December 2020 is upon us! No matter how you have felt about the past year with everything that has happened, December is always a mood. It is a distinct vibe. Perhaps you run to set up holiday decorations or maybe you are a person who might be feeling some ease because this year the same holiday gatherings-at work or at home-may or may not be happening. It is definitely an odd time. I like December because it brings about this idea of reflection, and I also love the idea of deciding here in Michigan to cozy up for the winter. In this post, you will see my December planning pages as well as some of the things I am doing to make December more enjoyable with cozy accents and decorations. You will also see my mood meter as I make sure to check-in with myself as to how I am feeling each day.

I have been writing a lot about burnout here on the blog and in my journal. If I look back at my morning pages, it is something that has slowly been building up since we went back-to-school in September. Because I have always felt that December is a month for reflection, I wanted to highlight that purpose in my December pages this month. If I compare my October reflection page to my November reflection page, I have already made some changes in terms of physical wellness and professional wellness. I have engaged in the idea of trying to balance the six different areas of self-care: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and sensory. While I always feel like self-care is a concept that isn’t obtained, kind of like “work-life balance,” it is a word that is a strong reminder to put yourself first before the work.

Rachel Hollis in Girl, Stop Apologizing said, “When everything is important, nothing is important” (97). These words are so powerful, especially in December. I am getting better at understanding that everything can’t be important. We only have three weeks until winter break (not four this year!), and I want to make sure that in the rush I am celebrating small wins on a daily basis and setting the intention to practice regular self-care not for the sake of sounding good, but the ability to keep teaching month after month. December is about small wins…and all things merry and bright.