Every year is an opportunity for us to reset. We have the ability to reflect on our past mistakes and habits, which helps us to alter and improve our future selves. Although we should be regularly reflecting on our daily habits, there is something about a new year that brings a different feeling and sense of change. The new year allows us to remove negative habits and opens doors for us to embark on new journeys. It is important as humans to grow with the new year and challenge ourselves to become better individuals. More importantly, throughout the process of growth, we must find what inspires us and truly makes us happy.
Although this sounds exciting, many of us start the year off strong and completely abandon our intentions after a couple weeks. How many of us said we were going to start going to the gym and haven’t moved off the couch in 2 weeks? Guilty. This excitement of a new year can lead to making a list of intentions that are either unattainable or unrealistic. The key to succeeding in our intentions is to make incremental goals that actually match and fit our lifestyles.
Another struggle with intentions is the ability to actually sit down and fully reflect on the year behind us. We either are in denial of our bad habits, or do not want to overwhelm ourselves with the work that we have ahead. Sometimes we don’t even know what we want to change and just need that push of inspiration to help us.
Regardless if you have or haven’t started the new year with a list of intentions, here are 5 small changes to start the new decade off right!
- Limit the use of technology: We have the tendency to always be plugged in to our phone and not fully living in the present. Unplug, unwind and spend that extra 30 minutes doing something that makes you happy.
- Have one day a week dedicated for yourself: Have a pamper day for yourself at least one day a week. Do a facemask, take a warm bath, read a book or go for a walk in nature. However you define self-care, spend the time to care for yourself and release your stress.
- Declutter your space: Don’t overwhelm yourself with a huge project. Tackle small areas such as a desk drawer or cupboard and slowly move to bigger areas. The less stuff we have, the more space we have to breathe and ability to cherish the items we keep.
- Write in a Gratitude Journal: Write in a gratitude journal at least once to twice a week about the things you are thankful for.
- Spend more time with loved ones: Make a call and reach out to friends and family. It is important to surround yourself with supportive and caring people.
Written by Ruby Lukach