There are some years when life feels like an onslaught of obligations. There are deadlines, never-ending dishes, text threads you’re behind on, and ever-rising expectations. And those times inevitably give way to a year when something inside you knows it’s time to slow it down and come back to yourself. The Year of You is not about some grand reinvention. You certainly don’t need to blow up your life. Rather, it’s about listening more closely to your innermost compass. It’s about turning down the noise of the world and turning up the volume on your own voice. It’s about the hundred small ways you can re-choose yourself and how they eventually become a whole new way of living.
So, at KIM+ONO we want to encourage you this year — to stop outsourcing your wisdom, stop waiting for permission, and learn to trust that you already know what you need. It’s just a matter of taking yourself as seriously as you take everything else. Here’s how to do just that.
Photo by Ashley Streff
Following Your Inner Compass
Your inner compass doesn’t arrive with the neon lights of Times Square. It’s much more subtle than that. Actually, it speaks in sensations. You might feel tightness, ease, curiosity, resistance. You might hear something like “Call her. Cancel that. Take a walk. Rest.” and other seemingly simple directives. The one thing that’s true, no matter how your inner compass makes itself known, is that the more you listen, the clearer it becomes.
One of the simplest ways to practice listening is to build tiny rituals into your day that invite you back into yourself. Maybe it’s five minutes in the morning with a cup of tea. Maybe it’s a slow evening routine where you slip into one of your favorite kimono outfits, roll your shoulders back, and tap into how you really feel. Clothing can help encourage intuition, too. What you wrap yourself in matters. When you move through your home in a long silky robe, you’re choosing to tune into yourself. That’s how intuition grows: in environments where you feel supported enough to hear it.
Photo by @mariacalderon.art
Listening to Your Intuition
Speaking of intuition, we live in a culture that worships productivity but ignores wisdom. Your intuition, however, doesn’t care about being efficient. It has one due north, and that’s honesty. Even though it’s an innate part of us, it can still sometimes be difficult to hear. So start small. Before you give a knee-jerk yes to a question, pause. Notice what your body does. Does it soften or tense? Does your breath get deeper or more shallow? This is simply information. Treat it like data first, and analyze it after.
You can practice this by creating moments to tune in. It can be as simple as a slow, daily skincare routine with your favorite oils. Take a few minutes with a face stone roller, gliding gently over your cheeks and jaw, releasing the stress you didn’t even know you were carrying. These moments of touch and presence help you come back into your body, which is where intuition lives. Wrapped in one of your favorite kimono outfits, you give yourself another chance to hear your intuition with a little self care you can wear.
Setting Loving Boundaries
In The Year of You, boundaries stop being something you apologize for and become something that allows you to more fully connect with the world around you. Loving boundaries are simply you telling the truth about what you can and cannot give. When you’re well-rested, well-held, and well-resourced, you show up more generously in every area of your life. This is why your environment matters. The way your home feels. The textures on your skin. The ritual of slipping into a long silky robe at the end of the day, marking the transition from doing to being. And when you gift a kimono robe like this to someone you love, you’re not just giving a beautiful garment. You’re giving them a permission slip to slow down and create their own loving boundaries, too. The more we all take care of our own energy, the more we can take care of each other.
Choosing Rest Without Apology
Rest is not a reward for exhaustion, it’s simply a requirement of the human body, and you are included! In The Year of You, you stop believing in the need to earn your rest. You lie down when you’re tired. You take a day off when you need it. You intentionally dedicate mornings and evenings to meditation, stretching, or other forms of self care that help you settle down. Maybe your favorite ritual is stepping out of the shower and into the best women’s bathrobe you own, letting the luxurious softness settle into your bones. Maybe it’s sitting by a window with a book, wrapped in a long silky robe, doing absolutely nothing productive. Rest is good for you.
Photo by @mariacalderon.art
Taking Good Care of Yourself
Taking good care doesn’t require a big vacation and maxing out your credit cards on spa treatments. It’s as simple and significant as noticing when your shoulders are tight and rolling them back. It’s not hurrying when using your face stone roller because you’re enjoying the sensation of being touched with care. It’s choosing meals that actually nourish you. It’s wearing clothes like beautiful kimono outfits that remind you of the meaning in everyday moments. Over time, these actions become so ingrained in your daily rituals that you start to feel like you can take care of yourself no matter what, and that’s one of the best feelings ever.
Remember: the Year of You will happen in the small moments. It will happen when you choose to rest instead of pushing through. When you slip into your favorite kimono outfits and remember that you are here to be present. And when you gift the best women’s bathrobes to the people in your life who deserve boundaries, self care they can wear, and a little luxury, too.
This will be a wonderful year because you will be choosing yourself, and there’s nothing as beautiful as that.
