Yeah… it might be kind of a resolution, but I think it’s different. I’m calling it an area of focus, and over the years, I’ve done a few. The year of calm, the year of time, the year of not buying anything new, and I always want to learn something. Not necessarily getting the result I had hoped for, though.
A few years ago, I decided to do 12 months of wellness habits. It was very ambitious, and I thought when I looked back that it was a bit of a fail. But I had another go the following year, and I realised some things had actually worked. So here goes…
The idea is that each month has a theme that you think about, learn about, and try things out. By the end of the month, you commit to forming a habit that will give you a better feeling of wellness in your life.
So here is what I chose to focus on.
January – TIME OUT
What do I want? What can I achieve? What are the barriers? I settled on one day off per week and a few mini breaks. It took some time to form this habit, but it’s way better than it was 3 years ago.
February – SLEEP
Learn about it, find strategies, and put them into practice. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Still, there have been improvements.
March – EXERCISE
What works for you? Try lots of things and mix it up. I have three things I do and have tried to do. Ten per week. It was sessions of walking, swimming, and yoga.
It was too much, but I still tried, and after some time it has finally become like brushing your teeth. You feel yucky if you don’t do enough of it.
April – FOOD
This was and still is my hardest thing. I love food and can easily justify eating too much or having too many treats. But even this area has improved over time, and I feel stronger and healthier as I continue to try different strategies, habits, and plans.
….
So for the first four months, I have focused on physical wellness. The next newsletter will focus on the next four months of habits if you want to follow along. So keep checking in.
Really, it is just habits – not willpower, not discipline. They never last. When you want to make a habit, it needs to be very doable. For example, if that is exercising for 10 minutes, that is just great!
It involves things like adding a leafy green every day or switching your phone off for half an hour before bed, accompanied by a reminder alarm. Every change will make a difference, and you can solidify those habits for yourself.
Image: Freepik
