Integritus Prime

My previous post contained many reflections about my work in 2025 and some tips for 2026. Yet, I cannot resist this one. I saw this post and felt compelled to do this set of reflections, also from @thesimplywellofficial on Instagram. This post contains my reflections on a set of 18 prompts (in bold), half about 2025 and half about 2026. Check it out and I hope you do it for yourself too. It’s really a wonderful way to transition into the new year.

Looking Back

1. In 2025, I nurtured myself by moving into my own office and setting up a space, including a painting room, that reflects my values of beauty, art, and simplicity.
2. I pushed my limits by taking on one of my biggest fears: the fear of drowning. I have been teaching myself swimming, and have become a swimming addict in the last 6 months.
3. I’m celebrating myself for staying on the path of self-love and healing. No matter how hard it gets, I keep showing up for my inner work.
4. I found joy in painting and giving away my paintings. Painting heals and refreshes my mind, and giving my paintings to loved ones is a way to give love.
5. I felt most alive when I would come to work after a swim, my neurons firing more actively and my body and mind aligned through the best possible workout in the world. Through the amazing no-impact of swimming, I feel so alive!
6. A valuable lesson I learned is safety doesn’t require me to constantly give, or protect everyone, or be loyal to those who harm me. Thanks to my therapist.
7. Advice I’d give my past self is to set the boundary early. Don’t wait until big emotions signal the need for you to set a boundary. And, don’t give loyalty where it’s not reciprocated. Again, thanks to my therapist.
8. I’m proud of how I handled an aggressive driver who acted in violent ways. I didn’t retaliate, stayed calm and avoided escalating the situation. I protected myself and my family.
9. A mindset shift that helped me was that I don’t need to act out the triggers I grew up with – I can be curious about them, identify them, detach from them, and be my own self, which I am doing in therapy.

Moving Forward

1. In 2026, I will prioritize swimming. It’s a workout that brings me fitness, joy, an abundance of mental alertness, and a wonderful sense of alignment.
2. I want to invite more reciprocity into my life. As a recovering over giver, I want to practice receiving safely, more and more.
3. I will give myself permission to paint more. It is the most delightful activity I can do for my mind.
4. Something new I am excited to try is EMDR – both as a patient and a practitioner. (EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma healing technique that helps people to reprocess traumatic memories using guided eye movements or other stimulation like tapping or sound while recalling the memory. The brain can then reintegrate the memory in a less distressing way.)
5. One protective boundary I’ll set is with myself: no more rescuing or over giving. Instead, I will regularly read my blog on empathy as a guide for how to show up as an empath without rescuing, but with presence.
6. I will lean into discomfort by practicing authenticity and trust when I would rather disengage and give in to my flight response (running away).
7. A habit I want to nurture is waking up at 5am to go swimming as a moving meditation to start my day.
8. Next year, success looks like being authentic and giving and receiving in balance.
9. My biggest dream for 2026 is creating my own app through which I can share my guided meditations affordably with my audience.

So, what are your reflections? What really stands out for you?