It always feels bittersweet to be going back to "regular life" after the wonders of Christmas. At church on Sunday we were reminded that the shepherds and wise men also had to go back to their regular life after their visit with Baby Jesus. Even though they probably couldn't have really talked about the wonders of that night with anyone else, they would have carried a bit of that night with them forever. We also take the miracle of Christmas forward into the new year.
I am never great at making New Year's resolutions. With the whole year stretching out before me, I get discouraged that I could keep up any good habit for the entire year, so I don't even start. This year I thought I would set smaller goals and see how they go.
Eating well - This will be a week by week thing, set out with fresh intentions each week.
Meal Prep - This goes hand in hand with eating well, but I also know we have a busy winter ahead of us, so getting things stocked in the freezer will help.
Social Media Time - I know I will never give it up completely but I've already deleted a bunch of accounts from my instagram and twitter. With less accounts to scroll through, I can spend time seeing people I actually care about.
Massage/Chiropractor - I have a health spending account through work, so I'd like to make recurring appointments so my back won't hurt as much.
Working out - This is always something to improve upon, I work out a lot but there are different things I could incorporate. I gave up on yoga and running this year because my ankle was hurting, but if I can manage that, then I will be able to do those things more often. Something I realized from last year when I did two stretches of working out for 60 days in a row (April and May and then September and October), it is possible to make time for fitness, it just requires planning.
Family time - Although we will be busy, I would like to incorporate more outdoor family walks, and also evenings without phones for anyone, that doesn't mean no TV or video games, just less distractions while we do something together.
Since I'm just getting started, I can't really say I will be successful, but I think my advice is not to get discouraged by big sweeping changes starting on January 1 and ending 365 days later. Baby steps, small goals, these can all lead to lasting habits.
