I‘ve become wiser over the years in that I realize the new year is a time for change but change in the way that will stick with you, change that is habit forming. When I look back on previous years I can see lots of little changes that gradually added up…consistently taking my vitamins and supplements, switching out household products and toiletries for less toxic/healthier ones, and starting and sticking with daily family routines. I like to think of the new year as a way to continue recent habits, get better at some, and create new habits.
Here are my goals for the year 2023:
Some habits I’ll continue:
Reading
At the end of 2021 I picked up reading again after probably not truly reading anything since high school. I had made a goal to read 24 books in 2022. I set myself up for success by using an app called Goodreads so I could keep lists of all the books I wanted to read and keep track of my reading progress. It was also helpful to see my friends goals and their reading progress. It’s may not work for you, but for me and my personality it was so helpful. I am keeping my goal of 24 books this year.
Skin care
I recently started to get serious about taking care of my skin. I didn’t grow up in a household where taking care of yourself was a priority. I knew absolutely nothing about skincare or how to do my hair or makeup. I grew up occasionally using a cleanser on my face and never used body lotion. All of the skincare products out there overwhelmed me and I never knew where to start.
Finally, I pushed myself to do something when I was tired of my hormonal breakouts and starting to see wrinkles around my eyes. I’ve found products that align with my values, a cleanser, exfoliant, toner, serums, and moisturizers. And my skin could not be happier. I definitely want to continue to learn more, try out different products, and try to wash my face more consistently.
Here’s the skincare I’ve been loving:
Yoga
We recently got a membership to a local recreation center after moving. We’ve had gym memberships in the past and have had access to rec centers, but I was never fully comfortable allowing my babies or toddlers to be watched by people I didn’t know. Not to mention I didn’t really have a lot of time in the past 8 years because I had my babies back to back, so I was either pregnant or breastfeeding or both.
Now that my youngest is 3 and I’m fully done with breastfeeding and not having anymore children, it’s time to focus a little more on myself. I’ve always enjoyed yoga and now that I deal with chronic pelvic pain and have these chronic illnesses, it’s a must for my pelvic health and mental health. The rec center we are a member of offers so many classes and I’ve been taking yoga twice a week while my kids are having a blast in kids watch. I also can’t wait to try out some of the other classes they offer whilst continuing yoga twice a week.
Some things I would like to level up on:
Blogging
As a creative person, I have multiple passions. There are honestly too many to name, but one has always been some form of blogging. I’ve attempted blogging since 2013 and had multiple blogs that I just never kept up with. Now that our family is in a more secure place financially and I’m not busy juggling pregnancy, breastfeeding, and managing a few toddlers, I feel the pull to continue on that blogging journey. No pressure to make a huge amount of money or to ridiculously grow, but more of a way to have a creative outlet. This year I want to be consistent in writing and posting, giving value to the online world.
Homeschooling
We’ve been officially homeschooling for a few years now using the Blossom and Root curriculum since preschool. And it’s been going great! But I would like to be more consistent with our schedule, challenge my two oldest a bit more, include the youngest in more projects (we currently school during his nap), and school through summer.
I am excited to get the kids more involved in other activities that our local rec offers like swimming, ballet, and homeschool classes. I would also like to try to switch up learning activities by doing things like games or workbooks or more recreational reading.
Finances
My hubby and I have been working at a budget and discussing money since we moved in together (around 2011?). We’ve always felt that it was a priority to be on the same page with managing our money. Have we always been successful? No. But we continue to have weekly family meetings and still work at it.
We started back using the mint app to manage our budget and to see where our money is going. And this year we would like to make some bigger changes. Getting better at investing, purchasing a home, throwing more at retirement and other savings, and perhaps talking with a financial advisor.
Some new habits I would like to create:
Get outside with the kids at least once a day
Have you heard of the “1000 hours outside” challenge? It’s a challenge to spend 1000 hours a year outside instead of inside on screens. I’ve been following along for a few years now and I’ve never tracked. I don’t think we struggle during the summer and more mild months, but we definitely stay inside more during winter. I downloaded the app to track, but I think I want to focus more on just getting outside once a day.
Start therapy
I think that everyone could benefit from some therapy in their life. I’m at the point where I know I could really benefit from it. I’m of the belief that trauma and stress cause pain in the body (the book, The Body Keeps the Score is a great resource for this). As someone who deals with chronic pain, I know that my way of dealing with stress, anxiety, and past trauma is exacerbating my pain. Not only that, I want to become better at everyday life, getting through my bouts of depression, and being a more patient and calm mother.
I think therapy is something that can greatly influence my life for the better. I have a credit with the site better help so I think I might start there. I also found this great journal that helps you to think more positively and specifically targets anxiety, worries, and stress.
There so many other things I want to work on this year but these are my main focuses. Again, my goal is to really just create and maintain habits so that I can become the person I envision.
💬 What are some habits you’d like to continue for the new year? What are some things you’d like to improve upon? Are there any habits you’d like to establish?
