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There are lots of ways to start the New Year off right. Sometimes it’s hard to start when you have no idea where to begin. Here are a few ways to help you get out of a funk any time of the year, but are especially important before starting New Year’s resolutions.
- PLAN– My most popular articles are about planning, and I’m realizing now, it’s not just because people are trying to do it better but also because it’s what helps all types of people to accomplish their goals and how they live their lives. I carve time out each Sunday to work on my calendar, which will keep me on schedule for what needs to get done for the week. The calendar helps make sure I stick to a routine for my life. Routine is what makes me feel calm, so making sure we’re balanced with extra circulars and home life is key.
- WRITE– Writing consistently keeps me on a roll. Writing is an amazing outlet for anxiety. Writing down plans, fears, hopes and lists gets things out of your brain so you can make room to breathe. I’m also lumping in reading here. The best writers are constantly reading and so I focus on, not only listening to podcasts during my free time, but reading more books. Slow down on social media and only use it consciously at your desktop in order to have more time for being present and reading.
- LOVE– I’m constantly preaching self-love and making sure to put yourself before your family and friends so you are better able to love them. Taking the right actions for self-love is also key here. In general, for me, watching shows at night is a bad use of time. It often causes me to be angry or sad right before bed which in turn affects my sleep behavior. I’m not giving our TV away to accomplish better habits but putting a boundary in place (and telling my family) that I’m interested in watching movies on the weekends but during the week I’ll be writing, reading or playing games with my family before bed. Realizing what kind of self-love works best in caring for your body and mind is something you might have to work on but it will be worth it once you do.
Because I know that everyone is different, I’ve asked some local moms how they shift gears for the New Year.
Here’s what they had to say:
“I packed on a massive amount of weight during the six years that I had five children. I tried doing everything at once: adding in exercise, changing diet and eliminating my trouble foods and beverages. I failed on day two. I recently started by taking on one problem at a time and I’m succeeding. It took me six years to gain this weight and develop bad habits and practices, I can’t expect to lose it all at once and get out of this in one swoop.”
-Katy Mann of Indy with Kids
“For a quick fix, I tend to escape into a great movie. It’s nice to live in someone else’s world for a while. If it’s a deeper and lingering issue, I put it on paper and get to work dissecting it. I’m a problem solver by nature, so breaking things down to understand them better is how I shift my mindset.”
-Sierra Holmes of Eclectic Kurves
“When I’m in a funk, I just like to go back to things that inspire me. Luckily, I’m inspired by organization and list-making, so I make that the first thing I do.’
-Brittney Mason of The Pretty Plus
“Right now, for instance, my kids have been home sick with the flu, I’m fighting it off, yet I have a deadline to get a feature documentary out of my edit suite and out the door. After returning home from vacation, the last thing I actually want to do is nose to the grind, but I know I have to. When I’m spinning my wheels, I go to bed, take a walk. Those are temporary fixes. If the funk is of a large proportion, like the one I am in right now, I make a goals list of the things I want to accomplish after this is done. That list is what I am working towards. It gives me an incentive to get to this finish line so I can focus my effort on something that will give me joy.”
-Kathryn Dickson of Kathryn Anywhere
“I like to make a list of things I’m looking forward to or want to accomplish. And if I can’t think of anything, I realize it’s time to get something on the calendar. This year, I have nothing specific planned for summer and it was messing up my ability to daydream so I got out the map and planned our trip to PA with the kids. We looked up places to visit and stuff to do. Now I’ve got something to look forward to, goals to work toward and activities I’m saving for.”
-Katie Ruvalcaba of Ruvalcademy
‘My go-to way of resetting myself is usually a few days of self-care and self-love that consists of really good hot yoga classes, daily meditations (even just five minutes or so), consciously seeking fresh air (walk outside, sit on our screened-in porch and read or go to my family’s lake house). It’s all about flipping your perspective.”
-Greta Snell of The Moon and She‘
“Every year I choose a word to focus on. This year it is peace. Past years have included: surrender, beauty, perspective and gratitude. It’s powerful to see life through that one lens every day for a whole year.’
-Ali Wren of Ali Wren
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