5 ideas for a New Year’s resolution

With a good chunk of 2017’s December already spent, it won’t be long now before the 1st of January 2018 rolls in. With only a few remaining days left before the dawn of a new year, people’s thoughts shift to ideas of changes and improvements to implement or try out for the new 365 days ahead of them.

This leads to the planning of New Year’s resolutions, which can take a lot of will power to stay on track of and complete. If you’re stumped for ideas on what kind of changes you can implement for this coming year, here are a few suggestions to consider:

Be More Open

While personality changes are a good goal to set for yourself (especially if you have a very timid or shy personality), forcing yourself to suddenly shift your outlook in life may be a lot harder to manage than you think. Take things slowly and settle for trying to be more open about your feelings and your interests with others. Being more open to others with things such as your ideas, goals, insecurities and even your hobbies can be beneficial to both your self-esteem and even your mental health. Just make sure to be open to people you can trust wholeheartedly, like a best friend or a family member you are very close to.

Aim to be Active

When the word “active” comes up, we often associate it with “working out,” or “exercising.” Instead of pushing yourself to go to the gym, which can be tough without a workout partner or an instructor, try scheduling outside activities more–whether it’s to take a short walk to the park every day to clear your head or to schedule a trip to a new shop or landmark you can visit every weekend. Alternatively, you can also opt for something more active, like scheduling a short three-day trip once every month or two.

Treat Yourself Better

As we grow older, concepts of self-care and health preservation may often be forgotten with the busy nature of the modern world. For the new year, take note of the bad habits and unhealthy practices you have accumulated (like sleeping late or over-indulging on desserts) and make specific resolutions to help eliminate them. Ask advice and help from an outside party, like your best friend or a critical sibling, to help identify the bad habits and give solutions you couldn’t see for yourself. If you’re the kind of person who’s very strict or a workaholic, schedule a day or two every month to treat yourself to an indulgent movie night, a spa trip, or anything you know can help you unwind.

Get Creative

You don’t need to be a world-renowned artist to be creative. Everybody needs a way to openly express their feelings and emotions in any of the vast mediums out there aside from just drawing or painting. Write poetry or songs about special moments in your life. Dedicate a mini photo album with pictures of things you love, like your kids or your friends. Learn how to sew your own toys and make a cuddly friend for you or your pets. Paint old tables or your terracotta plant pots in a variety of colors you like. Just find an activity you can enjoy while expressing who you are or can be as a person.

Make a “Happy List”

As the years go by, the abundance of negativity in the media and the state of the world has grown little by little. It can be disheartening and even depressing to be surrounded by article posts, news coverages, and radio broadcasts that have nothing but bad news. Instead of letting it get to you, focus on happy thoughts instead. Make a list of activities that can revitalize or distract you from letting the bad vibes that can potentially dampen your day. Activities, like light jogging or baking cookies can be a productive and good way to escape the negativity, even if just for a short while. If you want to make even more of a difference, pen in some volunteer work or donations to a local library or orphanage. Bad news will only get you down if you let it, so find ways to keep positive for the new year.

Don’t overdo your New Year’s resolutions by making a long list of things you may not be motivated to follow through on. Try shortening it to a good number of around 3 to 5 and make sure that the ones you list down are very significant resolutions. The quality of your goals for change will definitely outweigh their quantity.

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