No one will deny that 2020 has been a rough year for many. With stay at home orders in place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic many of us have found our selves a few pounds heavier. And there’s nothing wrong with that. So, as the New Year approaches I wanted to come up with New Year’s Resolutions that didn’t focus on weight loss.
Growing up overweight with intense diet culture and pressure lead me to believe that my weight determined my worth. Which is true for so many people out there. The number on the scale doesn’t define you.
Last year, I decided for the first time that my New Year’s resolution wouldn’t be to lose weight. Instead I worked on creating some healthier habits. I focused on mental health, overall wellness, and practiced sober January to cleanse and heal myself.
I still struggle with my body image and weight. And occasionally go back to old methods of trying to “fix” myself by starting a new diet or fad. Now I am getting better at reminding myself “Your weight doesn’t determine your worth.”
That sentence has helped me to redefine my relationship with my body, confidence, and self image.
So this year I’m sharing these tips with you. From mental to physical wellness the list of New Year’s Resolutions below will help to shape and change your life in ways big and small. Focus on ways to improve your daily life by creating healthy habits and a positive mindset.
At the top of my list are journal daily, hydrate, and meditate regularly.
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Tricks to Make Your Resolutions Stick
Write your resolutions down–
Goals are more achievable and have a higher success rate when you take the time to write them out.
Make your resolutions measurable–
Setting a measurable goal helps us to more easily track out progress. For example: I would like to read 12 books this year. I will go on a hike once a week for a total of 52 hikes.
Have an accountability buddy–
Share your New Year’s Resolutions with a Friend. Having a friend sign up to be your accountability buddy will help you to persevere when your goals feel far away or become more difficult. It’s also way more fun to work towards your goals with your BFF.
SEVEN NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WEIGHT LOSS
JOURNAL DAILY
Starting a journal and making daily writing a habit can help to improve mental health and decrease stress. Daily journaling acts as a record keeper helping us to notice patterns in our emotions, moods, and daily life.
For more tips and tricks visit:
- Journal Prompts for Depression and Anxiety
- 10 Fun Journal Prompts for Summer
- Full Moon Journal Prompts to Shed Negativity
My Wellness Achiever: 2021 Digital Journal and Planner
DECLUTTER
Get rid of things that aren’t serving you! Holding on to items you no longer use can cause our lives to become cluttered. The closet filled to the brim jut becomes another task on your to-do list.
By minimizing clutter and saying good bye to items you no longer use you can remove the physical and emotional burden of too many things! Keeping it simple and limiting excess can help us to stay organized and increase our productivity.
Remember to take a look at all aspects of your life. You may need to say goodbye to that ratty old T-Shirt at the bottom of your closet or maybe to a toxic friend!
HYDRATE
Hydration is key for all bodily functions. Chronic dehydration can cause headaches, joint pain, brain fog, and more!
A general rule of thumb is to shoot for eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. But the truth is, that may not be enough for most of us.
Try aiming for half your body weight in ounces of water i.e. if you weigh 180-lbs you should aim for 90-ounces every day. If you live in a warm climate or have a lot of activity in your life you may need even more H2O.
Keeping a cute water bottle on hand to refill and reuse can help you to stay hydrated more easily.
CREATE A SELF CARE ROUTINE
Do you often find yourself feeling burnt out? Living our regular every day lives can take a toll on us if we’re not taking the proper time to take care of us. You’ve heard the phrase about putting on your own oxygen mask first, right?
Well, self care is pretty much the same thing. If you are constantly putting others first you might find your health and wellbeing taking a few steps back. But, creating a self care routine is a great way to prioritize yourself.
To get started look at the following categories:
- Mental- learning something new, reading a novel, speaking a foreign language
- Physical- staying hydrated, working out, getting a massage
- Social- talking to a friend on the phone, going on a coffee date, writing a letter to a loved one
- Spiritual- going to church, meditation, prayer, getting outside
- Emotional- journaling, therapy, meditation
Which category speaks to you the loudest. Make a list of things from that category that you enjoy. Get crystal clean on what helps you feel your best! I find that I’m my happiest and healthiest when I include at least one item from each category into my week!
Learn how to create the perfect self care routine here.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Pick something you’ve always wanted to try and go do it! There are so many ways to learn something new: you can book a class, watch a series of YouTube videos, read a book, or learn from a friend/mentor. Pick something that you’ve had a reoccurring interest in and give it a go.
20 Examples of Things You Can Learn
- How to Bake Bread
- To speak another language
- How to draw or paint
- Learn to dance
- How to knit
- How to scuba dive
- Learn to sing
- Practice photography skills
- Take a boxing class
- Learn to watercolor paint
- Watch DIY YouTube and learn how to repurpose furniture
- Interior Design
- Brush up on writing styles
- Learn about wine through a wine tasting
- To read astrology charts
- Build miniatures
- A new video game
- Cook fancy Italian Cuisine
- Home Repair
- World History
Just remember to be kind to yourself! You don’t need to become an expert in what you’re learning, it’s more about the journey than anything else.
For great inexpensive art and crafting classes visit Creativebug.com
PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Creating a gratitude practice is a mindfulness activity that helps to cultivate appreciation and understanding. Expressing gratitude helps us stay mindful in our everyday lives.
Practicing gratitude only takes a few minutes each day. Try writing down the things you’re thankful for at the beginning or end of each day. You can also go out of your way to tell the cashier, barista, and others “thank you” in a sincere way to show your appreciation.
Another great way to practice gratitude is to use a gratitude journal and planner.
MEDITATE REGULARLY
Meditation is a way to focus and quiet your mind. Which can be super helpful at reducing stress, improving cardiovascular health, and even reducing pain.
By spending a few minutes each day looking inward we can also improve our self-awareness. This can help to increase our confidence and empathy for ourself and others.
To get started find a guided meditation that you enjoy. You can start with just 3-5 minutes a day. My favorite time of day to meditate is right before bed. This helps me to quiet down after a busy day and let go of anything that might be bothering me.
Try these guided meditations:
- 5 Minute Guided Meditation to Breathe and Relax
- Meditation for Gratitude 5 Minute Meditation
- 10 Minute Chakra Meditation
Good Luck on Your New Year’s Resolutions!
Whatever your personal goals are in 2021, you can use the above suggestions to help you along your personal growth path. Learning new things, staying hydrated, journaling and the others are all great ways to improve your overall wellness.
What's on your mind?