It has been a really crazy year for me, with lots of growth, reflection, and life-changing moments that were not intentional at all. Sometimes things happen, just like that…So when I recently started thinking about new year’s resolutions I started questioning them. It’s become a habit for us to make new year’s resolutions and formulate things we want to achieve and change for ourselves at the end of each year, to start into the new year with a better feeling and ambition to do better. But does it actually make us feel better, and if anything ever really changing? Doing the whole new year’s resolution thing and setting goals like “I need to be more productive”, “I want to lose weight”, or “I have to read more books” is more likely to put pressure on us than actually help us grow. I’m not saying that setting motivational goals is a bad thing, but you should always double-check the purpose and weigh out if that goal will contribute to your overall wellbeing. Like, don’t go to the gym to lose weight and hate it every time you go. Go to the gym because you enjoy working out, and the weight loss is just a nice side effect. If the past 2 years have taught us anything, it is that life is unpredictable and we don’t know what’s gonna happen the next moment. So you better enjoy what you have in this very moment and try to make the best out of every situation. When setting your new year’s resolutions this year maybe try to think about smaller, achievable things that’ll actually make you happier.
+ Live in the present moment and enjoy it
This I something I continuously have to keep reminding myself. Either we’re too busy, tired, and distracted to enjoy the very moment we’re in, or something unexpected comes up and we can’t do what we had planned, which is sometimes frustrating. But that’s exactly the thing, it shouldn’t be that way. No matter what it is, or how tired and stressed out we are, we should cherish every single one of those moments, because we only have them once. They never come back and every moment is beautiful as it is.
+Lighten up and don’t take life so serious
Sometimes all we need is a bit more of the ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude. Things happen, we all make mistakes, nobodies perfect, but we are ALIVE, and nothing is worth clouding this wonderful fact. In case you spill coffee on your thoroughly picked outfit while rushing to get ready for work, don’t have a heart attack about it, laugh, keep calm, and go pick something else.
+ Risk something
Do you have a dream of doing something but you’re reluctant to do it because it seems scary, or unachievable? Well, whatever it is just give it a try. For me, it was blogging. I wanted to do this for a really long time, but I never had the courage or energy to actually do it. I kept telling myself that “there are too many blogs out there, nobody’s gonna read mine”, or “I don’t have the time to do something like that”. The thing is, it’s not about my blog being super successful, but it’s about me doing it, and the fact that I enjoy doing it. It has opened up so many other doors and changed my perspective on things. Whatever is on your mind, be it jumping out of an airplane, changing jobs, or having a new hairstyle, just try it, and sometimes the benefits are the things that come along with the risk you took.
+ Put yourself first
This is a phrase we have all heard before, but finding the balance between giving to yourself and others is not always easy, especially when you have kids. For me, as a caring and loving mother, of course, my kids are at #1 on my list of priorities since they cannot take care of themselves yet. But I have learned, even as a mother I sometimes have to find ways to put myself first because if I ignore my health it will be really hard for me to take care of my family in the long run. Therefore it is important to make a list of priorities and stick to those. By pushing household activities to the weekend, you could open up some space for yourself during the week for example. Another thing important to know is that you don’t have to do it all by yourself- accept help from others. When you get some time for yourself, enjoy it and don’t start thinking about the many things you still have to do. Finding this balance will change your whole life.
+ Listen to your body
One of the most ignored messages in our society are the messages our body is trying to communicate. The way we eat, sleep, exercise, and in general spend our days is not always in accordance with what we need. The puffy sleep survey found out that 59% of the respondents averaged less than 6 hours of sleep. It*s not just bad for overall health but it affects every other aspect of life like increased stress levels and less productivity. Therefore when you’re feeling tired maybe try to squeeze in a nap and have regulated bedtimes. That Netflix show you’re planning to watch in the evening is not running away, and your body will thank you for that extra hour of sleep. Another thing that has become very common in the era of COVID, is that people tend to move less. Everything got a little comfortable with home office 24/7 and delivery services for everything. We literally don’t have to leave our homes. Not even to meet up with friends – “let’s just get on zoom”, “meet on twitch”, or “explore the world of VR chat together”. Is it easy? Yes! Is it fun? Yes! But we still shouldn’t forget to go out for a walk and get some fresh air, it’s like a system reboot
+ Prioritize how you feel over how you look
The way we dress, wear our hair, and put our make-up on tells a whole lot about who we are. Or maybe not, since all of this is just a facade. How many times did you wish to finally get home to get out of them tight jeans, get that makeup off your face and just be comfortable? Well, I can think of a couple of occasions. Our society has been conditioned t work this way for hundreds of years, and since social media has been around we have to look perfect all the time. Why not break the cycle, be yourself, and just do what feels good sometimes. I’m sure as long as you don’t show up to an important business meeting in your sweatsuit, nobody will care.
Feel free to add your ideas in my comment section. I love to inspire and be inspired ♥️