you. I think there are other ways to have connection, like we can hold hands. Do you want to hold my hand?
Speaker 1:Don't make it weird.
Speaker 2:Okay, yes, we can be physically close to each other, Like if there are other ways to show physical affection. I think with others and feel connected, but I got to text you if something is happening.
Speaker 1:We text each other far too much and even like my other friend of 20 something years, I think we text. I don't think we've ever hugged. No, you have, you have not. Maybe, I think, less than a handful of times.
Speaker 2:But the texting is so important, Like something happens in life and I'm like I get my phone like a text.
Speaker 1:Samantha, yeah, I agree, the texting is a necessity.
Speaker 2:Yes, I cannot have access to you in that way.
Speaker 1:It's our three-some. We're having a conversation in text. We're having a conversation on Instagram.
Speaker 2:We're having a conversation On TikTok. Yes, sending you all the things.
Speaker 1:And they're all different vibes at the exact same time.
Speaker 2:Of course, and we get all of it, and I appreciate all of it. It keeps me entertained.
Speaker 1:Because of all the unhinged.
Speaker 2:Yes, mm-hmm, we've been talking about how to increase our social media presence, so hopefully we can get that going in 2024. I'm so bad at it.
Speaker 1:I know, me too, I don't really Like I come up with funny things within the execution. I'm just like I'm too tired and busy for it. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:But we'll try yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're in charge, okay, all right.
Speaker 2:So today, with it being a new year, what do we typically do? I feel like a lot of people set a resolution, set an intention for the new year, and what are your thoughts on new year's resolution? Oh my gosh, new year's resolution.
Speaker 1:You sound like me.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh.
Speaker 1:I don't like resolutions. Intentions are great, like a focus is fine, but for me and I'm sure this is a lot of people's experience right, you're like, okay, I'm going to eat, do whatever like sometimes in excess at the end of the year, because on the first of the year this is the new me I'm going to the gym, I'm going to read a bajillion books, I'm going to walk or do this. So you set all of these, essentially these goals, and some often okay, I'm gonna just speak for me they were too big, too fast and so I would quickly fail at them. And then comes the shame and the guilt for not being able to do it again for another year. So then it just started off my year in a bad headspace. That's a lot of pressure.
Speaker 2:It's so much judgment.
Speaker 1:Pressure judgment, and the world already gives that to you, so why give it to yourself?
Speaker 2:I agree, I did away with resolutions, I think, a while ago. I like intentions or speaking to what I want for myself for the year, whether it's I want more rest, I want more time for books, I want more time with friends and family. It doesn't feel as much pressure because these are things that I enjoy anyways, so I just want more of it. But the resolutions I mean for most of my life it was the typical get healthier, but never really a detailed explanation of what that meant. It was lose weight, get healthier, exercise more. It was always something that would take away from me rather than add to my life. And, like you said, three months in you don't maybe meet the goal. And then there's the judgment, the shame and then the guilt of why couldn't I stick this through, why couldn't I follow?
Speaker 1:through. I failed myself.
Speaker 2:Juju's losing her mind yeah, we do have Juju in the studio today so you might hear her. When was the last time you said a resolution?
Speaker 1:I have to say, like six, seven years ago seven around there.
Speaker 2:It's been a while.
Speaker 1:It's been like intense, like a vibe an intention or like a goal of something that I wanted to do. Like 2019. I was like I feel like we're ready, it's time to buy a house, so that's gonna be my focus for the year, those kinds of things, because I knew that I was in a space, that we were ready to do that. So it felt doable if I was just out of the blue, like I feel like buying a house this year.
Speaker 2:That in this economy. No Well, there's a lot of.
Speaker 1:There's years and years of crap going into that. Last year, I was inspired by one of my clients who sets a word for the year, ooh. And so it's like it's this really lovely, more ambiguous, compassionate way to like maintain a focus for whatever drive you're feeling, so say it's like kindness or boundaries, or this and that, and so you can keep your word in mind as you go through, be like is this aligned with like the direction towards like cultivating better boundaries? That I want to do, and so I feel like that's a nice way to set a larger intention for the year.
Speaker 1:And I really love that, and so this year I was just like I think that maybe I'll try to come up with a word.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you're not there yet. You don't have a word for the year yet.
Speaker 1:No, I do, it was. Kindness was my word for this year, I think.
Speaker 1:And it's kindness, just actually had two it's kindness and curiosity. So kindness to myself, because there was so much energy expenditure last year, I really wanted to take it as easy as I can in just being neutral and living going with the flow more, instead of putting more projects on my plate, because there's already so much going on to my plate. So it's kindness and compassion for myself and also for other people. It's not getting upset right away and assuming malintent, which also is my usual go-to of. I'm going to assume positive intent because it ultimately just harms me if I think that people are out to get me when they actually could care less.
Speaker 2:They're just in their own world.
