Everyone has their fair share of New Year’s resolutions. Setting these goals is important, it shows who you aspire to be in the new year, however there has to be balance. If you set goals that are out of the realm of your reality, they aren’t just going to be magically reachable. If your goals are too complex and challenging you are going to fall out of the habit of doing them within the first month, which can be very discouraging. I’m going to be sharing a few topics of resolutions that I think are important to work on and how I plan to improve those areas in the new year. 

1. Exercise – It is important to move your body, but it needs to be personalized to you and your needs. Personally, doing a two hour intense gym workout everyday is not realistic. My goal is to focus on doing a small 10 minute daily workout, and give myself one day off a week. This workout will focus on my core and I will also include one short arm and leg workout once a week. I move my body a decent amount since I am also a dancer, but incorporating a small 10 minute workout in my day is a way for me to choose what area I focus on building strength in. 

2. Journaling – I have journaled every single day since the start of 2022. It has continuously been my favorite part of my day since. For me, it’s a way to unwind and reflect back on the day. I also like to include one thing I am grateful for everyday. Not everyone wants to journal everyday and spend time recapping the content of the day, so I recommend shifting it to what interests you. Maybe just writing down one thing you’re grateful for interests you, or writing down bullet points of what you accomplished that day sounds nice. Whatever it is, do it. Journaling really does improve your mental health and helps you reflect internally. I think it can also be a great form of ranting when you can’t talk to someone else or when you don’t feel like it. It truly is what you make it, so personalize it to benefit you.

3. Food – Having a diet where you cut out every sweet treat and piece of junk food is not realistic, and it also will not help to eat less. The best thought process when it comes to food is to focus on two things, quality over quantity and whole foods. This doesn’t mean that you can never have an unhealthy sweet treat, because you totally can, but just trying to focus more on what you are consuming throughout the day is helpful, it’s all about balance. Having a balanced diet can help you just feel better internally. My favorite thing to do is make green juice. It is a really easy way to get lots of greens in your system quickly. 

4. Hobbies and Screen Time  – Developing and prioritizing hobbies that are entertaining to you is so beneficial. Things such as scrapbooking, reading, cooking, or hiking can help take you away from bad habits such as doom scrolling. Going along with this, limiting your screen time in general is very good for you, but it can be very difficult. The best way to tackle it is to find enjoyment in other things, like a hobby. I think another important aspect of screen time and hobbies is the focus of what you are filling yourself with. If you are continuously scrolling and comparing yourself to those on social media, that is not helpful. However, if you are watching self care videos or just watching a fun show that makes you happy, that is not nearly as harmful. This doesn’t mean you should not limit your screen time, but it just means to focus on what you are consuming when you are on your phone. 

5. Self confidence – At the end of the day, resolutions and goals tend to revolve around one thing, improving yourself. The thing is, you aren’t going to see and feel improvement if you don’t have confidence in yourself. I also think it’s important to find happiness and confidence by yourself and not be in a continuous need for praise from others. The constant throughout your life is you, so treat yourself with kindness and respect. All of these tips are for you to feel good and take care of yourself. Of course setting time aside everyday to journal and workout is not very easy, but it also is time in your day to focus on something that is for you. Most spend the majority of their day doing things for others, whether it’s work or giving a friend advice. Connection with others is important, but having time to connect with yourself and your needs is just as important.

Till next Sunday,

Daisy