New Year's Tips for New You
Focus Resolutions on Getting the Most out of Life, Now
New Year's tips to a fresh start for a healthier, calmer, and less stressful life.
New Year's resolutions mean giving yourself another chance at life, a fresh start. Some might have prepared their resolutions, while others can't be bothered but that doesn't mean they haven't mentally prepared themselves their own resolve. Always, it's the time to plan carefully, set goals and prioritize. By doing them, simple things can be enjoyed with a calmer and less stressed living. Here are some tips or reminders to consider.
Reflect
You know you need to change, but can' t quite put your finger on what exactly is making you anxious, unsettled or frustrated. Desires can be muddled by responsibilities or concern for others, fear of the consequences, uncertainties or being out of touch with your feelings. A few mental exercises can help pinpoint your goals. Write down your thoughts, worries and needs. It's a powerful way to clarify thoughts, confront fears and help identify and secure commitments. Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable and time-specific.
Take a look at your life from a number of perspectives: work, home, health, relationships and money. How about your spiritual life? How do you feel about each of these areas? Be specific. What actions can you take to improve on them?
Resolve
Who hasn't ever made a New Year's resolution to keep a tidier house or lose weight? Keeping them is the hard part. Motivation and discipline are the keys. Resolutions should be realistic, practical and from the heart. If you're looking for a job then network and be persistent with your job search. Beware of including resolutions that say "I should…." or "I ought to…" which are likely more to please others or expectations from others than your own.
Reduce Time-Wasters
Identify activities, task or chores that can be reduced or eliminated as they waste time or create more stress. If it's a burden of home tasks, set household goals and share the load with other members of the family. Prioritize. Time-wasters can occur in any area of your life.
Relate
Communication is most important in any relationship. It's a challenge to keep lines open in order to maintain a harmonious relationship. It is how feelings and experiences are shared to build and sustain a healthy togetherness. Be assertive and not aggressive, maintain a win-win situation or try hard to make it so by talking it over rather than harboring ill-feelings. Practice patience, tolerance and respect - easier said than done, but can be done.
Reassess
Financial difficulties can be a result of previous mistakes. Now is the time to reassess factors such as lack of planning that has proved costly; overspending; allocating for the lean times or unexpected events like illness or loss of a partner; credit balance, which could be an expensive debt carried over from month to month; untimely decisions made which you are not ready to do, as during a period of grief or after a divorce.
Reinvent
This pertains to key areas in your life that need changing for the better. Think and write down and act on those you believe need to change or to let go, plan a strategy. For example, your lifestyle, your spending, your career, your skills, and your relationships. Again, be specific and time-specific.
Relax and Revive
Remember to relax at your own pace, to revive. Cool it and take a rest. This will release muscle tensions, normalize breathing and pulse rates.
A New Year, New Beginning, New You.
