2023 Life-changers

In the last few years, I’ve started sharing the things that changed my life that year. Some are super deep and serious and others small but impacted me in some way that I specifically can pinpoint. 

Here’s this year’s list of life-changers in no particular order, except number 1!!

1. Prayer

Numero uno. Would it be a life-changing list from Val of Val Marie Paper without it? It will never be lost on me how powerful prayer is and when I forget, I will keep telling myself and reflecting on what God has done like I did in my post a few days ago because being in the presence of God is the greatest thing we can do for our lives. A journal sure isn’t required but if you’ve tried other things (or nothing?) I think it’s more than worth the cost of a journal to test out for a year to see if it could change your prayer life in 2024 and beyond. Funny enough, the number of testimonials we have of y’all calling the journals life-changing is crazy! I shared one below. Grab one for 2024 here if you haven’t yet!

2. Find Your People study

This summer I shared on Facebook that I wanted to host a summer study. I knew it wouldn’t be right for everyone with the season it was but we had a motley crew sign up for it and it introduced me to some new friends that I’ve been getting to know better and consider good friends. It has even resulted in getting to do church with these gals and that has been extra sweet!

3. Dr. Issam Nemeh

This is the doctor we went to see in Cleveland that helped reset my nervous system. I had connected with a new business friend right after her own visit and it was God’s hand the timing of our conversations. Hear more of her story here and here. The whole thing challenged my cynicism and faith that God could heal through someone today and brought me to a new understanding of God’s love for me. Also, he’s truly a man sold out to the call of God and the hours that we sat with him over two days were not only healing but truly inspiring to hear his story and his devotion to the Lord. God can use us in incredible ways if we make ourselves available to his purposes.

4. Handheld Massager *

This was a recommendation from Dr. Nemeh, and for $19, it is ridiculously worth it! I bought Tyler one of those fancy massage guns years ago and we never used it. It was just too aggressive. This one is a dream. I had a friend come over with a crick in her neck and made her try it and she told me the next day it was fine and already had one headed to her from Amazon!

5. J. Crew jeans

I have never felt so old as trying to understand jeans this year. With so many different styles and shoe-pairing options, it’s safe to say I have no clue what I’m doing. Thankfully a friend who’s a style expert helped audit my closet and I discovered that J Crew jeans are the most flattering on me in multiple styles (demi cut and slim wide leg in particular) only after trying every major brand under the sun.

6. MitoRed redlight *

I shared in a monthly peptalk when I got this but said to wait to order till I reported back because they aren’t cheap! Now after a year of having it, I LOVE it! I use it a few times a week on my face and my back (something else Dr. Nemeh recommended to me and I already had it but wasn’t using exactly how he mentioned!). I notice a difference mostly in anxiety and sleep and it’s become a really good morning routine. It’s set up in my closet and I have my QT stuff in there and write in my prayer journal while my back is facing the light. It has all kinds of health benefits, like helping inflammation, immunity, circulation, sleep, complexion, muscle recovery, joints, so many things! I’m not a doctor so do your research, but if you want to try it out, you don’t need a big one. I have the MitoPro 300+ which is the smallest pro and it’s plenty! Use this link for 5% off.

7. The Way Out book *

In the past, I think I’ve shared how Curable has helped me with chronic pain. It’s pricy for the year and honestly I didn’t use enough to make it worth it to keep doing but this book is written by one of the people involved in Curable and super helpful!

8. A Better Way to Think book *

Reading this in tandem with The Way Out has been sooo good! I know many people struggle with deeper levels of depression and need more serious measures of response but I wonder how many of us would be helped by this mindshift approach? I struggle with melancholy but not clinical depression and it’s been so helpful!

9. Re-lyte Electrolyte Drink Mix *

I used to drink another electrolyte drink and tried this. It’s definitely saltier and not as tasty but I notice a big difference in my energy levels on days I drink this in the morning.

10. Pausing before meals

So my girls know I’m on a digestion kick. I was telling them how you should pause before eating and eat slowly and Vivi said. “Let me guess, it’s good for digestion.” Ha! It is!! I remember hearing people say one of the best things they did for their body was to eat slower and not rush into a meal and I thought it was hogwash. How can it make a difference? But it does!

11. Remote control for lights *

We have the furthest thing from a smart house. We don’t even have an Alexa. But we got these for our bedroom lights and it’s made my life so easy. It’s an exaggeration but I love that there’s two remotes so if I fall asleep, Tyler can use his to turn off my light and I love that it has 5 plugs. We have three lamps, one sound machine and during this season a string of Christmas lightst that we can turn on as the sun goes down with one click!

12. Walking pad *

I’ve had a standup desk for years but when my blood pressure started getting high, I knew I needed to make walking a priority. And I knew that getting an extra 30 minutes while working was the easiest way to ensure it really happens! I am loving mine and my rhythm of setting my desk up to walk when I shut down for the day and walking for just the first 30 minutes of my work day. It’s all set up so I never skip it and some days if I’m really in a groove, I’ll walk for an hour.

13. Frasier reboot

Y’all know how much I love Frasier! Seeing it revived this year has been so fun. It’s obviously not the same as the originally but I’ve been enjoying seeing hints of the things that made Frasier so funny to me.

14. West elm comforter

We splurged on a new comforter this year but only after our current one was literally ripping a part. This thing is so soft. Our bedroom has definitely become a little haven! The other night we were doing questions at the dinner table (mentioned a few years ago as a life-changer) and the question was what’s your favorite room in the house and Vivi said our room!

15. Ice pack *

My endometriosis has caused me to have a lot of lower back issues. For a while I was using like a hard block of ice on my back many mornings and it was the worst. I got this soft pack that comes with two so I would keep one in the freezer and use and then heat up the other after. I would even look forward to using it when I got up during my quiet time. The band means you can actually wear the back on and move around. A dream for period cramps too! Super thankful that I haven’t had bad lower back pain the last few months to even need it!

16. Jolie filtered showerhead *

I have been looking into filtered showerheads for a long time but never felt like it was worth replacing the one we had…until we had to demolish our bathroom and had to get a new one! (I guess that’s one perk 😉 I loved the look of this one and have found that I am shedding less now that I’m using it! If you have had a lot of hair loss, I still highly recommend this product too!

17. Piper and Scottie

Two years ago I shared Wren and Owen because I became an aunt and it changed my year for sure! This year each niece and nephew welcomed another sibling and it’s been so fun to be a part of their lives this year!

Maybe next year? 

I just started Armra and will keep y’all posted! Hoping it’s on the list of life-changers for next year! 😉

If. you see an * that means it’s an affiliate link but not to worry, I only share what I’m actually loving!

If you loved this little list of favorites, there’s more where that came from. 😉 Once a month, I send out a similar list to my Monthly Digest subscribers! You can sign up for it here.

COMING UP NEXT: What I read in 2023

MISSED THESE?:

2023 Answered Prayers

2023 Goals Recap