Let's be realistic here.  2011 was a really hard year in a lot of ways for me.  I took on a giant new piece of my job at work that was very stressful, I suffered for 10 weeks with an unexplained headache that made life kind of miserable, battled depression and anxiety, etc.

However.  There were so many great things that happened this year...

**I trained for and ran my first half-marathon, beating back baggage I've always had that said, "I can't run."

**I convinced myself to participate in 13 weeks of intense group therapy, and while pushing myself to face the darkest parts of myself through bravery I didn't know I possessed, I met 6 of the most amazing women I've ever known.  It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but easily one of the best.

**I improved my relationship with both of my parents.  We've always been close... but my trust in them grew, and we're more able to communicate honestly and openly now.

**I got SO much closer to my best friend in the whole world.  She lives almost 2500 miles away and I haven't seen her in over 5 years.  We've always kept in touch, but this year we grew so close.  She knows more about me than anyone, and I am blessed to have her support in my life.  I learned that more and more every day this year.

**I made it through one of the hardest semesters EVER in my job.  I won't add the details here (ask away if you want!) I wasn't sure I had it in me, and I wasn't sure how it would go.  It was a definite success, and I know that I helped, connected with, and touched the lives of many students.

**In the process of the above, I learned to trust and lean on others for help, support, and nurturing when I needed it.  I made two great friends in my student assistants and learned what it felt like to let people in who truly care for me.  

**My husband and I took a great trip to the UK thanks to that crazy job.  We spent time with friends along the way, and I was reminded how very much I need true friends in my life.  Made a new friend, too, who I think we'll know for a long time.  I felt blessed.

**I spoke up for myself about my health and thanks to that am well on my way to getting rid of that chronic headache, along with the headaches I've had forever.  Speaking up and pushing for what I knew I needed was a huge success.

**I was diagnosed with ADD!!!!  I consider this a HUGE success.  I wasn't so sure til one day I walked out of my Psych NP's office and on the way out he said, "Congratulations, you're an adult with ADD!"  When I questioned congratulating that, he reminded me that now, finally, after so many confusing years of wrong diagnoses and meds, we finally know what we need to do to help me.  What a relief to finally be working with someone who knows what he's doing and is committed to helping me live a better life.  What a relief to finally being on my way to feeling like myself again.

As for 2012... I'm not sure what to expect.  But what I plan to do more of:

**Continue to learn how ADHD affects my life and those around me.  That knowledge has started to help me learn how to do my job better, but it's also taught me that I have a long way to go creating new systems of organization for myself.  The meds don't fix everything, after all!  I plan to ask for help when I need it with the areas where I struggle!  I also plan to continue to reflect on how ADHD has affected my entire life, as this is a big part of healing for me.

**Get back into regular exercise.  It's good for my health, it's good for my sanity.  I stopped sometime back around August last year, and I have started again this year.  Already feels good.

**Continue my therapy work, especially in the hard areas that I haven't explored yet.

**Work on improving my confidence at work.  Others believe in me and my abilities.  Now it's time for me to believe it, too.  I plan to jump in on projects I've been avoiding--make mistakes, take chances, and prove to myself what I'm capable of.

**Work on taking better care of myself in all ways by making self-nurturing a regular part of my life.  Doing things that are good for ME and wasting less time on things that don't feed my soul.

I was kind of happy to see 2011 go...  Bring it on 2012!  Let's see what you've got!