How to Show Up for Yourself in 2021

An intention to get you through this year and the next

Kaitlyn Varin
4 min readApr 1, 2021

In November, I injured my knee. That first week of lying immobile on the couch felt like it would never end. I was discouraged after months of running and doing yoga three to four times a week. My first thought, ashamedly, was ‘I’m going to gain weight.’ Then I realized, I also had the best grip I’d ever had on my health and energy levels. I had been doing so well.

Eventually, I caved into my couch-bound lifestyle. Limping around my house was embarrassing enough without having to limp around in public. Besides, my other knee and hip had started to ache from all the limping. I determined I could do this, I could live on the couch.

The problem — I let this attitude affect a lot of other, not knee-related aspects of my life. I wrote less. I read less. I took care of myself less. I started sleeping in more, sleeping more period. I ate well at first, weight-gain at the forefront of my mind, and then I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. The first two weeks were the best actually because I couldn't move as much, I couldn’t get to the kitchen as much.

My lack of willpower and laziness came to a crescendo when I stopped taking care of myself. I hit the point where I was taking out my contacts one night, surprised I’d…

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Kaitlyn Varin

Kaitlyn is a yogi, yoga teacher, runner, writer, and book worm. She writes about health and wellness, self-improvement, food, books, and life.