The Importance of Self-Care in Achieving Your New Year’s Resolutions
How to Create New Year’s Resolutions Based on Self-Care
It’s the time of year when many people make new year’s resolutions. These are goals for the next twelve months and plans for how you will achieve those goals.
A lot of time, we make resolutions that are focused on things we want to change about ourselves. For instance, we may want to spend less money or lose weight or eat healthier. Those can all be good and healthy things to want to change. However, when making resolutions, it’s important to remember to care for yourself as well.
Rather than working on a one-time goal, try to think of the lifestyle changes you can make that enrich your life and increase your sense of well-being. These goals can be large or small, but reframing your new year’s resolutions with a focus on self-care can matter a lot.
Listen to Your Body
The first few weeks of the new year (as well as the last few weeks of the old year) are usually very busy as we spend time getting ready for the holidays and then spend time working to improve ourselves. However, it’s important to listen to your body. No one can be constantly going at all times. When you’re making your resolutions, think about how you’ll feel while you’re trying to accomplish them. Will you be adding on more chores to an already busy schedule? If so, why not resolve to simplify your life even if that means cutting out some activities? You don’t need to start your resolution on January 1st if it’s detrimental to you. Why not January 15th instead, if that makes it more likely that you’ll succeed?
Focus on the Mornings and Evenings
Starting and ending your day on the right foot can mean a lot in your overall life. Your morning routine can set your course for the entire day and be the difference between a productive day and one that you have to slog through.
Your evening routine is also vital, since it puts you in a good space physically and emotionally, and that allows you to get a longer, more restful sleep. Focus on developing strong routines and your overall life will improve.
Be Kind to Yourself
Developing a new habit or changing your lifestyle can be very difficult. If you stumble or have a setback, be kind to yourself and understanding. Often people feel as if they’ve failed if they slip up once and that can cause them to give up entirely. Instead, take time to refocus, and then try again.
For instance, if your goal is to exercise for 30 minutes every day, and you miss two days, you might be tempted to feel down on yourself and quit entirely. However, it’s much kinder to yourself to think about why you missed two days, create a plan that will make this less likely to happen in the future, and focus on getting back on track.