2026 Ins & Outs - The Year For Softness

7 Jan

Oh hello 2026…where did you sneak in from?

2025 was meant to be “my year”... My business would be turning 1, my baby would be turning 2, my partner and I would be celebrating 7 years together. I had so many plans and visions and aspirations - but nothing quite works out how you’d planned, does it? I’m not going to say that 2025 was the worst year ever, because I have absolutely had worse. But by December, I wasn’t quite feeling as satisfied as I’d hoped. We didn’t get a chance to visit my stomping ground in Wales, I didn’t work with as many clients as I’d have hoped and I wasn’t the best Mam I could be (but maybe that’s Mam guilt creeping in).

But this isn’t all doom and gloom. I have such big hopes and dreams that sometimes I put too much pressure on myself. This year, although I am still determined to turn my hopes and dreams into reality, I won’t beat myself up when life inevitably throws a curveball.

One of my favourite things to do last year (along with a vision board of course) was to think about things I wanted more of and things I wanted less - the “ins & outs”. When prepping for this my initial list was incredibly long. But I felt that I was likely setting myself up for disappointment if I didn’t achieve enough “ins” or kept too many “outs”.

So, here are my “ins & outs for 2026”.

Ins

Dedicated Kindle Time
My Kindle is basically my new baby. It comes with me everywhere. I am yet to decorate it (and it’s killing me), as I had to focus on buying other people’s Christmas presents first. But come February, she will be decorated and gorgeous (will share on Instagram & TikTok).

I love reading, but it’s not as easy to carry a big book around when you’re also carrying 963,240 things for your child too. And it’s a bit awkward to hold when you’re trying (and they’re fighting) going for a sleep.

I’d been thinking about getting a Kindle for ages, and 2025 Black Friday was finally the year that it happened and I am so happy about it. I’ve read more books since the end of November than I’ve read in maybe 4 years combined! Now it’s no booktok top score, but I am absolutely loving getting back into reading again.

My go-to genre right now is “cosy crime” (think Thursday Murder Club, The Marlow Murder Club, The Charity Shop Detectives). But I would love to hear your recommendations for books that just have to be on my 2026 tbr.

*bonus add on to this is that I want to get better at keeping track and sharing my progress on GoodReads too.

Taking Better Care Of Myself
For someone who actively promotes taking proper care of yourself for more than 5 minutes a week, I’m not always very good at it. But that’s part of why I started Coffee With Cerys in the first place. It’s somewhere for me to share my journey and hold myself accountable, and hopefully help you too and ensure that you know that you’re not alone.

I’ve always been an evening showerer, but when the toddler decides that he doesn’t want to go to sleep, my evening shower sometimes becomes a middle-of-the-night shower, and I just end up too tired to do anything other than a basic wash.

2026 is the year that I love my body the way it deserves. Using a body scrub in the shower and then getting out and smothering myself in rich moisturiser is one of my favourite feelings (is that a bit weird?). But I definitely don’t do it enough. And I probably use a hair mask once a year (even though my scraped-up Mam bun definitely needs it more than that).

I’m also a major snacker, but will usually just grab whatever I can. So if you have any go-to recipes for your favourite snacks that I can batch-cook and eat throughout the week, please let me know!

Building My Business(es)
If you’re new around here, you may not know that I run a Creative Consulting Agency. I may be a one-woman band right now, but I have big dreams of having a team and being able to support so many wonderful businesses. I also have dreams of expanding and building other businesses (hopefully more on this soon).

Deep down, I think I always knew that I wanted to create something for myself, I just never quite knew what it would be. But my business brings me so much joy and I’m proud of myself for pushing out of my comfort zone and reaching for something I believe in.

It’s quite scary putting yourself out there with your own business. Everything falls on your shoulders and rejections can often feel personal. But I am excited to see where I can take it! And of course, document how I look after my body and mind along the way.

Wearing Things That Make Me Feel Good
This could maybe have gone under ‘Taking Better Care Of Myself’, but I wanted to give it its own point.

I love fashion and can easily spend hours scrolling Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest for outfit inspiration. I have so many outfits that I’d love to wear, but when it comes to it, I just revert to leggings and a graphic tee.

There are some body-confidence issues within this that have arisen since having my little one. I don’t like how my post-cesarean belly sits in jeans and therefore just avoid them altogether. But 2026 is the year that I work on both my fitness and my mindset around my body. I carried a baby for 9/10 months and have been his Mam for 2 years. I need to remember to give myself the grace I so freely give to others.

Keep an eye on my Instagram and TikTok where I plan to share my journey with rediscovering myself and my style. It will involve a big clothes sort, Vinted selling, charity shop donations and likely some Vinted buying too!

Date Nights* *days, hours…we’ll take anything

It’s so so easy to slip into the “roommate” phase with your partner after you have a baby. And this has felt extra highlighted this past month as my partner has been really poorly, I’ve spent a lot of time solo-parenting.

Although my libido and general hormonal balance actually improved post-pregnancy (which I know isn’t the norm, so maybe I could dedicate a whole post to this?), the sleepless nights, energetic toddler days, and just general everyday life still leave us little time for just us.

We don’t need every date to be a full-on fancy affair. Some could simply be sitting down together, in front of the telly, and just enjoying each other’s company. We were partners before we had a child and we’ll be partners long after all of our children have flown the nest (or that’s the plan at least). So we want to make sure that we still like each other.

I’m feeling super positive about 2026, so I could go on forever. But let’s move onto the ‘outs’.

Outs

Mam Guilt
I think this may be a recurring theme forever, and I know I won’t be able to stop it completely, but I at least want to reduce how frequently I feel it.

There are some days when I’m with my toddler and my mind cannot focus. I’m thinking about the dishes that need doing, the laundry, an email I forgot to send, a message I need to reply to…But when it comes to doing those things, I would love nothing more than racing cars with my little boy.

And that whole situation just makes me feel guilty.

Some days it’s tough, but I’m building this life for my family and I am lucky to be able to spend so much time with him. Sometimes chores have to wait. Sometimes he needs to play by himself for a bit so I can do a bit of work. And quite often, he will help me with the laundry and I feel so proud of the gorgeous human he is becoming.

Comparison
I am so guilty of comparing myself to others, but it just gets me nowhere. I am doing life my way, at my pace, and that’s okay.

No ones end goals are the same. No one is in the exact same situation as you. You’re doing your best!

Perfectionism
I know that I’m a messy person. I know that I’m a bit soft around the edges. I know that I stumble over my words because I’m so excited to get them out. And I’m okay with that. So why is it that when it comes to the work I do, the blog posts I write, I expect them to be flawless?

2026 is truly the year for showing up as yourself. Not your best self. Not your most perfectly articulated self. Just you, as you are, because you are enough!

It’s felt so good writing again, but I think I’m going to leave this here.

If you’d like to join in the discussion, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments or come and join for a chat over on Instagram.

Wishing you the most wonderful 2026, I can’t wait to see what it brings!

Cerys x

Meet Cerys👋🏻

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Cerys is the founder and host of Coffee With Cerys - a cosy corner of the internet dedicated to self-care, confidence, and honest conversations about womanhood, motherhood, and everything in between. Based on the Wirral (but her heart will always belong in Wales), she’s passionate about creating a space that feels like chatting over a cuppa with friends - where no topic is off-limits, from self-acceptance to sex to the small joys of everyday life.

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Cerys Roberts

Hello! I’m Cerys, a Welsh lass currently residing in the wonderful city of Liverpool. Join me for a cuppa and a natter. My content is the “lazy girls’ guide to self-acceptance, self-care and empowerment”.