You’ve eaten tons of Christmas cookies, sipped on hot chocolate, opened presents, and most importantly, made new memories with your family and friends. Now you’re in that strange limbo time after Christmas, where you may be relaxing a little, working a little, and waiting for the New Year’s holiday.
The thought may have crossed your mind that these are the days when you should be figuring out your New Year’s resolutions for 2022. While it can be challenging to think about the future when the present is uncertain, it’s nonetheless important to plan ahead.
Are you not sure how to start making your New Year’s resolutions? There are plenty of different routes you can take. You may want to flip through some magazines, cut out pictures that inspire you, and create a vision board. Then you can translate that vision into written New Year’s resolutions. Or if you’re overwhelmed and just not sure where to begin, you can jump right in with our list of New Year’s resolutions every woman should make.
Strive for Balance With Your Mental Health
In recent years, our society has focused much more on the importance of mental health. If you haven’t had the time yet to think seriously about your mental health, then this is your year!
There are so many resources online to help with mental health. You can go to YouTube and look for videos about mental health or meditation. If you’re not interested in watching videos, take the time to do a Google search and read through online resources about meditation and mindfulness. You can even take a Coursera class focused on psychology or mental health specifically if you find it helpful!
If you anticipate this year being a difficult one for your mental health, you may want to speak with a therapist. Make one of your New Year’s resolutions a promise to yourself that you will find the mental health support you need. Remember, it’s always okay to ask for help when it comes to your mental health!
Stop Dieting and Commit to Your Physical Health
It seems like there’s a new, trendy diet popping up every season. While these diets can be beneficial in some ways, many of them are harmful and even dangerous to certain people. While what you eat is important, a diet should never take control of your life or hurt you. Stop dieting in the new year!
Instead, make a commitment to your physical health. Make sure you complete your regular check-ups and speak with your doctor about what you need to do to be healthier. Remember to also listen to your body. You can tell when you don’t feel just right – trust your instincts, but seek professional help if you think there’s something that may be seriously wrong.
If you’re not getting enough exercise, find a way to incorporate more physical activity into your life that you enjoy. Exercise should never feel like torture. It should give you energy and help you feel stronger.
Committing to improving your physical health could mean changing just one thing in the new year. Start small: add a meal with more vegetables into your diet, or spend 10 minutes a day lifting weights. Make your physical health New Year’s resolution an achievable goal that works for you!
Work To Improve Your Financial Health
Let’s face it: it’s almost never fun to talk about finances, but money is a huge part of our lives. If there aren’t enough funds in your bank account, you could face serious consequences. For example, if you haven’t set aside money to pay for your student loans or your credit card bill, then your credit score could tank and a low score could affect your financial future.
To improve your financial health, you should look at your financial problem areas. Do you spend too much on impulse purchases? Are you not putting as much money in savings as you should? Think about what has caused you stress in the past and what specific actions you can take to decrease that stress in the future.
Sometimes, the answer to that question is that you need a better-paying job. It might be time to start applying to positions that offer higher pay than your current income. Or, you might need to cut back on your spending. Take a look at the budgeting software that’s on the market and see if there are any options that fit your particular financial style. Set a financial health New Year’s resolution that will help you feel better about your relationship with money.
Remember To Treat Yourself
At the same time, you should also set aside some money to treat yourself occasionally. Life just can’t be all about strict budgets and never having any fun. It wouldn’t be worth living if that was the case!
Think about what provides you the most value for your dollar when it comes to experiences and items that you love. Maybe you want to get a manicure, or maybe you’re more interested in investing in a high-quality purse that you’ll use for years. Maybe it’s just an extra-expensive coffee on your way to work one morning. Stick to your budget, but at the same time, remember to treat yourself – and make joy part of your New Year’s resolutions!
Stop Overthinking and Comparing Yourself To Others
Here are two things you need to stop doing as you head into the new year. Overthinking and comparing yourself to others are two mental habits that can send you into stress without you even realizing that you’re doing them.
You may spend a lot of time thinking about the past or the future; or, you may spend too much time overanalyzing your friend’s or romantic interest’s words or actions. Don’t overthink! Ask your friend what they meant by their comment. Confrontation can be tricky, but having a real answer is better than sitting, wondering, and overthinking.
In the same vein, it might be tempting to compare yourself to your peers. While it’s natural to an extent, too much comparison is damaging. You won’t be exactly like anyone else (and you shouldn’t want to be a copy of someone!) because your life circumstances aren’t exactly the same as anyone else’s. Give yourself grace and don’t compare your life to anyone else’s. Everyone is on their own timeline!
Conquer Your Clutter
Clutter is a monster that people love to talk about. Long before Marie Kondo, there were many shows dedicated to helping people reduce their clutter. There are several good reasons why.
Living in clutter can be detrimental to your mental health. It can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and even our ability to focus. Unfortunately, it’s so easy to collect things, especially around Christmas when you may be receiving small gifts from many different people. Reducing clutter takes a concentrated, focused effort.
As part of your New Year’s resolutions, make a plan for how you’ll tackle your clutter all year round. If you have a dedicated block of time for cleaning, make sure you add “declutter” to your list of chores.
Decluttering looks different to different people. For me, it means saying goodbye to old clothes that I may have once loved but are now past their prime. It might be shoes for you, or makeup, or notebooks, etc. The key is to get rid of anything that creates disorganization in your life, either by recycling it, repurposing it, or donating it to someone else who could use it.
After you declutter, you’ll feel so much better. Research has shown that the stress hormone cortisol was higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered, and that hoarding can cause physical pain. Don’t ever let it go that far! Make conquering clutter part of your New Year’s resolutions and see how a decluttered home can help your anxiety levels.
Remember Your “Me” Time
Even if you’re an extrovert, you need “me” time. It can be just a quick 30 minutes a week, but it’s important to set aside time just for you. When life gets busy, it can be tempting to put your own needs on the back burner. When other people need your help, you might say “yes” to the impulse to focus on their needs instead of your own.
The saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup” is true. You need time that’s just for you on a regular schedule. You can go for a walk, meditate, journal, or sit and listen to music that you like. Watching TV or a movie isn’t the same as dedicated “me” time – the focus should be quiet time where you can focus just on what you need. Don’t forget to give yourself the gift of quiet time in 2022.
Set Your Personal Goals and Priorities
You know yourself better than anyone else does. While every woman should consider the ideas on this list, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to New Year’s resolutions.
Take the time to think about what’s most important to you. Do you want to travel more in the new year? Do you want to spend more time with your family or friends? Do you want to set aside more time for a certain sport, like running or biking, or for a certain hobby, like crocheting or painting?
Ask yourself what will really make you happy next year, and use your answer to help you craft New Year’s resolutions that will help you take control and improve your life. Every woman deserves to have a plan that will help her achieve her goals!
