Itâs been a year â¦
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [Healthline]( [Wellness Wire]( In a Nutshell
Itâs the end of the year, which means it's time for reflection ⦠and thatâs exactly what weâre doing over here!
Iâll go first. For me, the theme of 2023 was self-advocacy. Back in March, I was an anxious wreck who constantly accommodated (read: pleased) others. Honestly, I donât even think I knew what my needs were, especially as a recently diagnosed autistic person on the messy journey of self-rediscovery.
Thanks to a ton of therapy and practice, I'm proud to say that I'm finally comfortable enough to speak up, say no, and implement much-needed boundaries in all areas of my life to protect my well-being. Do I still get nervous whenever itâs time to do this? You bet! But Iâm not going to let that stop me from standing up for myself ever again. ð
ð»ââï¸
Scroll down to read the biggest lessons folks on the Healthline team learned this year about health, relationships, and pet parenting.ï¸
Before you dive in, bookmark these stories for later: • [Habits to form now for a longer life]( • [9 signs youâre dating a narcissist]( • [14 low carb, high protein foods](
ð We want to know: Whatâs one of the most important things you learned this year? Email wellnesswire@healthline.com to share your lesson with us.
Be well,
Morgan Mandriota
Newsletter Editor, Healthline Written by Morgan Mandriota
December 29, 2023 ⢠3.5 min read [What 2023 taught our team]( whatâs got us buzzing
[What 2023 taught our team](
âItâs OK to ask for help.â
A major lesson I learned this year was about caregiving and learning itâs OK to ask for help. It seems like such an obvious thing until youâre trying to take care of yourself with major depression and someone else while theyâre recovering from major surgery.
Itâs been ingrained in me that itâs âshamefulâ to ask for help, some sort of hurt to my pride. But itâs not, and if I take anything away from this year itâs that no matter how hard or painful, asking for help is better than the alternative â suffering in silence.
ââ Jamie Elmer, Copy Editor and Project Manager
âSetting boundaries isnât harsh, itâs self-love.â
Whew, chile. The biggest lesson I learned this year was definitely the second biggest in my life: Setting and reinforcing boundaries to restore my mental and medical wellness.
As Black women and women of faith, I've accepted that we often take on too much and bury ourselves in productivity as a trauma response. I've learned to pull the emergency brake manually when the nervous system is overloaded by porous boundaries and imbalanced relationships.
I've learned setting boundaries isn't harsh, it's self-love [and] love for others and can be done with grace â even if it means tough love for another adult! Having compassion for our inner child and the saying âbeautiful girl, you can do hard thingsâ has never been more real to me, and I'm seeing the blessed fruit already!
ââ Kristin Currin-Sheehan, Multimedia Editor
âPretending like the tension doesnât exist wonât solve anything.â
If I can avoid conflict, I will. I hate having to share my feelings, especially if I have to have a hard conversation with someone â either because I messed up or felt like they wronged me. But that's a coward's approach. Yes, these moments are difficult to deal with, but I've come to realize that they're actually quite necessary.
If I value a relationship and want it to grow more, pretending like the tension doesn't exist won't solve anything. I've had a few of these talks with my friends this year, and even though I felt awful in the moment â and for a few days after â when the dust settled, I felt more connected to them.
I've come to realize that "close" friendships mean that you have to tackle these situations head on so that all parties can move forward. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to be the *best* at this next year. But I feel good knowing that I can recognize these moments and know how best to address them (whether I actually take that step or not).
ââ Kenny Thapoung, Managing Newsletter Editor
âDog parks are not a good place to socialize puppies.â
This is a lesson I learned the hard way this year. It was my first time caring for a rambunctious young dog and in my naivete, I started taking her to the dog park on a daily basis to get her energy out and play with other dogs. Most of the time, she was having so much fun I couldn't imagine I was subjecting her to anything potentially damaging. But she would also often get rushed by a group of bigger, older dogs, which would make her visibly scared and uncomfortable.
Long story short, she now has some reactive tendencies toward other dogs that she never had before the dog park. Based on a lot of reading I've done, it's likely this came about from too many rough encounters with strange dogs. I definitely won't be making this mistake with my next puppy!
ââ Ginger Wojcik, Newsletter Editor [Get the Wellness Wire Wishlist!](
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health stories you need
What weâre reading next [] ð« [10 ways to ask for help.]( You donât need to go through anything alone. Support is available.
ð«¥ [Reasons to stop avoiding conflict.]( Plus, what to do instead.
â¤ï¸ [13 steps to achieving total self-love.]( It doesnât happen overnight, but these simple strategies can help you get there.
ð¶ [Mental health benefits of having pets.]( Shout out to my cat for being the best thing to ever happen to me. Thatâs a wrap on Wellness Wire in 2023! Thanks for reading, as always. Enjoy the weekend, celebrate safely, and weâll see you next year. 𥳠Until next time,
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