Monthly Archives: January 2026

It's Time for 26 in 26! 1

It’s Time for 26 in 26!

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Last time I posted, I shared my theme for 2026: reflection and direction.

I then posted this logo I created in Canva:

Two arrow forming a circle. The top arrow says "reflect" the bottom arrow says "direct." There are small white dots in the background.

The irony of the grammatical discordance between the theme and logo is not lost on me. Let’s hope my reflection and direction are a bit more mindful in 2026.

Here are my goals for 2026:

It's Time for 26 in 26! 2

A lot of my 26 in 26 goals are repeats. Although it’s a little boring, I suppose it means that I’m figuring out what works best for me and sticking with it.

Because I ended last year with the flu and started this year still coughing, some of my new monthly goals won’t begin until February. I made this decision because I was already feeling stressed with the spring 2026 semester fast approaching two weeks ago, and I am sincere that this is the year I want to reduce my work stress (see goal #1 under Professional Development).

Also, given that I was so sick at the end of December, all my 25 in 25 goal stats are based on data collected from January 1, 2025, to December 20, 2026 (the day I first felt symptoms of the flu).

Speaking of which, let’s see how I did with my 25 in 25 goals!

  1. Intentionally move for at least 25 minutes per day.

Gold star! I only missed 18 days this year, and I likely walked on some of those days for transportation (like getting to and from the bus stop), which I don’t count for this goal.

  1. Train to do a pull-up 2-5 times per week.

Bronze star! Training to do a pull-up was frustrating and fun. I managed to do a few pull-ups with a foot-push assist, and I did a few chin-ups, and I hit my target every week when I wasn’t resting. Every so often, though, my rotator cuff would YELL at me to stop. As hard as it was, I did. I ended up needing to rest my shoulder for 6 weeks total between January 1 and October 1, and then I gave up training to do a pull-up altogether after October 1 because the pain kept coming back.

In November and December, I went back to plain old strength-training two times a week. It was still much less intense than my original goal, but it kept me active while at the same time protecting my shoulder.

I’m hoping that by using very light weights for the first few months of the year, I can bring back pull-up training in the summertime.

  1. Make 2-5 home-cooked meals per week for me and Heath.

Needs improvement! While I significantly increased the number of home-cooked meals I made last year, I did not hit my 2-5 goal. In looking at the data, everything fell apart in May and December, which, not coincidentally, is the end of the spring and fall semesters. This year I’ll make sure to plan for those busier-than-usual times and see if that makes a difference.

  1. Drink 2-5 smoothies per week.

Bronze star! I didn’t meet my goal during 8 weeks this year. One of the changes I made that helped a lot was buying Suja Supergreens from Costco. While I hate purchasing single-use plastics, I also hate throwing out food that’s gone bad. I kept having to freeze spinach because I wouldn’t use it in time and that spinach didn’t always taste the best. Drinking the Suja Supergreens also means I don’t have to use the blender in the morning when Heath is still sleeping.

  1. Do yoga 2-5 times per month.

Platinum star! I did yoga 60 times in 2025. YAY!

  1. Attend 25 or more cold plunges.

Gold star! I attended 25 cold plunges. This year, I cut my total in half. The cold plunge group I attend only meets Saturday mornings, and I started having to work for the university a few Saturdays throughout the semester. With that new commitment, travel, and writing events that often happen on Saturday, I have to make tough choices. I tried cold plunging on my own, but without the group for support and camaraderie, my anxiety overwhelmed me as I worried about an emergency and no one being around to help me.

  1. Buy a pair of ice skates and ice skate 25 times or more.

Black and white star! Black and white because I replaced this goal with getting a piano (haha) and playing it 2-5 times per week.

Although I really, really want to get back into ice skating, I have this fear that the vertigo I experience every time I’m on an amusement park ride will transfer over to the ice. I don’t want to invest in a good pair of skates just for me not to be able to use them, and I’m too good a skater just to buy a pair of cheap skates.

Now that I’m sorting out my iron, which could be the culprit behind the vertigo, I may revisit this goal during the summer.

  1. Meditate for at least 25 minutes per day.

Gold star! I only missed 19 days of meditation this year (most of which are when I’m visiting friends/family).

  1. Practice 2-5 minutes of breathwork 2-5 times per week.

Still needs improvement! This goal was a carry-over from 20224. I missed my target seven weeks in 2025. For 2026, I decided to revise this goal to “bus breathwork,” meaning that when I get to the bus stop (which I ride the bus four days a week), I’ll do my breathing exercises there. This should work out well because I worry about missing the bus, and I always get there super early.

