The start of the new year is full of basic resolution promises. The expectation of a new start to the same cycle, has frankly gotten old. But this year something was different. Despite the cliché’s, I decided to take on a new strategy to conquering the challenge of change.
I’ve struggled with my mental health, body image, self-love, stress, and my anxiety for years. It’s gotten to a point where, if I continue to live the same life and expect change, it’s just going to get worse. The best thing I can do for myself is try to grow, and that requires progress—even if it’s just baby steps.
1. Eating healthier
One thing that I’ve done this year that I’ve never tried before is not jumping straight into new things just because the clock strikes 12. I knew i wanted to start eating healthier but every time i attempted it, I immediately cut out all unhealthy foods. Which was my first flaw. This year, I slowly started to make better choices, meaning substituting my bad habits for better ones. As simple as healthy eating sounds, this not only (obviously) affects your health, but your mindset. I began to feel better about myself as I cut out the things that weighed me down (…literally). Two things that I’ve done to fulfill my healthy diet is cut out dairy and pretty much every meat except for—occasionally—chicken. I stopped beating myself up after I ate one thing that made me feel like I was back tracking, instead I realized it wasn’t the end of the world, or my diet, and I could work it off. As I kept doing this, eating healthy no longer felt like climbing Mount Everest, it felt natural.
2. Exercise
This sounds pretty self explanatory, but this won’t work unless you’re in the right headspace. Every year I sing the same old song, that I hate the way I look and I’m finally going to reach my mental goal of looking the way I imagined myself. Which wasn’t going to get me anywhere. The first time I forced myself out of bed to go to the gym, was because I was tired of feeling like this. Like I was living in someone else’s body, so I decided to do something about it. I went by myself, which was surprising. Gym intimidation was very real. Until I realized…that nobody cared. Nobody was judging me because at the end of the day, we’re all there for the same reason.
3. Spending time with yourself
A very important stepping stone is realizing that it’s okay to be alone. It’s okay to go to lunch by yourself, and you don’t consistently have to have people around you at all times. I found that I like writing things in my journal that resonate with me, motivate and inspire me. I read in my spare time like I use to, pushing myself to dream constantly. Or listening to music and soaking in my feelings—all of that is okay, in fact it’s needed.
4. De-stress
Recently, I’ve been getting into face masks. I’m obsessed with clay and mud masks after showering, it refreshes you as if the reset button was hit. Taking a minute to breath while feeling good about yourself is essential for every boss woman after a long day of conquering the world. With such a busy schedule, making time to relax is necessary not only for your mental health, but for your pores!
These are just four small steps to improving one’s lifestyle. Of course everyone’s process is different, but I found that these work the best for me. It’s not about changing into a new person, but growing into a positive version of yourself that you can fall in love with.