Speaker 1:And then curiosity, because sometimes I mean I'm still cultivating, a way to cultivate as a weird word to choose, I'm still trying to figure out a way to explain that. But I just want to be more open to myself, to my loved ones, to my clients and just maintain curiosity why, why do you want that, why do you think that, like what's the driving force, and just be more inquisitive around that?
Speaker 2:Ooh, kindness and curiosity, I like it.
Speaker 1:What would your would be for this year?
Speaker 2:It's so funny. I was thinking about this and I think one thing that I feel that is lacking in not lacking completely, but there could be more is I don't want to use the word spirituality, but I'm feeling like I need some grounding and I don't know if it comes with being more. I'm having a hard time putting this into words because I'm trying to avoid using the word religion, but I think what I'm needing in my life is more spirituality in the way that works for me, and I'm not sure what that looks like yet, so maybe a better word is centering and also curiosity. I was gonna say learning, but I think curiosity is a great word, curiosity about what that means for me. I feel really good and supported in life, but I feel like there's this like thing missing. You know, when you cook something and there's like, oh, there's like something missing, you know there's that like umami that's missing. That's what I feel is missing right now, and I think this year might be spent searching for that a little bit.
Speaker 1:We just don't know what that is.
Speaker 2:yet I just don't know what that is, yet.
Speaker 1:There's just there's a feeling.
Speaker 2:There's a feeling and there's this energy that I feel is lacking for my life, and so I think curiosity is a great word.
Speaker 1:An energy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's lacking. Yeah, yeah, I don't know how to put it into words, but this feels better than saying I'm going to do this and this and this three times a week for the next 12 months.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm not a big. Smart goals are great. We use them in therapy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just not in. Yeah for me. Yeah, I think therapy, this therapy space, is a different thing. Yeah, and let me just say resolutions are great if they actually work for you, cause I think a lot of people need that guideline, they need the structure wonderful.
Speaker 1:I know people that thrive Exactly. They do very well with those. Me, I'm not one of those Same.
Speaker 2:It does not work for me. I end up putting so much pressure on myself to meet these goals, ultimately not meeting them, because life happens. Things come up that need your attention, and then June hits. You're like, okay, well, what the hell did I do? And now I feel terrible. Let me make it up for the next six months so I can finish the year strong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the. Is it helping or harming?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Ultimately is a question Right. And then I have two things I want to talk about. One is the commodification also of news resolution and people taking advantage of the guilt and the hope you mean like the gyms. Everybody, everybody will advertise it in this context, right, and so it's just like it's a beauty industry and everything too that just plays off of insecurities and feelings of worth and all of that stuff.
Speaker 1:Have a problem with that too. We'll put that aside. But it's also and I talk about this a lot with clients it's what are your inherent strengths, what are your patterns already? What do you find easy and what do you do naturally Like? Where do you go? And instead of trying to reinvent the whole wheel and do some drastic changes, how can we, if you want to make changes or you want to make resolutions, whatever that looks like how do we build off of that first? Because building off of what you're already naturally doing or good at or feels good for you, will likely lead to a better outcome.
Speaker 2:Just harness the skills that you have already. Let's strengthen that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially when you're like neurodivergent and you already feel like your brain works differently and you're already trying to fit into these expectations and these molds and everything that our culture puts out there, you add on another layer to it and it's just like no, let's just work with what already works for you. There's a level of self-compassion there also. It's just like a self understanding that you have to kind of cultivate and come to. It can be really hard to break away from. This is what I should be doing. This is what it's expected of me. I should be doing resolutions. I should be working in the world this way and coming back to do I actually want to do. I have to. Is it working for me? Is it for somebody else?
Speaker 2:And it's like why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we? Why is this? Because for a lot of I'm using the word a lot today there are other cultures that exist that celebrate New Year's on a different day and I don't know if there's that same energy as the calendar New Year that we follow in this part of the world and I did have this conversation with a client because they celebrate their New Year in the springtime and there was no like oh yeah, new resolution, this, there's none of that. It's just bringing in a new year, spending it with your family celebrating the start of a new year, but there's no pressure, there's no list of things that have to be completed in this new year, and that feels more aligned with, I think, how I'm trying to live my life, but I thought it was just so beautiful and a reminder that this is not the way it is for everyone globally. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Speaker 1:We'll blame the good old puritanical belief system.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And just like the good old American bootstraps, be the best individualism. I think also Because I mean I don't know about you, but a lot of the time for me and also what I hear it's very the goals are individualized. The goals are performance-based Usually, yeah, and appearance-based a lot of the time.
Speaker 1:So where does that come from? Hey, I rarely hear of like. I want to lean in and cultivate my community. I want to connect in this way, support in this way. I mean the resolutions are inherently individualistic, because what do I wanna change? What do I wanna improve on?
Speaker 2:But then that's what I'm saying. Then the pressure is self-imposed and the guilt and the shame, and then it's like, oh, but then I just have to deal with this on my own because I failed at this, I didn't do what I said I would do, and then, yeah, it's just, it's like a, it's a cycle. Let's break the cycle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm trying to be better. Whoops, I wasn't quote unquote better. I feel bad. New year comes around a long. I need to be better.