  1. Listen to 2-5 podcasts per week.

Gold star! I met my target every week. My favorite podcasts include Happier, Happier in Hollywood, Off the Grid, and I’ve Had It.

  1. Fast from social media 2-5 days per week.

Platinum star! I met my target every week, and I fasted from social media for the entire month of August.

  1. Strengthen my focus by staring at one piece of art for three hours.

Despite having ALL YEAR to complete this goal, I waited until the last minute. This was the “last thing” I did before I succumbed to my flu symptoms. At first, I thought I wouldn’t make it. All kinds of anxious thoughts swirled through my mind. Then, when I checked my watch, 45 minutes had passed, and suddenly my thinking went from there’s no way I can do this to of course I can do this!.

Illustration of two dogs wearing party hats at a small table. The title of the illustration is "If We Were Dogs" by Sophie Blackall

My art choice!

  1. Walk around Waneka Lake 2-5 times per week.

DIAMOND STAR! I walked around Waneka Lake 185 times last year. WOOHOO!

  1. Volunteer 2-5 times per month at the Boulder Valley Humane Society.

This goal was one of the hardest. When I made it, I didn’t realize that the BVHS has MANY volunteers and volunteer shifts get snatched up quickly. I volunteered 25 times last year (2-hour shifts each time), though in May I only volunteered once. It wasn’t for lack of trying! I kept checking the volunteer portal every day to see if someone cancelled. I suppose I can’t be too mad that I didn’t meet my goal because they have so many volunteers.

  1. Hike 2-5 times with Heath on a new trail in Colorado.

Gold star! We hiked at Garden of the Gods in May, Boulder Valley Ranch Open Space in June, Rallins Pass in July, Long Canyon Trail in September, and Loch Vale in Rocky Mountain National Park in October.

  1. Watch 25 sunrises outside.

Diamond star! I watched 86 sunrises while walking around Waneka Lake.

  1. Visit Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Gold star! I visited Connecticut and Nebraska in March, Pennsylvania in May, North Carolina in June, Oklahoma in July, and Tennessee in December. YAY!

  1. Go away for a 4-day “weekend” with Heath.

Gold star! Our trip to Oklahoma was also our 4-day “weekend” getaway.

  1. Attend 2-5 webinars/classes/workshops on teaching.

Gold star! I attended workshops on resilience in college students, motivational interviewing, mental health first aid, large lecture classes, and multiple sessions on teaching general psychology over the course of a weekend at the PSYCH ONE Conference at Duke University.

  1. Attend 2-5 webinars/classes/workshops on starting and maintaining a Substack.

Silver Star! I attended two webinars, and what I learned is that I DON’T want a Substack. The company is not yet profitable, and because they’re still figuring things out, I’m not confident that they’re not going to turn into one more social media platform that goes against more moral values.

  1. Revise 2-5 manuscripts I’ve already written.

Silver star! I revised one YA romcom based on feedback from my agent and one adult grounded romantasy based on feedback from my amazing beta readers (you know who you are).

  1. Write 2-5 first drafts or outlines of new manuscripts.

Gold star! Not only did I write outlines for three new manuscripts, but I also wrote almost 70,000 words for a dual POV adult romcom during National Novel Writing Month.

  1. Dedicate 2-5 hours per week to the Novel Academy during their six-month program (starts January 15).

BOO! NO! It’s time to accept that I don’t do well with multi-week classes where I have to show up at a certain time/day every week. It’s too stressful to fit into my schedule and sucks the joy from it.

  1. Write and post 25 new blog posts.

BOO! NO! I only wrote 16. This year, I’m setting the bar low at 18. Maybe I’ll pleasantly surprise myself.

  1. Give 2-5 psychology presentations to lay audiences (ie., not students).

Diamond star! Over the summer, I volunteered with Eco-Cycle to offer an 8-week Summer of Sustainable Change program using the book Atomic Habits as our “textbook.” I also partnered with another Eco-Leader in December for a program on the psychology of gift-giving. I gave the lecture and my partner led everyone in making zero-waste homemade Christmas tags.

So that was my 2025! I did good 😊

And for anyone keeping track at home, I also met 108 new dogs in 2025.

A light gold golden retriever puppy sitting in the grass

Lucy Honeybee, whom I met in March and stole my heart.

