Checking In Replay: Our Plan for the New Year

First of all, I want to say that we are ending the second year of Checking In December twenty second. Twenty twenty two marked the second year of Checking In. Today's the twenty seventh, but I just wanted to acknowledge the second year of Checking In, and it looks like we'll be going into a third season of Checking In.

I am excited. Thank you all so much for tuning in, listening week by week, sharing the episodes with your friends and loved ones or somebody you want to be petty and you want to like kind of sub tweet them and be like, you need to listen to this episode. I know I'll be hearing what y'all be doing. I'm just thankful that y'all just keep tuning in to hear what your girl has to say. I don't take it for granted. I'm blessed. I am so so so thankful that you guys keep tuning in and check it in.

So thank you again. We made it to two whole years, two seasons of checking in, and we're just getting started. I've got some cool plans for the third season. I want to well, you'll see, literally you'll see. I also want to acknowledge the positive responses of the episode last week on Grief around the Holidays. Wow, it was so many people that sent dms and comments on my Instagram and my Facebook, and even for the people that DM I sent them to my mother and she was just

so thankful. Matter of fact, I will read one of her messages. She said, Ah, such a sweet message. I don't know her him, but I loved them already. So that's from my mama. And so she thanks y'all for the love. She loves to be loved and we all do, right, So it was kind for you guys to keep her in your prayers. My siblings, actually my dad, I think he only had two other first cousins. One just passed and if my dad were living, he'd only have one

other first cousin. So I want to acknowledge our cousin. Her name was ruth Nolan, and I'm trying to figure out why we called her Aunt ruth Anne, and it dawned on me, probably spent some years, but I said, Aunt Ruthanne is really our cousin. Why we been calling her Aunt Ruthane all these years? But because she was I guess older and I'm like all these years, she never corrected us to say, y'all, don't have to call me Aunt Ruthie. I'm your cousin, all right, Rest her soul.

She was a firecracker, meaning she said what she said. She wasn't like loud with it. She was just firm. She would cuss you out, like literally, this is my dad's side of the family. It ain't gonna be too much cussing out on my mama's side well lately. Yeah, So back to my cousin and Ruthan. Aunt Ruthan was somebody that you could go to if you feel like, hey, I need you to give me perspective on something, and

she did. So that was my dad's first cousin. Like I said, my dad had two first cousins literally and one has passed away. So I just wanted to acknowledge that. That being said, again, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, and hopefully since that episode, you have been taking stuff step by step, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute if you have to. I know we say one day at a time, but depending on where you are around the holidays. But I want to share this.

Someone was saying they lost their dad some years ago and how they are. They still find themselves in a depression when they think of him, And I don't know if it's necessarily depression or grieving specific moments that you do not have with that loved one anymore. You know what I mean. That's a different type of adulting. How we can actually grieve this is beyond loss of a loved one. As an adult. You will grieve decisions that you made that may be detoward you. You'll sit and

you'll grieve time, law lost. You'll sit and grieve opportunity wasted. But I believe when you acknowledge that and you make right with certain situations, God will redeem the time. What does redeem the timing? I believe that it's like God steps in. It's like, I know this happened, but there

is a time and a place for everything. And I feel like sometimes in life, if ways Google Maps or whatever GPS system we use, if that app can get us back on the right track, even if okay, you lost some time, but to me, time is redeemed when you get to the destination. So I feel like, if an app can do that, why can't our creator do that?

Why can't our creator? And he has get us back on the right path from whatever mistake we made, whatever thing we did that hurts someone, or we took advantage or took for granted time like oh I got time, I'm fine, And then before you know it, you're forty years old, fifty years old, thirty years old, and you're like, oh, man, So I just wanted to acknowledge how sometimes we can grieve differently. Grieving is not always the loss of a loved one. Grieving can sometimes be man, what would my

life be like had I not done this? So what happens is you have that thought and you wallow in it sadness, anger, frustration, confusion, And I was sharing with someone I believe you project that which you did not do you project fear of someone else doing what they want to do with their life to to embark on something amazing. You project your fears on them, or you

project jealousy on them. You don't want them to have it because you don't have it, and you feel like their life is going to take on a different path, or you'll feel like, well, what is my place going to be in their life once they do their thing? So I know I went down a rabbit hole, but listen, it was a good one. But I'm going back to me making sure that you feel like you are taking things a day at a time as best you can, and how grieving takes on so many different forms. Next,

I want to say that I did a thing. I did a thing. Who can dn me and tell me what I did? I don't know what I'm going to do for that person who condemn me and tell me what I did. But I did a thing. I'll say this. It required me to travel a long distance and then come back home. And that's just what I'll end it with. So use your good senses. Call Ms Cleo if you have to, call God if you have to, and see if you can figure out this thing that I did. Okay, all right, I'm excited to see who can get that.

