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I know for many people the idea of New Years Resolutions gets an eye roll and a much- deserved dose of skepticism. Believe me I have been there too.
I have been the gung-ho person making a spreadsheet full of all the new habits I am going to start, only to get overwhelmed one week later and call it quits. I have been the person who vowed to never make resolutions again because I never stick to them. I have waited until February to make resolutions- just to try something different. I have done it all.
And no matter how many times I have bailed out; I still can’t help myself from getting goo-goo eyed at all the possibilities a new year brings. I love the process of creating brand new resolutions each year. It allows me to dream and set a vision for my life. It forces me to check in with where I am and where I want to be.
I’ve noticed that the reasons my resolutions have failed in the past is because they weren’t in line with my actual values and priorities. Instead, I used my New Years resolutions as an aspirational list of all the things I SHOULD do to be a more perfect, efficient, productive human. I focused more on what I wanted my life to look like from the outside than what it actually felt like on the inside.
This year I tried a different approach.
First I did a little soul searching and journaling. What does my dream life look like big picture? On a day to day basis? What does it feel like? What do I want more of? What do I need to get rid of? What areas of my life are most important to me? What brings me the most joy?
From these reflections, I narrowed in on my top three priorities for this coming year: 1) My holistic wellness 2) Soul connections and 3) Seeking joy.
Having this type of laser focus made it easy and natural to create resolutions that resonate with me on a deep level. I’m hopeful that with this new found sense of commitment and purpose I will be able to stick to these resolutions and live my best year yet.
#1 Daily Meditation:
For years, I have struggled with sticking to a regular meditation practice, but I am getting back on the horse, because this is the one habit that I most want to establish in 2019.
The scientific benefits are so clear and indisputable. Just 5-10 minutes of meditation a day can increase positive emotions while decreasing depression, anxiety and stress. Getting that regular ‘om’ in can increase your social connection and emotional intelligence, and has been shown to make you more compassionate, creative and focused. Anecdotally in my own life, I always feel more grounded, centered and an underlying sense of happiness when I meditate on a regular basis.
I am a huge fan of the app headspace, because I enjoy being guided through my meditation by a spunky British man. You can get a free 10 day trial if you are a first time user. After that the subscription is $13/month, which I find to be worth every penny. Insight Timer is another meditation app that is completely free! You can set the timer to any length of time and pick whatever type of relaxing music that soothes you.
#2 Gratitude Journaling
This is another daily practice with loads of scientific evidence behind it. There are many different approaches- but the basic idea is to write down what you are thankful for.
What works best for me is taking out my journal every night and reflecting on all the good things that happened that day. I write down at least 5 specific things that I am grateful for. Sometimes they seem so small and superficial like “I love the way this candle smells rn”; sometimes they are deeper “my friendship with so and so”. What matters is that after you write down each thing, you take a second to let yourself really feel the gratitude. Soak it in. Thats where the juiciness is.
I have noticed such a perspective shift with gratitude journaling. Taking time to intentionally reflect on the positives, trains my mind to focus on the good things more in everyday life. I am a huge believe that life is all about perspective. Whatever you are looking for, you are guaranteed to find it. Why not look for the good?
#3 Start Each Day With A Fab Four Smoothie
My ultimate goal with food and nutrition is to choose foods that nourish my body and give me energy and vitality- and these daily smoothies are my starting point.
Feeding myself properly has always been a struggle. Over the years I have developed the horrible habit of choosing food more out of convenience than anything else. This has led to way more pocket food, lean cusines, uber eats and fast food drive thrus than I care to admit. Inevitably after these poor choices, one of two things happen. I end up in a food coma which I combat with excessive amounts of coffee OR I crave more unhealthy food just hours later and make a beeline for the nearest vending machine. Yuck!
Recently, I discovered Kelly Leveque, while listening to one of my regular podcasts and have absolutely fell in love with her approach to a healthy lifestyle. She understands the actual science behind metabolism and has created a formula for healthy eating that is livable and sustainable. She emphasizes eating the right combination of foods to help elongate your blood sugar curve. This prevents the spike and crash that otherwise occurs leading to fatigue and cravings.
Her main tool is the fab four smoothie which combines 1) Protein 2) Fiber 3) Leafy greens and 4) Healthy fats to balance your blood sugar first thing in the morning and set you up to make nutritious choices throughout your day. Check out her website for more information and recipes.
#4 Practice yoga 3-4x week
I always feel such contentment when I am lying in shavasana, covered in sweat at the end of a hot yoga class. Moving and stretching my body in the 90 degree room feels more like a massage then a workout.
I savor those moments of hanging out in rag doll allowing my spine to elongate and stretch, and folding over into half pigeon breathing into the painful stretching sensation in my hips. Practicing yoga just makes my body feel good and I am seeking all the good feels this year.
#5 Seek more joy
This year I want to be more purposeful about incorporating joy into my every day life. When I’m tired its easy to fall into the old standbys of vegging out and mindlessly watching reruns of The Office on netflix. While that can be a good way to unwind, it doesn’t usually fill me up or recharge me in a meaningful way.
I decided to create a list of activities that bring me happiness to make the joy seeking process more tangible. The list I came up with includes: dancing, reading fiction books, game nights, hiking, and bubble baths. I can’t wait to start adding more of these into my every day life.
#6 Purchase with Purpose
While I was cleaning out my apartment and selling all of my belongings- I realized how much junk I accumulated. I definitely have a bit of an online shopping addiction (thank you amazon prime). I had two closets full of clothes, yet felt as if I had nothing to wear.
Now that everything I own fits in my tiny Honda I realize how little I can get by with. From now on, I plan to only buy things that I love and that bring me joy. For me that means no more impulse buys. My new method, especially for clothes is that I have to think about a particular item of clothing for at least a week before actually making the purchase.
#7 Stay Connected with Family and Friends
This one is so hard because we are all so “busy” and life always gets in the way of our best intentions to stay in touch. This year though, I am done with letting my to do lists, errands, and other misguided commitments keep me from prioritizing connections with the people that matter in my life.
I am making a commitment to schedule a phone call/ skype date with one friend or family member each week. (Don’t worry Mom, you still get your own call at least once a week).
I am also making a commitment to remember and commemorate birthdays and other big days. I tell myself that I’m bad at these things, but the reality is, I just have not actively prioritized them- until now.
#8 Stay Organized
I have tried and failed at using every planner on this earth. Google cal, ical, various to-do list apps, bullet journals, cute planners from target, etc. I know this is going to be one of the hardest ones for me to keep. I also know that if I don’t take time out every week to plan and prioritize- I will never achieve the rest of these goals.
I am balancing so much this year: my life coaching class, teaching English, and starting this blog. The only way I am going to stay sane and calm is by keeping track of everything.
I need to be able to write things down on paper- and I need my to-do lists and schedule and everything else to be in one place. After some excessive research and pinteresting, I bought an Erin Condren Life Planner, some cute new pens, and some sparkly stickers. So far I am enjoying the peace of feeling much more on top of my life.
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Those are my 8 New Years Resolutions for 2019. Looking at them makes me so excited for the year ahead and for this journey I am on. What are your goals, resolutions or priorities for this coming year? And what are you biggest challenges in sticking to them?
