The New Year is a wonderful time when we get to start fresh with, what seems to be, a clean slate. And while having goals is great (even if they’re slightly out of reach), they can often lend a lot of added stress where we don’t really need it. Now that we’re a few weeks into the new year, it’s a good time to take a look at what’s helping your lifestyle — and what’s making your stress worse.
Go booze-free
Dry January isn’t always for the faint of heart — especially after the boozy-binge that is December — but going alcohol-free for the month of January is a great way to not only cleanse your body but also to reset your mind. Not only will you be able to rest better, eat better and generally feel better, but with a better focus (ie. lack of hangovers), you’ll also be more productive and feel less overwhelmed by your day-to-day life.
Downsize your goals
We all want to go into the New Year thinking that this is going to be the year that we’re going to lose 10 pounds, score our dream job, finally learn to knit, teach our parents how to use social media and fall in love and get engaged and get married and get pregnant and buy a house with a pool and a puppy¦ but, like, no pressure or anything. Scale back your thinking and really focus on the one thing that you absolutely want the most. Channel your energy into that and when it falls into place, then you can focus on something else. Throwing yourself at too many things at once will do nothing but make you anxious and no one needs that.
Take some time off
We know, it’s only January and it seems awfully early in the year to be using up those precious vacation days but, honestly, the holidays can be uber-stressful and we often place a lot of pressure on ourselves coming into a new year. Taking some down time to yourself (even if it’s just extending your weekend for a day or two) to re-coup, re-energize and re-focus will do a world of good.
Move simply
Given that it’s the season of resolution making, the gym at the beginning of the year can often be an overwhelming and, truthfully, a stressful place to be. You’re supposed to be going to work out to help manage your health and feel more relaxed, not getting completely anxious over whether or not your BodyFlow class will be full by the time you get there. Skip the gym til February (honestly!) and instead try walking every evening or taking up running or even creating your perfect yoga space at home.
