By Hannah is a free weekly newsletter. If you want to become a supporter of the newsletter, please consider subscribing and sharing. If you enjoy my writing, I invite you to support my work by becoming a paid subscriber. Your support keeps me writing, thank you.
Welcome back to this week’s newsletter. Today I want to share more about words and New Year’s intentions. I was doing my usual evening reading and perusing Substack and particularly enjoyed reading about different folks’ intentions for the new year, specifically, the practice of crafting a word or phrase to encapsulate and guide one through the year to come.
and shared some beautiful reflections on this practice, which I would like to share more about here, as well as sharing my word/phrase for the year.I am someone who doesn’t enjoy setting New Year’s resolutions. They often feel superficial and neglect the depth and complexity of what a year can hold.
I always start off the year in a cocoon of winter hibernation. The cold, bitter weather means I move and work a lot slower. I like to honour this slowness. With the rains we have been experiencing in the UK, this has meant hunkering down and moving a lot slower in my day-to-day; lighting candles as the sun sets early in the afternoon, wrapping myself in duvets in the living room, or under the comfort of my dressing gown while I sit and write this, drinking copious amounts of tea and reading into the night.
I am someone who loves to journal: to reflect, write, dream, and envision. After reading Luisa’s and Charlene’s writing, I'm feeling called to explore my word or phrase of the year, rather than setting resolutions.
As
shares:“Delivered as it was, through my own pencil into my own journal, there it is.My way of being with the world for 2024. An entire phrase has been gifted by those sparks of intuition and those whispers of intention, that kindles hope and lightness and utterly blissful freedom, for me. Not a word, no, for a word is not deep, nor broad, nor all-encompassing enough for 365 days of continuing to drink-in this beautiful, glittering, overwhelming life. A phrase.”
Resolution setting can feel rigid, as it doesn't account for the flux of life, which I’m reminded of each year. Often, we are buffeted by moments in life that act as a reminder that we can set all the resolutions we like, but often, life just happens. Saying this, to hone in on a word or phrase that encapsulates the energy and intention I have for the year feels more flexible, permeable, and dynamic. This word or phrase can still be applied even in the hard moments.
I want my word to be my North Star. The overarching theme which I return to as my anchor, again and again.
I have been thinking a lot about the person I want to be, and how I want to grow this year. I want to challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone and prove to myself that I can do hard things. I suffer from anxiety, which can often be debilitating — which I experienced many times in 2023. I was brought to my knees and made raw by this anxiety, which left me in a heap on the floor crying more times than I’d like to remember. But even through all of that, I have been slowly rebuilding and returning to myself again. Returning to the person who wasn’t afraid of life. Piece by piece I’ve been putting myself back together, and this is what has informed my word and phrase of the year.
I also want to step more confidently into my work as an activist. As someone who works in the climate space, I still feel so shy to step into my voice; to share what’s on my heart and to advocate for change in the world for fear of how people will receive it. To be an advocate for change often comes with *sometimes* being misunderstood. I want to speak courageously for the movements I care about because we cannot be silent while people are being oppressed, and our earth is being destroyed.
My phrase of the year is: I can do hard things.
And my word of the year is: Returning…because in each moment, I will return to myself again and again.
This feels exciting to me! Resolutions never really feel exciting; but this honouring of my growth, the messy and the beautiful, feels right. It feels like a returning…a returning home.
What is the word or phrase you will be carrying with you in 2024?
What to expect here in 2024
2024 is the year of committing to my Substack and my writing. I can find being consistent a challenge, which is where my phrase, I can do hard things, really comes in handy. So, here’s what you can expect from this newsletter in 2024.
Weekly Monday newsletter for all subscribers which will explore themes of ecology, personal insights, reflections and more.
For paying subscribers, you’ll receive access to free Monday letters, plus:
Seasonal Writing Retreats: where we come together as a group to tend to our creativity, write (specifically nature and ecological writing), and build routines for our creativity to flourish (whatever that looks like for you).
Monthly Process Letters: where I will share my journey of creating and writing as a quiet creative; provide writing reflection prompts and my process for sharing this work with the world — the world being, Substack — as someone sensitive, but who also has a lot to share.
On The Shelf: this is my bi-weekly recommendations for essays, articles, podcasts and more!
Unlimited Comments: this is the space for community connection and conversation. This is where we will get to know one another as a community, sharing ideas and our work.
If you haven’t already subscribed, and you enjoy my writing, I encourage you to click the subscribe button below.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or through a restack <3
Thank you for this lovely mention alongside Luisa Skinner! ✨ Your phrase of the year is such a brilliant choice - it's one I think of often. Cheering you on for a wonderful year ahead!
Good morning. I found your Substack on Sarah Fay’s Friday thread from a few weeks ago about Notes.
Thank you for this post. I love your word! Returning! Beautiful. I’m playing with “Lighthearted”.
Please feel free to visit my Substack.