I knew that 2018 would be a year of figuring things out. I had made some huge changes in 2017 moving back to Sweden after 13 years in London so 2018 was going to have to be a year of settling in. Finding my place. Trying to figure things out. I set myself a few New Year’s resolutions and I’ve done ok with achieving them.
I’ve most definitely progressed on my conscious journey, especially in the sense where I’ve moved towards it being more about slow living and appreciating what I have, rather than consumption (even if it’s sustainable and ethical). I’ve moved towards buying less and had at least one month when I didn’t buy anything. And I’ve bought more second hand than ever before – both clothes and things for the home. But as I spent at least the first five months of the year decorating the flat, I did buy quite a few things so hopefully, now when we’re happy with how our home is looking, we won’t need to buy much more for the flat and can decrease consumption significantly in 2019.
A slow fashion challenge
Over the year I’ve been (mostly) following Swedish slow fashion blogger Johanna Nilsson’s Slow Fashion Challenge. I’ve done various wardrobe audits, have reviewed my likes and dislikes, and have explored clothes care and sustainable fabrics. And I’ve mainly bought second hand clothing. All in all, I’ve followed the goals I set myself at the beginning of the challenge and am aiming to continue on this path but buying even less. One aspect of this will be to continue making the most of what I have. I did a maximised (non)-capsule wardrobe challenge in September and a super fun style challenge in October – both all about being creative with what you have and getting excited about the things you may have forgotten about at the back of your wardrobe.
A more conscious way of living
2018 has also been the year when I’ve increased my efforts of living a more conscious lifestyle. But it’s also been the year when I’ve had to compromise and consider someone else in a different way as it’s been my first full year of living with a partner. I’ve won some fights but have also had to respect that I can’t force someone else to be making the exact same changes that I’m making to my own life. I’m on my own conscious journey but I’m also on a joint one with my partner where we’re having to find things that work for us both.
In terms of lifestyle changes I’m moving towards eating more vegan food. I’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian food for a long time but this year, I’ve made a conscious effort of also eating vegan food. This has been helped immensely by the fact that there’s a vegan restaurant in the building where I work so when I haven’t brought lunch in, I’ve often opted for something vegan from there. And I want to continue eating more vegan food, as an effort to save the planet as well as my wallet.
I’ve also opted for train or ferry travel instead of domestic flights on most trips within Sweden this year and had some beautiful holidays on the island of Gotland and on the High Coast. I’m aiming to continue travel by train in 2019. Decreasing international flights has been much harder as most of my friends don’t live in the same country as me and my boyfriend’s favourite hobby is to travel to countries far away he hasn’t been to yet. Making our travels more sustainable is therefore something we’ll continue working on.
The small and the big
It’s been a year of settling in. Getting to know myself in this new place, new job, new life. And getting to know what’s around me. Through my work I’ve been more involved and interested in ethical and sustainable business and I will continue learning and writing on this topic, both from a business perspective as well as a consumer perspective. I’ve been getting to know the Swedish sustainability scene more – who does what, what magazines and website are there, what innovative companies and brands are there, what inspiring writers and bloggers are there. I’m slowly learning about Sweden again and am looking forward to continue learning.
At the same time, I’m also trying to keep my foot in the global world. There are a lot of exciting initiatives happening in Sweden when it comes to sustainability, but we also consume as if we had four planets and the latest right-wing budget in Parliament includes huge cuts to environmental efforts. So the climate fight continues here as well as globally. Because small national efforts can encourage change but huge global efforts are needed for true change.
Figuring out my own role in this will continue in 2019. I learned about the concept of Ikigai this year, exploring the intersection of what you’re good at and what you love doing as a means to find the meaning of life. And to find happiness, which is something I believe we need more of in this world that’s becoming more polarised each day.