Happy New Year! It’s time to unveil my 2025 word and reflect on the intentions set for the year ahead.
2025 Word Of The Year
It’s been tradition to choose a theme word of the year. I started doing this in 2016, and choosing a word has made for a fun way to turn the page on each new year. While much like resolutions, the words are often forgotten a few months later, I do consider this annual event a great timestamp. Consider it a marker of the vibe on the first of every year. When you look at the list below, you can see how the vibe has evolved!
Past Words
Before we get to this year, we have to take a look back at the previous years’ words.
2016 – PRESENT
2017 – INTENTIONAL
2018 – VULNERABLE
2019 – PURPOSE
2020 – VISION
2021 – FOUNDATION
2022 – FRESH
2023 – CREATIVE
2024 – EXPAND
And this year’s word is….
R E L A X.
It might not come as a surprise that this word came to mind during a massage. But the irony is that as I was deeply relaxed having my shoulders dug into, I was actually going over my to-do list. I knew writing this post was coming up, and I started to think of a word.
This is so on-brand for me, an overthinker, who has a hard time turning my brain OFF. I am constantly multitasking and working ahead “so I can relax,” but when the relaxation time comes, I’m thinking ahead to the next thing!
Thus, my goal this year is to truly work on strengthening the relax muscle.
A Failed Relax Intention
About a year ago, I had the idea of setting aside the 30 minutes before I had to meet the school bus for some me-time to reset my brain before the afternoon of overstimulating children. This could be time to have a cup of tea or read a few pages of my book.
But can you guess how many days I have intentionally done this? Almost none. Nearly every day I’m doing something productive until my Pirates of the Caribbean bus alarm goes off, whether that is work or household related. Relaxing is not something I am good at because of the subconscious guilt for the lack of productivity. These are ingrained beliefs that I am working to undo.
Shifting Time
This year, I’d like to prioritize not wasting time so that I have more time for intentional relaxing. I do a lot of busy work that makes me feel productive but isn’t (like checking my YNAB budget to see if anything has happened since the morning 🙂 ). Doom scrolling Instagram is another time waster that needs improvement. But I also have some great systems set up so that my email and digital life is working on auto-pilot (More on that here!).
Where A More Relaxed Mindset Has Sunk In
My mom will tell you that having kids has relaxed me some. Before kids, I was more type A, more in control. Because I could be! I had the time and the mental energy to do things like plan every meal, blog 3x a day (!), or follow a list/schedule to a T.
But after having kids, you lose a lot of that control. Taking care of someone else who is unpredictable requires extreme flexibility. Parenting wears me out so much mentally that when it is time to do things like plan the annual family beach trip meals I respond, “anything is fine with me!”
My house is messier than ever with two kids who love their Lego villages and slime kits, and I’ve learned to live with it rather than constantly fighting the mess. (Not that I don’t have them tidy up, but the standards have been lowered, lol). But that doesn’t mean I’m relaxed about it either.
2025 Priorities
This year I’d like to prioritize:
- Slow walks
- Reading fiction
- Going outside to sit in nature
- Sauna at the gym / sauna blanket at home
- Meditation in small bites
- Listening to soothing music
- Puzzles
- Spa days when possible!
- Less time wasted / more time intentionally relaxing
I realize this word of the year comes from a place of privilege. You can’t relax if you’re worried about putting food on the table or a health scare. I am extremely grateful for where we are in our lives, and I don’t take that lightly.
But also, this whole country is very high strung right now, and I feel everyone could use some intentional lightness. There are plenty of free ways to help your mind unwind. Getting outside as much as possible, even in these cold winter days, to breathe in the fresh air, is the best way to relax I can think of that we as a species can do together.
Vicki says
Kath, as someone else who spent years ‘working ahead to relax later’ and failing, I highly recommend ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ by Oliver Burkeman.
For our kind of mind, it’s transformative.
Kath Younger says
Thank you!!
Elizabeth says
Second this! A transformative book that I’ve read twice so far!
Alyssa says
I’d love to see you reflect on the past year’s word and how you embraced it/could have more!
Kath Younger says
That would be a good addition – good idea!
Cyndi says
Your observation that the whole country has been high strung resonates with me. I’m exhausted by that although I’m a type A too so, I’m thinking Serenity or Tranquility
Kath Younger says
My mom’s is calm. I think we all need it.
Pamela Randall says
Mindfulness practices have really helped me relax, focus and feel better. My word of the year is Equanimity.
Kath Younger says
Unique word! Love it.