So listen, we are still in the throes of the holidays. Christmas has just passed. We got New Year's even coming up in New Year's Day. So how have your holidays been? I will say that my holidays have been pretty chill. I like to chill. I don't do a lot of pomp and circumstances over the holidays. I rest, I sit in gratitude, and I look forward to the possibilities of the new year.

y'all know Christmas comes around every December twenty fifth. Now, some of y'all say, you know what I think I'm gonna start Christmas shopping in October, right after Halloween. Well, I guess right after Halloween would not be October. It would then be no November. But some of us do say, you know, I might just get stuff bit by bit throughout the year and just put it in a hand tree or put stuff, you know, in the back of my closet. So I just, you know, start Christmas shopping early.

That way, I'm not rushing in these streets stressing out. You know, I've done that, y'all. I've stressed out about Christmas so much that I even forgot to get gifts for people. So there is something to be said about starting your Christmas a little early, especially if you have a lot of people to shop for. I'm so thankful that I have family members who just like money. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I just mean like, I don't have to like get gifts for them.

I have family and friends who like, girl, just get me a gift card somewhere, and I'm like, say, less, here's a gift carp You get a gift carp. You get a gift carp you get a cash app. I just know what Christmas does to people I know the stress that people are in. I participated in a toy drive here in Atlanta. My church is called Change Church, and we did a toy drive. Y'all. People they came in not knowing, probably that week prior, not knowing if their family would have a Christmas And so I always

keep that in the back of my head. I get it, you want your children and loved ones to have a gift under the tree. I get it. But y'all know, there's been so much emphasis placed on like gifts, and it stresses people out. It makes people feel horrible if they're not able to provide a humongous Christmas. So for me, I didn't put up a tree this year. I did not put up a tree. I lit a candle. I

didn't do nothing this year. Plus my home is still in the process of being decorated, so deliveries keep coming in for that. So there's a box here or a box there, or I gotta wait till this is painted before I can put this decorative piece up. I just didn't feel like putting a tree up. Doing all that and being overwhelmed with cardboard boxes that I got to break down and I just not this year. But next year, I'm going to make sure that I act like God has been good and put up a tree some Christmas

decorl outside. We'll get there. We'll get there. So, like I said, I like to look forward to the possibilities of a new year. Speaking of the new year, does anybody still do resolutions? Do people still do them? Let me think I haven't done a resolution in years. Well, let's figure out what is a resolution. A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. A firm decision to do or not do something. That is the definition of resolution. Let's check out some of

the top resolutions. I Am going to go through them to see which ones I'll do, and maybe some resolutions I might list and name off, or maybe something that you feel like, Hey, you know what, I'm gonna do that with you, Michelle, I won't leave you hanging now. According to Goodhousekeeping dot com, this says, create a list of attainable New Year's resolutions that allow you to make healthier lifestyle tweaks every day. You'll start the year with

a stronger, well nourished body and an enrich mind. If you adopt any of the daily objectives, we are sharing here. Our resolutions help you calm down, ease stress and anxiety while taming the crazy ebb and flows of daily life, featuring some of the best tips and life saving tricks from our Good Housekeeping Institute experts. So listen, this time, it's time to put you first, all right, twenty twenty three, Put yourself first, according to Goodhousekeeping dot Com, build a

better budget. Okay. I always feel like you know, I'll have a moment where I feel like, Okay, pipe down, syst save, and I do it. I follow my intuition, I follow as the spirit leads, and so I'm not gonna do anything crazy. But I worked really, really hard. Don't we always say that when we want to spend money. I worked hard. I should be able to buy this. And guess what you might be right? Is it something

you need or is it something you want? Oprah says now when she was still on air, she said, if you can't get your mind off of it, do it? Is that what she said? She say, if you have to think about it twice, Lord Jesus, see, that's why I need to stick to the budget. All right. Practice mindfulness. I love practicing mindfulness, being more self aware Sabrina Romanov says, practicing mindfulness means doing everything you can to be grateful for what you have in the moment, where you are

in life, and who you are right now. So if we can be grateful for what we have in the moment and where we are in life, guess what, we'll also be able to stick to our budget. Okay, this one says cook something new each week. Now, My mama threw some shades some weeks ago when she said, I want to come to your house for Christmas because I want to break in your stove because I know you ain't gonna use it. That's exactly what she said. She said,