Speaker 2:Then I was.
Speaker 1:Whoops, I didn't feel better. I didn't do better, and yeah, that's why I was just like I'm tired, me too Enough.
Speaker 2:I'm tired for all of us. Let's do away with the resolutions and the pressure like, and the all of that that comes with it. If it works for you, I love it for you, but can we take the shame? Also, can we stop asking other people, even though I just asked you what your new resolution?
Speaker 1:was. It was the whole focus of the episode. Yeah, it was warranted.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, it's you know what. For me, it's falling in the same category of what do you do for a living? I don't care anymore. I don't care what you do for a living, because I care about you as a human being. Tell me what you enjoy, tell me what you're passionate about, just like I don't care about your new year's resolution, I want you to you want to tell me great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you want to tell me great, but it's not, it's not the whole you. And just because you don't meet it or your goals don't align with mine, like there's no competition here, and I feel like sometimes it can happen where it's like we all have to be healthier. Don't you want to go to the gym? Don't you want to be smaller? Don't you want to look better or make more money? It's like no, that's not everybody's goal.
Speaker 1:No, and I mean that's our experience too. Some people come from families where that is extremely important and they're very competitive and whatnot, and so it's just, it's what works for us.
Speaker 2:For me personally, new Year's resolution goodbye in the trash. Light it on fire, don't light it. It thinks on fire.
Speaker 1:New arbitrary year. Same person, but it is.
Speaker 2:I do love a new year because it feels like, okay, last year was so much, it was so great, it was so challenging, stressful New year, let's see what happens.
Speaker 1:It feels to me like a new journal. Yes, because, like with our business, bookkeeping and stuff, you close the books, no matter what happened last year. Okay, it's done now. This is literally a fresh start. All of our reports start fresh and stuff, so it feels like a new journal, which I love, but it's also I'm of the background of I don't put stickers on things, because I love the stickers when I was a kid, I would have a collection of fresh journals that I'd never write in because I was terrified to start off wrong.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, instead of it just being beautiful chaos and so getting over, that was really connected to like the resolution part, and I put stickers on everything.
Speaker 2:You do put stickers on everything. You put stickers on our plants in the office.
Speaker 1:Those were ugly eyes. There's still stickers, serena, I'm here for it, and there's probably more around the office. You haven't seen it.
Speaker 2:I know Sam likes to do that to me. She hides things in the office and randomly I'll find them.
Speaker 1:A raccoon.
Speaker 2:Not a raccoon.
Speaker 1:I have a variety pack of googly eyes. I got for a trip in 2018 and I've just carried it around with me everywhere I go.
Speaker 2:Beware Samantha and her googly eyes. Any other thoughts on New Year's resolutions?
Speaker 1:Don't do it. Bottom line. Life is hard enough already. The list of things to do to live is never ending, For better or worse. Why add to it? Why add to it? Be nicer to yourself, Give yourself a break.
Speaker 2:My final thoughts is I am a bigger fan of quarterly goals, baby. That way you can assess hey, is this working for me or I was actually doing really great? Let me keep going with this. I like a check-in. I think a check-in is nice because it gives you a little bit more room to be flexible and maybe change things up or ramp things up if it's working. But the whole a year is still a long time. I know the time is flying by, right? The older we get, it feels like the years are flying by. But 12 months is a long time to hold yourself to this one very specific thing. And so, like you said, be kinder to yourself, give yourself space to change it up, switch it up, get rid of that goal intention, whatever you had, and give yourself some grace to change it up. I like it.
Speaker 1:That's having to deal with failing.
Speaker 2:No, but then failing it doesn't have to be a failure if you're checking in with yourself and your goal.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. Yeah, to not obtain or not to complete something for oftentimes feels like failing Right. So it is a headspace that you have to work out and be in, to be able to look at what you wanted to do and say that actually wasn't working for me. I wasn't successful for A, b and C and this, so I'm gonna toss it. That's a whole step that is hard to get to sometimes.
Speaker 2:I'm living in the great area this year.
Speaker 1:Sony is fine with resolutions as long as they're chunked out quarterly.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, great.
Speaker 2:I like it. Give yourself a report, write a report. No, I'm kidding. Don't write a report Give everybody a work Another thing to do. No, be gentle to yourself this year. Be kind, eat your favorite foods. Relax, do what you wanna do. Do what you wanna do.
Speaker 1:Boo, do what you wanna do you heard it here first folks?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Great job.
Speaker 2:On that note, bye.
Speaker 1:Bye. Mental Break it Down is produced and edited by Sam and Sonya. Our logo was created by the amazing art of Andoi. If you have any questions, comments or have a topic you want discussed on the podcast, email us at mentalbreakitdownatgmailcom or connect with us on Instagram at mentalbreakitdown. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing said in this podcast constitutes personal or professional consultation, therapy, diagnosis or creates a counselor-client relationship. It is not intended to provide medical or mental health advice. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are theirs alone. Thanks for listening. Bye.