I’ve never really been one to do New Year’s Resolutions. I believe if we know we need to make a change, or we want to, why wait for a new year to come around? Just do it!
However, I was recently feeling like there were some things that I wasn’t too happy with when it came to my routine and how I was treating my brain. So I wanted to make an effort to try new things that I think will be beneficial for me in the long run.
One thing I wanted to keep in mind when intentionally making these changes is that it’s not always easy to stick to the goals we create, especially if we don’t feel motivated from the start. I decided that if I was going to make changes, they were going to be life giving and encouraging, rather than draining and discouraging when I make a mistake! (because it IS okay to make mistakes).
So without further ado, here are some of the changes I’m making this year, and hopefully ones that might stick!
Starting off with my phone. My phone is something that I have been putting a lot of thought into recently, especially in considering my screen time and my sleep. And something that I decided to do in December was delete TikTok (gasp!). I know right. I found recently I was getting into such a bad habit of scrolling and scrolling for so long and I started to think, what is this doing to my brain? Studies have shown that because of our scrolling habits our brains are literally rotting, like we’ve seen in the Instagram reel comments of those relatable cat videos. And so I wanted to ensure that I wouldn’t become somebody who can’t watch an hour long documentary or stay tuned into a conversation because my brain has become so adjusted to scrolling away after 15 seconds of listening/watching. Another concern I had was that I wouldn’t be able to shut my brain off at night and go to sleep. Something I’ve been preconditioned into doing is watching Netflix while falling asleep, and while I enjoy it in the moment, I’m not getting the best sleep quality I could be getting, and I don’t feel as rested when I wake up because my mind is so focused on the noise and blue light stimulation happening in the background. So what have I been doing to combat this issue?
READ. If you’re this far into the article it means you either like to read, and so maybe this isn’t even an issue for you, OR you’re feeling convicted about your screen time. Same. So something that I have been doing is reading before bed. This has been helping my brain to slow down and actually get tired, rather than be constantly stimulated by blue light. I’ve found that in practicing this that a) my sleep quality is better and b) I’m not letting Gilmore Girls infiltrate my dreams. But seriously, I feel more rested!
So I deleted Tiktok and started reading before bed, so what? There are still Instagram reels to replace that scrolling from Tiktok, and that’s an issue I faced. Instagram reels just became my Tiktok. And something I wish I could do is just delete Instagram and go social media less completely, but as a Journalism student who does get some of her entertainment news from Instagram (not all of my news, don’t yell at me journos!) and is the social media representative for the Carleton Navigators, it’s hard to delete Instagram.
So a friend of mine recommended the app One Sec, which takes me to a 10-second breathing exercise and then asks me if I really want to open the app. This has worked wonders! I get the chance to really think about if I want to go on social media, and it keeps me from using it as a mind stimulus to just keep my mind occupied. Why am I not just thinking? Why do we need to have something constantly there to entertain us?
Okay, moving on. Enough about my screentime.
Something I spoke on in my section of the article “Our Execs New Year’s resolutions/goals for 2025” was that I wanted to be more consistent with my skincare this year.
Something that I think many of us can relate to is becoming somewhat lazy with our skincare routine. Shamefully I started to become much too tired or unmotivated to do my skincare at the end of the night and I sometimes would fall asleep with my mascara on, or I would take it off with my nails (horror!!). It was not a good situation for my skin personally. This I felt was becoming a really bad habit, and so I decided to fix it. I bought myself a cute little headband with a bow on top and started to force myself to go into the bathroom and take those 3-5 minutes to wash my face, double cleanse and use those products I spent my good, hard-worked money on. I started to realize that I feel so much better when I wake up in the morning, my skin feels hydrated because of the moisturizer I put on last night and my mascara isn’t clumping about on my eyelash beds (I also don’t have to think about those yucky eyelash mites as much). It’s been a game changer!
Finally.
I decided to pick up a hobby.
Anytime somebody would ask me what my hobbies are, I would say, “Oh, I don’t know, doing schoolwork, hanging out with my friends?” And without social media anymore, what was I going to do to fill up that time that I’m completely alone? I decided to think up something that I knew would keep me entertained and would make my creative juices flow, and that turned out to be paint by numbers! I have been having so much fun doing this intricate paint by numbers of beautiful scenery of mountains and water. The tedious aspect may seem annoying to some but every time I spend three hours on one little section of the picture, I am so satisfied with just how detailed it comes out in the end. It’s really been a satisfying experience.
I wanted to do something that would fuel my brain without killing it from a screen that I already spend so many hours on at school. I thought, if I do these paint-by-numbers for long enough, eventually I might help to train my brain to know what colours should go beside each other to make the perfect shading and what would look pretty beside what, and who knows, maybe I’ll become the artist I never knew I had in me.
In my opinion.
New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be something that is taxing and draining you, or something you cut off cold turkey, but it can be something that does really beautiful things for your mind and your soul. Things that are productive for your mental, emotional and physical well being as well as teaches you something new. And who knows, maybe one of those New Year’s resolutions will stick with you forever and will create a brand new way of doing things in your life.