A photo collage of winter scenes in Rocky Mountain National Park, and one wrapped present with golden retriever wrapping paper.

Thinking About Death in the New Year, 2026 edition

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The New Year is often a time of reflection and meditation for me. For the last 10 years, I’ve spent time in December and January thinking about where I am and where I want to be. I imagine what it would be like if I knew that the new year was my last on Earth. What would I want to do differently, and what would I keep the same?

A stark tree without leaves next to lake, with a full moon visible in the branches, and a lone person in a black coat next to the tree.

Wolf Supermoon, January 2026

This year, however, I felt resistant to such self-reflection. Maybe I was tired of thinking about myself. Maybe I was bored with the practice. Maybe it’s because I had the worst flu I’ve ever had, which started on December 20th, and I’m still coughing.

Lab results from a doctor's office showing Influenza Strain A detected

Regardless, I didn’t want to do it.

And, yet. I did it anyway. Is this discipline? Tradition? Insanity? Who knows.

All I can say is that the one thing I really want in 2026 (that is under my control) is not to feel so stressed during the school year. The contributing factors to this stress are: 1) fatigue; 2) lack of focus; 3) procrastination; and 4) disorganization.

I’m hoping that the fatigue and lack of focus will improve as the iron infusion I received on December 18th continues to build in my body. It turns out that a lot of the symptoms I had that I associated with narcolepsy, such as fatigue, brain fog, and lack of focus, are more likely associated with an iron deficiency that I have had for several years that doctors didn’t fully address, than my chronic sleep disorder. Once my PCP here had me get tested and retested, and I also began to pay attention, I realized that there is a BIG difference between sleepiness (narcolepsy) and fatigue (iron deficiency).

This information is important for helping me manage all my symptoms, and I’m glad to finally understand why nothing was working with the narcolepsy treatments I was trying, but come on! I’ve been struggling for years. This is one of the reasons I hate healthcare and the insurance industry in the United States.

Another reason is that it took me from July to December to see the right doctor for iron deficiency and then get insurance to approve for the infusion. Now that I’ve been infused, I should start to see more improvement over the next several weeks.

A lake in winter with mountains and a supermoon in the background

If that happens, then I’ll re-focus on improving my sleep again. But as I told my sleep doctor, there’s no point trying to sort out the sleepiness while my ferritin levels make daily living nearly impossible.

In the meantime, I have some strategies to work on the procrastination and disorganization issues that created stress at my job over the last three semesters. Most importantly, because I often regularly forget what I have to do and when I have to do it, I will spend 15 to 30 minutes at the end of every teaching day writing and updating a to-do list of what needs to be done and when. I’ll also write some notes on how each class went and what, if anything, I could do differently and/or improve for the next class or the next semester.

I’ve used to-do lists in the past to some success, but I’ve never kept one consistently. So I’m hoping by having a to-do list and reflection as a daily task that I can track, I’ll keep on top of my tasks better.

I’ve also identified how this strategy could go wrong, and I suspect the biggest impediment will be that I get very hungry by the end of my teaching day (which will end at 4:45pm, Monday-Thursday this semester), and I take the bus home, so there’s often a significant delay between finishing teaching and getting home to decent food. I often want to get home ASAP so I can start making dinner.

These issues mean that I’ll need to bring something substantial and high quality for me to eat Monday-Thursday, so I’m not thinking about dinner after class and when I can get home, but instead I’ll have the time I want to reflect on my classes and organize myself with the to-do list.

I can’t say I enjoy eating dinner at work; at the same time, I also don’t enjoy the stress of not feeling prepared and feeling like I’m falling behind, either. And, because I’m not willing to change my teaching schedule, dinner at work is the option I’m willing to work with this semester.

However, going back a step further, what this really means is I’ll have to prepare dinner in advance of leaving for school in the morning or early afternoon, so I can bring it with me.

What will be most important is to mindfully evaluate my progress in real time because I really don’t want all that stress this year. Reducing this stress is my number one priority because it’s taking away a lot of the joy I have in my return to teaching

I think I can do it! Time will tell, and, of course, I’ll share my progress here. In fact, I am so committed to reducing my work stress this year, that I made “reflection and direction” my 2026 theme.

Two arrow forming a circle. The top arrow says "reflect" the bottom arrow says "direct." There are small white dots in the background.

Happy New Year!

A photo collage of winter scenes in Rocky Mountain National Park, and one wrapped present with golden retriever wrapping paper.