Practical New Years Resolutions

Each year, millions of people around the world will write their New Years Resolutions lists. Some may stick to their goals for a few weeks, even a few months. Others may really accomplish their goals in their entirety. But for the vast majority of people, the goals often go wayside eventually. Is it because people are lazy? Or because the goals are unrealistic? I’m willing to bet it’s a bit from column A and a bit of column B, depending on the person. I’ve definitely had my share of goals that did not go the intended way. And each year, I find myself making a list of goals that, in reality, are probably not overly practical, especially since I became a mom and time is much more precious and hard to come by. So for 2015, my new years resolution list is changing a bit. My goals will be to focus even more on a healthy body, mind and soul. And instead of setting concrete goals that might not happen and make me feel disappointed at the end of year if I don’t accomplish them, I’m setting out to make overall little changes that will result in a healthier, happier me. My list will comprise all of the ways in which I am aiming to re-define the important things in my life like my health and relationships. These are not necessarily strict goals I’m setting out for myself, but instead are healthy ideas I can try to incorporate into my life in different areas to help enrich my mind and body. Here are some of the things that are going on my practical new years resolutions list this year:

Get More Physical – I admit, I let the importance of exercise fall behind for this past year, especially so in the latter half of the year. I do aim to get in yoga a few times a week as it is or weekend hikes, but between shuffling my son to childcare and trying to get in my work hours, on top of keeping up with cooking and housework, it often feels like there just isn’t enough time to squeeze in much-needed physical exercise time. Exercise is crucial though, not only for our physical health but also our minds. I’m not setting strict goals for myself, other than ensuring I focus on my physical health, but instead aiming to make this an even greater priority. Yoga has been proven over and over again to offer so many health benefits, and even a quick 30-minute yoga session 3-5 times a week is a practical new years resolution.

Allow Myself More “Me” Time – Any parent knows that this one is especially tricky. And as much we talk about how important it is to set aside time for ourselves, it is much easier said than done. However, I’m fortunate to have a supportive partner who is willing to able to help out so I can get some alone time. Whether it’s a walk in the park or an hour alone at the end of the night to read a good book, I’m aiming to snag some more of these precious moments into my life.

Nurture My Passions – This relates to many areas in my life but in particular, I hope to really focus on my career-oriented passions. I plan to invest more time honouring what I love to do (creative writing!) in a few different realms, and really work on my dream writing goals.

Meditate – In the days of pre-children, the hubs and I took up meditating and found it made a big difference in both of our lives and moods, as well as our ability to deal with stress and negativity that came our way. Ironically, neither of us having been practicing it since we had children, which is probably the time we most need to! I’m going to set up a simple, small meditation corner somewhere in our little house and start meditating again whenever I can. Not only does it help reduce stress, it’s also been proven to increase happiness as well as self-awareness. Aiming to do this a few times a week at least to begin with seems like a practical new years resolution.

Get Outside More – In the warmer months, this one is easy. We spend the majority of our afternoons and weekends relishing in the warm, fresh air, even if it’s puttering around in the backyard or garden. But in the not-so-nice months, especially the bitter cold ones, I find a week can easily pass before I realize I’ve been stuck indoors far too much. I’m planning on making sure we enjoy every season more (especially my least favourite, winter). Skating, cross-country skiing, winter hikes and igloo/snowmen building are all on my list of fun things to do this winter. Even the beach can still be fun in winter time! Plus, having a child who LOVES the outdoors definitely helps.

Set Realistic Goals – I make weekly lists every Sunday night and it’s taken me a long time to realize that, much of the time, they’re too long. Also, s$it happens. What may seem totally do-able on Sunday afternoon can look nearly impossible come Wednesday night. Then I start to stress about all the things that need to be done, and no one is happy. So from now on, I’m going to set small, simple tasks for the week, and come up with realistic monthly plans as a family for the bigger, household items that we need to tackle.

More Do-Nothing Time – Going along with the previous goal, I find it hard to just chill out. I’m the sort of person that is often doing 2-3 things at once. Watching a movie while also folding laundry and writing out emails? Yep, that’s me. Yet I love the lazy Sundays where we slowly wake up, take ages to make our traditional Sunday blueberry pancake breakfast and have no actual plans set in stone. It feels so good to just do whatever comes natural – make a lego city? Cool. Go for an impromptu hike in the nearby forest? Awesome. Sit around in our PJs until 1pm? The best. I want to spend more time enjoying those rare days where we don’t actually have anything that HAS to be done.

Focus on the Positive Relationships – I’ve learned a lot about friendships these past few years. I’ve gained some amazing new friends, have seen a couple of friendships wane/end, and have really realized that no matter how far apart we may be, some of the friends closest to my heart are ones I rarely get to see (why is travel so expensive??) I’m hoping to expand the group of supportive, encouraging and amazing women in my life over this next year. Life is too short to spend wasted energy on draining relationships, and I want to make sure I spend more time with those friends and women I love so much, who bring positivity and support into my life.

I’d love to hear about some of your new years resolutions and goals. What are some of the practical new years resolutions you’re focusing on? Happy New Year everyone!