because I know you ain't gonna use it. I was like, Shade, I can't commit to that. I cannot commit to cooking something new each week. I know me, So I'm not even gonna Yeah, I'm good. Read more books now. I'm going to say this. I think earlier this year I said I was gonna get off of social media and I'm going to read more books. That didn't happen. But because I'm singing this right now, I am going to read more books. I don't need to get off of

social media totally. And I'm so glad for things to come in twenty twenty three so that I can spend less time trying to create content that's not my strong suit. And we thank the Lord for gifting people here on earth that do it very well. Create a cleaning schedule you'll stick to. Oh that's me, I can do that.

First thing, get up, straighten up the sheets, make them look nice, and I put all eighty pillows back on there. It's something about, you know, even if you might have clothes to fold or something, it's something about the bed being made. That's the biggest piece of furniture in your room. So if that's all clutter, that's also maybe one of the first things you look at when you walk into your bedroom. So I prefer that. So, yes, create a cleaning schedule. I love cleaning. See now, listen to my

future husband. I just want you to know I might not cook all the time. The babae, your house gonna be clean. You hear me, It's gonna be clean. So this is a resolution I can stick to create a cleaning schedule. I don't need to create a cleaning schedule because I just like to clean. Okay, And doing the cleaning schedule, they say that it doesn't suck up endless hours of time on weekends anymore. So some people are

so overwhelmed. So if you do one room at a time, I've read that for years, where you do one room at a time, don't overwhelm yourself by trying to say, you know, on Saturday, I'm gonna get up and clean. No, cause you don't know what kind of week you're gonna have at work or at school. You just don't know what it's gonna be like in Saturday. That might be your day to just rest. Okay, so do something bit by bit, day by day. Just let me know. Woo.

This says drink less alcohol that's easy, breezy. I don't even drink like that, So y'all know me. I love red wine. So all right. It says if you drink less alcohol, it can improve your mood, sleep, skin, and your immune system. All right. Number eight Weekly meal prep Planner. Now there's sixty five of these resolutions, honey, and I just don't know I'm gonna do all sixty five. Commit

to a healthier sleep routine. Now I'll say this. I notice that when I go to sleep earlier and I wake up earlier, this is the person you want to be with. Okay. Now, don't talk about me when I'm sleep by ten o'clock at night, ten maybe eleven, and I get a good six seven hours in. You can't tell me nothing I would say, do that. Join a club. Quit smoking? Okay, some of y'all might say quit smoking. Learn to love vegetables. Oh mg, I love vegetables, y'all.

What y'all? I have a confession. I am addicted to many sweet bell peppers. Yes, many sweet bell peppers. They come in a bag at the grocery store. There's a certain brand that I like from a certain store. They're crunchy and great water content. So learn to love vegetables. I've learned to love blackberries. I didn't love blackberries. I've come to love blueberries. I didn't like blueberries. What people like, Ooh, give me blueberry pancakes. I'd be like, ugh, butter, milk,

me honey, with just butter and syrup, but blueberry. I'll eat the whole plastic container of bla blueberries along with the bell peppers. So yes, it could be something that my body was craving. The bell peppers, the red ones. They're very high in vitamin C. Bell peppers are high and if I'm thinking right at the top of my head, vitamin C, D and K. All right. Another resolution, prioritize your annual health screenings. Ladies. We got to get our pap smears. We've got to get up pep smears in

the year. Get that Ryan, all right. I don't know, ladies, get your pap smears. I know they say you do not have to do your pap smears yearly if you are not sexually active. I say, do your pap smears yearly anyway, all kinds of cancers, ovarian uterine. Come on, let's do our pap smears. Sorry, guys, sorry, that wasn't free. But let's make sure that our reproductive health is good.

