Does anyone else get anxiety when a New Year rolls around and you have to start thinking about setting New Year’s Resolutions? I think its important to set goals and resolutions each year, however with that comes a lot of pressure and anxiety for me. I was actually up at 3 a.m. on New Years day just thinking about all that I want to improve and accomplish in 2018. I started to get overwhelmed with all little things that were running through my mind so I compiled them into three different “umbrella resolutions”. I found that looking at it this way helped me to not feel so stressed about all that I want to accomplish in this new year.
Quality over Quantity: I have always been someone who takes on way too much at once or tries to solve the worlds problems in a day. One of the resolutions that I want to apply in all areas of my life is to focus on quality vs. quantity of daily tasks and possessions. Instead of trying to pack a million things into each day I resolve to slow down and time my time on each task I have on my to do list so that I can be more successful at work, provide better blog content, have more effective workouts, and build stronger, more meaningful relationships with the people I love. I also hope to cut back on the amount of “stuff” I have by purging and spending more on a few higher quality items rather than a little bit here an there on a bunch of little cheaper items.
- Focus on a few quality workouts each week rather than working out everyday with only half the effort.
- Set more reasonable expectations for what I’m going to accomplish each day and don’t rush through my to do lists.
- Purge my closet! Focus on keeping only the things I really love.
- Stop buying things just because its a good deal.
- Be ok with putting my to do list aside to have a spontaneous day with friends or family.
- Put down my phone and stop wasting time aimlessly scrolling through things.
Become A Morning Person Again: I’ve was always a big morning person and to most people I still am, however, over the past year I feel like I’ve had such a hard time waking up and being productive in the morning. I’m planning to start the New Year out with a few healthy habits that will make it easier to be a morning person again. I’m hoping this will help make more time in my day to do some more of the things I enjoy. I know that this all comes back to leading a healthier life so this resolution is all about focusing on making healthy changes in my life.
- Cut out coffee!
- Maintain a more healthy balance diet.
- Drink more water.
- Start winding down my day a little earlier.
- Find peaceful ways so spend my mornings like reading a book or taking a yoga class.
- Give myself a break from the grind every once in a while.
Slow Down & Be Patient: This is something that I’ve been trying to change for quite some time. I noticed that since I moved to the city I’ve become incredibly impatient with EVERYTHING. I hate how quickly I get frustrated when things or people aren’t moving fast enough and feel like I rush through just about every moment of my day. I feel like when I’m rushing through things I just get super grumpy and moody. So far I’ve learned that one key element to changing this is to not put so much pressure on myself to get so many things done each day (See resolution #1). Here are a few more things that I’m hoping to change that will help me be a happier person.
- Enjoy the ride – aka. stop speeding, honking my horn or speed walking past people when trying to get from point A. to point B.
- Make time for meals and slow down when I’m eating
- Engage in small talk and be open to meeting new people
- Be more flexible and accepting when things don’t go as planned
- Give myself enough time to get ready in the morning or before meeting up with others – aka. stop being late all the time!
If you’re struggling to wrap your head around all of your 2018 resolutions, try this method of categorizing each resolution into a bigger picture goal. It will be a lot less daunting and much easier to remind yourself what you are trying to accomplish along the way. What are some of your goals and resolutions?
