With the arrival of each new year comes the cycle of creating a mental checklist filled with things that we want to work on or accomplish in the upcoming year. It is often difficult to determine how you can implement change into your daily routine in the hopes of shaping your lifestyle exactly how you desire. Here are some valuable New Year’s resolutions that you can practically work on with the proper effort and determination.
- Saving and Budgeting Money
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Problem: For many people, a source of stress stems from the ability (or lack thereof) to save and budget money on a consistent basis. Students, parents, and anyone in between may feel out of control of their finances and a new year can provide a fresh start to get their priorities straight.
Resolution: How can you work on this in everyday life? Begin by ensuring you have separate accounts for your spending money and savings. Every cheque you get, put 20% of the money into your savings account. Write down a weekly limit of spending for each area of your life (food, transportation, leisure, clothes) and stick to it. Eat out less and cook at home more. Live by the notion that if you can’t afford to buy something twice, you can’t afford it.
- Putting Effort Towards Self-Care
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Problem: A lot of the time people become distracted by the many problems in life and forget to stop and ask themselves: Am I okay? Am I happy? Going through the motions leads to becoming out of tune with your feelings and needs.
Resolution: Simple ways to practice self-care include starting a new hobby, getting more sleep, putting effort into your physical appearance, eating good food, meeting new people, journaling, meditating, treating yourself to facials, massages, manicures, or whatever else your heart desires. Make sure you are doing at least a few of these in the new year.
- Working Out
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Problem: Perhaps one of the most common resolutions is getting into the gym. Of course, physical appearance proves to be very important in our society and therefore many people feel pressure to begin working out.
Resolution: Working out is one of the most self-rewarding things you can do, but only when you have the motivation. To begin, create a schedule of your workout days each week and follow it. Buy the attire and other accessories you need to increase excitement about going (anyone else get excited about buying resistance bands?). Make sure your work in the gym isn’t going to waste by your behaviour outside the gym; focus on other aspects including your diet, drinking habits, and sleep.
- Nurturing Your Relationships
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Problem: Sometimes it is easy to focus on yourself and forget about your family and friends. While this can be beneficial, it can also be lonely. Work on maintaining your relationships in a healthy way.
Resolution: Find a way that you feel fulfilled but not burnt out when nurturing your relationships. Maintain communication via texting, FaceTime, or social media. Make plans that you can look forward to. Help each other to accomplish your goals and be there for each other when things get rough. Call your mom, say hi to your siblings, put the laptop away and go out to dinner with your housemates.