A new year carries with it a plethora of beautiful possibilities. It can also feel a bit overwhelming. It's important to set healthy goals, stay accountable, and be realistic about what you want. Here are some ideas to manage your expectations and stay on track, all while taking care of yourself.
When you set a New Year's resolution, you have a chance to create a healthy new path in your life. Consider some of the following ideas:
The goals mentioned above are an excellent way to take care of yourself. What is not a good way to take care of yourself, is to make those goals unrealistic. What's the difference?
"I will only eat healthy snacks." There are going to be times in your life when you want to break the rules. Not allowing room for this will set you up for failure.
"I'll cook at home six times a week." There are nights when you'll be tired.
"I'm going to take a walk every single day." What if the weather is crummy and you miss your walk? You risk being sabotaged by defeat.
"I'll write in my journal every night." There might be a night where you don't feel up to it.
"I'm going to read for an hour before bedtime." You might run out of hours by the time bed comes around. Set a realistic goal and if you can read for longer, then great.
Think of some ways for you to be accountable. Otherwise, it's far too easy to let ourselves off the hook. Maybe you could do one or more of the following:
Put a plan in place for failure. After all, it will happen. None of us are perfect. It's really important to know ahead of time how you'll handle it when you fail. It's far easier to set up a plan while you're in a healthy mindset, than it is to figure out how to keep moving forward when you're in a bad one.
\In this new year, be gentle with yourself. Be patient, be prepared, and be ready to take small steps today that will have big impacts on your life tomorrow. All of us at SonderMind know you're worth it.