🕯️2026 will be my year 🕯️

goals, resolutions, etc.

2025 was maybe the worst year of my life. granted, i only have like 17 years to compare to, but still. i’m not gonna bore you with the details but my health (both physical and mental) was at an all-time low, i beat my personal best of how many times i was in the hospital (i ran out of fingers trying to keep track), consequently my academic performance suffered severely (who needs maths anyway? it’s not like it’s important right?….RIGHT???), aaand some not-so-nice stuff went down in my personal life. YAY!

(also the world is a shit-show but we all know that)

ANYWAYY i just read Hannah Liz’s 50 Fun & Whimsical Resolutions for a More Joyful 2026 which was very nice and refreshing, because i feel like there is such a push of new years resolutions to be about fixing yourself, which i find to be rather negative, as it usually stems from a place of self-hatred, discontent and the need to conform to societal expectations and standards.

50 Fun & Whimsical Resolutions for a More Joyful 2026

i am now inspired to create a list of my own goals and resolutions for 2026, because i so desperately want it to be ‘my year’. however, i am also of the firm belief that any year can be your year if you make it happen.

the reason i am so desperate for next year to go so well for me is because ITS MY LAST YEAR OF SCHOOL WOOHOOOOOOO!!!! by november 2026 i will officially be a graduate of high school and YES it is that big a deal for me.

for as long as i can remember, my dream - or rather, goal - has always been to publish a novel before i graduate. not a poetry book, not a novelette, but a full novel-length book. and even though i have published 2 books already, i am not satisfied because those are poetry books which are veryyy short in length.

so on top of the insane amount of pressure i place upon myself academically, there is also this burning pressure to finish one of my novels and get it in a state where i can publish it without feeling like it’s not yet finished. and as much as i want to fulfil this goal, i am aware of the realities that come with it. i NEED to lock in with school especially after this rollercoaster of a year and i know that i am not close to finishing one of my books in time to actually release it.

after april morning (which is my 2nd book! it’s really good and you should totally check it out if you want) i definitely understand the gravity of publishing a book (especially as a self-publisher lol). the process is not easy or quick, and there are a lot of hurdles that i have to jump. which is fine and makes it all the more worthwhile, but it is unlikely that i will be able to accomplish my goal in my senior year specifically. that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! i have to keep reminding myself of this, because i can do it, but i truly have to put 👏 in 👏 the 👏 work 👏 (and not give up halfway).

okay i feel like i have gone on long enough about the i-must-release-a-novel-before-i-graduate goal, so let’s get into my resolutions (?) for the new year !

(not in any specific order)

1. take care of my health and myself (i am sick of being sick all the time!!!!)

2. express to my loved ones that i love them more often (no amount is ever enough)

3. read to nourish my brain, not escape from it (as much as i love romcoms, i need to take a step back from only reading them ALL THE TIME)

4. fall back in love with studying (and study REGULARLY. like every day please)

5. stop trying to squash my creativity (make art for fun again! paint! draw! try to learn to crochet again!)

6. read one unfamiliar poem per week

7. keep a list of things i’d like to learn / topics i’d like to explore, so that when i find myself bored, i can research those topics and stuff!

8. make a meal for my family at least once per week

9. create a writing routine that is perfect for me (and stick to it!)

10. go swimming more often

11. publish a book (😭 I CAN’T LET GO OF THIS ONE)

12. GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOOOOOL

13. stop berating myself for being so sensitive and don’t let anyone convince me that my empathy and intensity of emotions is annoying.

14. no matter how good or bad my mental health gets, DO NOT WATCH BEAUTIFUL BOY

here’s some context for the last one: i am a very sensitive person and that becomes a problem when i watch movies specifically, because i feel every emotion that the characters feel. and i know that watching beautiful boy will ruin me because i barely survived watching the perks of being a wallflower and dead poets society. so guys DO NOT LET ME WATCH BEAUTIFUL BOY.