Firstly, I'd just like to say that I hope everyone had an absolutely magical Christmas filled with so much love, joy and laughter.
Apologies for the radio silence as of late, I've been up to my eyes in things to do! But I'm back!
Now, I am definitely a creature of habit. A lover of preparation and planning. I love notebooks, diaries, schedules, pens and pads everywhere - basically anything else that gives me the illusion that I've got my life together.
In reality, I am just a big messy potato who forgets her own age along with why I walked into the kitchen.
I feel like the past two years have completely changed and shaped me into a totally different person to who I was before.
Not to get too much of a personal dampener on the post so early on, but;
2018 made me say goodbye to loved ones, let go of toxic people, spend a little too much time alone and just basically sh*t all over me!
2019 has been the year where I have realised my own worth, my potential, realised who in my life was truly rooting for me. I rediscovered my overwhelming passion for crafts and creativity, and also the year I found some very important people.
2020 is going to be the year I excel. I'm going to live for me. I'm going to make more memories through experiences and moments in the present rather than fret about impossible future scenarios or wallow in the past.
I've recently come down with the worst flu I've ever had in my life (typically over Christmas) and so I'm still making my way through my new year preparation but I just wanted to jot down a few ideas based on how I personally prepare for the new year and get myself feeling just a little bit more positive.
1. Get yourself a calendar.
It may sound like the smallest and simplest thing, but I can make such a huge difference!
They're relatively cheap, anyway, for standard calendars. Although, I'd suggest The Works or even waiting until January and getting a suuuuper duper cheap one in the sales! You can get fun, colourful ones that can help the kids get involved or some a bit fancier to help go with those themed house colours.
A decent sized calendar, I'd say. Make sure the day squares/lines have enough space for a few things.
Put it somewhere you go every day. I keep ours in the kitchen. It has almost an entire wall to itself.
Go through it straight away, pick a nice pen, and put every memorable date in there. Easy stuff. Birthdays and anniversaries.
Make sure you keep the pen hooked on the calendar/nearby so you can add to it as and when you need to.
You'll be surprised at how often you remember to check it once you start!
2. Make some lists!
As we draw ever closer to a fresh new start, it is sometimes nice to take a few minutes to acknowledge your own accomplishments and lessons you've learned.
Why not make a list of things you have done this year. Don't compare your own successes to others. "If all you managed to do this year was survive, then that is enough." But once you've written them down, just take a moment to appreciate you've come since the start of the year. You will see a difference.
It may sound just as easy as the calendars, but I swear making lists help me feel like I am much more in control of things.
Make lists for everything. Make lists for what you need from the supermarket, of what you need to do today, maybe there are some upcoming monthly birthdays or events and you're in need of a 'New Baby' card for your cousin next time you're out, write it down!
Tick everything off as you do it and it will make you feel so much more positive about finishing the rest.
A small and simple, yet effective, mode of motivation!
3. Have an organise.
The end of the year is often a very stressful time.
We've had the entire year to get used to our routines that may have turned into bad habits, most of us have failed our New Year's resolutions before January is even over! We have the remnants of Christmas on our tail and the stress of going back to work and back to reality looms over us.
A really important thing for me is to have a bit of a 'winter clean'.
Obviously Christmas is a time of indulgence (I'm pretty sure I've eaten my body weight in every type of cheese this year!), and just like we say 'I'll start the diet on Monday', it's always nice to have a reason for a clean slate.
If you're lucky enough to have a few extra days off between Christmas and New Year, why not just have a little preparation spruce up?
Do all of your washing you put off over Christmas that you need to catch up on because you need that pair of trousers in a couple of days and you've not seen them since your work Christmas do and you've been too hungover/busy everyday to do it.
Scrub the dish that's been in the kitchen sink for 4 days 'soaking' because you can't bare to scrape the gooey old burnt cheese from the corners.
Put your presents away properly, don't just leave the sixteen books your family got you on the floor or balancing on the arm chair - they only got them for you because you made a fleeting comment in August about vegetarianism during an overcrowded BBQ.
These small and even seemingly insignificant tasks will totally improve your mindset in general and make you more welcoming of what is to come in the next year! The more you do this year, the less there is do to next year.
If you go into 2020 with a clean everything, you're more prepared for anything thrown at you.
4. Resolutions!
Lose Weight
Give up smoking
Save up for dream car
Travel more
Cut down drinking
Just a few examples of the most popular New Years resolutions made every single year. Statistic say that while about 60% of us make resolutions for New Year; less than 25% see that through to 30 days and only 8% are successful in achieving them.
This year, don't set resolutions, set concrete goals. Instead of saying you want to lose weight, say exactly how much you want to lose and what you want your goal weight to be by then end of the year. Resolutions can be vague and having solid figures is a lot easier to stick to and be strict on yourself. (It also help you to pace yourself as you can see how much weight you should be losing each month and can check to see if you're on target.
Don't go crazy and write 48 resolutions spanning from losing weight to getting yourself entirely out of debt, be more assertive, do more yoga, stop biting nails, recycle more, save money, cook more, read more, drink less alcohol, drink more water, tidy more, improve skincare routine, get a new hobby, make more friends, go to bed earlier, less takeaways, less phone time...
But remember, be ambitions and realistic.
5. Have some YOU time
If you're anything like me, you've probably been running around like a headless chicken on the run up to Christmas making sure everything is perfect, the house is tidy, the washing is done, all the dishes are clean, you've got all the food you need for your Christmas Eve meal, Christmas Day and for hosting the buffet on Boxing day, making sure everyone has a present, sending out cards to arrive in time, planning cooking times for food, planning journey times to see the family, driving to at least half a dozen different houses to show your face, making sure the fish don't die while you're out of the house for what seems like a month.
Maybe even so much that's it's left you a little drained and even mentally exhausted when it all suddenly ended.
This is the time when your body needs the most TLC.
Make sure you don't forget to nourish the body that carried you through this year.
Whether it is an evening in with a long bubble bath and a good book, a nice relaxing meal out, a long walk in the countryside, a day doing absolutely nothing in front of the television to let your mind recharge, take some time for yourself. Even if you can't get a full day, or even a full hour, make a cup of tea, pop your favourite music on and just relax for a couple of songs (or at least until you've finished your drink). Do a face mask, paint your nails. If you like exercise, go for a run on a new route or plan a workout schedule for the new year. If you like to be busy, why not clean the horrid corner cupboard you avoid opening (imagine the satisfaction when you're done), or bake a cake for everyone to enjoy. Watch a favourite childhood film just for the nostalgia.
Just make sure you put mindfulness as a priority for a while.
Remember, this year holds 365 brand new opportunities - embrace them. All of them.
Peace & love,
H.T.
Hashtags:
#HarperTate #HarpertateWho #HarperTateblog #blogger #personalblog #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #pma #positivementalattitude #depression #anxiety #improvementalhealth #cement #cementcraft #coaster #blog #crafts #candles #candlemaking #cardmaking #pyrography #crafty #crafter #poetry #fiction #adventure #selfdiscovery #vegetarian #veggie #vegan #writer #photography #happiness #Nottingham
コメント