2026 goals
I have not posted this last month like normally post my goals for the new year in December. I haven't even really been posting here in general. I have spent all my free time working on continuing education and projects so I can upskill and leave my job. I am so burnt out but I know this will lead to something much better.
Below are a list of goals I want to achieve in 2026.
Leave my job asap. I am working on a career change this year and want to transition into computational/math/statistical biology. In my free time on my own, I took courses and did projects to upskill and support my transition. No one at work supports my growth nor will they raise nor promote nor train me, so I had to support my own growth and do this. They don't deserve an ounce of my hard work anymore, so I'm leaving soon.
Continue my skin progress. Regarding my skin, my hands cleared up when I went on vacation. They had hard water in the area, but I think it's either the chlorine content, the water pH, the minerals, maybe even the soap. To tackle these issues, I already purchased the Uriage thermal water spray (it's mineral rich), and am going to purchase a new water filter that contains vitamin C (it neutralizes chlorine from water better than carbon filters do, and chlorine is a common source of skin irritation). Also I will look into HOCL spray. I should have probably tested the water pH when I was on vacation but I don't carry pH strips with me. Alkaline soap and water can trigger eczema, which in turn supports staph aureus overgrowth (doesn't happen in healthy acidic skin). HOCL effectively kills staph, but I want to see what the top priority goals would be (the mineral thermal water spray, a vitamin C water filter, or the HOCL). I don't to buy too many products. I can buy a vitamin C filter for my bathroom sink, but I cannot control the water quality in public. Anyways I'll try the mineral spray and look into a filter. Then I'll tackle microbiome/pH/staph issue if my skin doesn't resolve, but the first 2 should prevent skin irritation/high pH/staph to begin with. Stress management and eating less inflammatory foods will help here too. At the very least my skin is much better than how it was 1-2 years ago.
Continue my health progress. Besides my skin, my 2 goals are to work on my stress and my insulin resistance (stress heavily overlaps with my skin health of course, and not just present mental stress, but physical, accumulated, and/or "subconscious" stress. For insulin resistance I truly believe that resistance training helps. I do go to the studio for pilates which made me stronger (I use the reformer machine). But I only go 1x a week and should be training around 3x a week. I would benefit from this because I do have insulin resistance and am 30 and want to focus on preventative care so I'm not sick and out of shape when I'm in my 50s and 60s when my metabolism starts to slow down. Eating less sugar and junk (high glycemic foods) is essential here too, but my diet has gotten better. Consuming enough protein as well.
Fixing my posture. When I was on vacation I discovered I have something called an anterior pelvic tilt. When I stand and walk I naturally keep my knees locked, which forces my hips to stick out and my body weight to fall on my heels. So when I stand and walk, this puts a lot of tension on my calves. I also walk a lot and take wide steps and stop and walk quickly, which also puts tension on my calves. My goal is to correct my posture by unlocking my knees when I stand and keep them at a slight bend, and to push my upper body to the front bit a bit so my body weight lands on the midpoint of my feet. When I walk I will take short heel-to-toe quick shallow steps. So I'm focusing on posture and gait correction here. I also slouch when I sit but that's a problem for another time.
Becoming confident in my appearance and adopting a style. I feel I have done a good job here, but I will look into clothes next. Strength training and posture/gait correction from goals 3 and 4 will also help here. When it comes to looks and style and beauty, health always comes first. And I have always been the type of person who looks best in minimal and healthy/glowing soft/light looks no dark/bright/matte/full coverage/bold looks. For me less is truly more.
More hobbies and fun goals. This will happen when I transition to a hybrid role where I will be less burnt out and have more time for myself.
Continue to support my mom and dog. Again this will come with my new hybrid role when I will be paid better.
More to come but my main goal is definitely to leave my job (so then I can help support my loved ones), them my health/looks and freedom.