Make sure your sexual health is good. Ladies. If you realize that your periods are heavier, painful, those aren't normal. Periods are not supposed to be heavy or painful. Just because we saw mama with a heating pad and she would take medication, that's not normal. You might have pcos, you might have endometriosis, you might have fibroids. Not normal, not normal. That's a whole other podcast. But please, please

please mammograms, colonoscopies. Whatever age you're in, y'all, there have been people younger and younger and younger getting colon cancer. So please get your teeth clean. Yes Lord, yes, Lord, hallelujah. Get your teeth clean and treat yourself. Get your teeth whiten. Okay, I know I'm going to going crazy. Exercise your brain. That's another resolution. Okay, become a plant owner. Okay, let's

do that. Take the stairs. Do yoga with your partner. Ooh, some of y'all that got a party, you might, all right, let me talking about you started off doing yoga and then all right, ooh, this is my kind of resolution. Plan a vacationt plan a vacation head to a day spot. These are attainable. Vacation day spa, eat vegetables, budget clean, make time for cuddling. It says cuddling just for fun can fight stress and improve both of your moods by

increasing oxytoastin hormones, which research ads may also bolster blood pressure. Ooh. When you're regularly physically affectionate with your partner, they're more likely to see you as trustworthy and likable.

know you need to hydrate, but it's especially important. When you get only six hours of sleep or less. You are more likely to be dehydrated the day after a disrupted night of sleep because a hormone that regulates your body's water conservation is released during later stages of sleep. So down some extra water on those days if you can, and remember that too much water can be tricky for your gut too. Baby, I need all the water I can get. Another resolution, chill out, let go of all

that anger. Y'all know what that means. I don't have to do it. It says chronic anger can induce headaches, anxiety, digestion problems in high blood right sure, all right, if you want to let go of the anger, let me know, Michelle, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna release this anger, jump start a new career. Shout out to Good Housekeeping. This is amazing. Ooh. Another resolution, consider therapy all right. I've

done enough. I think I've done a good list. It says you don't have to leave the house to start. Some of the best digital offerings are absolutely free. Start by checking out a few apps on your phone. But if you're ready, reach out to a care provider with the help of our guide right here. So this was found on Good Housekeeping dot Com number twenty four. Consider therapy all right, So how exciting. Is this volunteer regularly get in a body positive mind? Said lift weights? Ooh ooh.

How many of us said we gonna work out at twenty twenty three? And how you ain't gonna be able to tell me nothing? Try a guided workoutter class. Now I'm gonna tell you this. There is a place here in Atlanta called Kika Kika. They do guided stretching, So instead of yoga, it's guided stretching. And I promise you like you grow like an inch or two by the time you leave there the first day. I know I did it, y'all again, they are like sixty five of these.

Add more citrus to your grocery cart. Wait a minute, now, wait a minute. Oh okay, I see this says bathed for a better sleep, take a hot bath. It helped people fall asleep about ten minutes earlier and have a better quality snooze. The best time to do it about an hour or two before bed time. See I thought when I take a hot bath, I thought it raised my blood pressure up too high and it got me a little too so a shower to me was best. That's me okay, Now this is good housekeeping. They may

know what they talking about. But I thought from my experience, I would like just soak in a nice salt bath, but not to induce sleep. Ease stress with kindness. Oh, get artsy, make your home more fragrant. Yes, I've got candles lit as we speak. Candles that have some lavender in it or peppermint can boost energy and lavender can zap stress. All right, And number sixty five says make over your daily routine. All right. That has been a few resolutions. Which ones will you be doing? Y'all? This

has been such a fun episode. I had a blast going through some of these resolutions. When I am done recording, I'm gonna go back and look through here so I can remind myself which ones I said I would do like I said, I just don't necessarily call them resolutions. Also, your body will tell you what it is that you need to do. If you're a spiritual person, your spirit will tell you what you need to be doing as well. Follow your gut. I'm excited for y'all for your twenty

twenty three. Thank you so much for rocking with me this entire year of twenty twenty two. I can cry right now because I am in awe and belief that we really are at the last week of twenty twenty two. Y'all, it really is the end of twenty twenty two. I pray that if this year didn't go the way that you wanted to go, I pray that twenty twenty three blows your mind. I pray that twenty twenty three let

you know that your prayers have been heard. I pray that twenty twenty three you have joy, you have peace, you have love, that you got a little less stress. I pray that you're able to discern who or what could possibly be in your space, your life, and your environment that could be causing you or hindering you from having one of the best years of your life. I don't ever want to say, you know, twenty twenty two was the best year of my life. No, we still

got a lot more living to do. Twenty twenty two, yes, was one of the best years of my life, one of the best years of my life, and I'm so thankful that you guys have been a part of it. Week by week, you give me an opportunity to share with you. You help me to create a safe space to record and come into your home, your car, your air pods, your ear pods, however you listen to my podcast,

I'm truly, truly, truly thankful and grateful for you. Please have an amazing, safe rest of your holiday and we'll check back in. Looks like we'll check back in January third of twenty twenty three. I love you so much and there's nothing you can do about it.