As the New Year approaches, setting resolutions becomes a common topic in everyday conversation. Making drastic, transformative resolutions can cause us to feel overwhelmed at the start of a new year. Instead, focusing on self-care and making small changes in our routine can lead to big changes down the road. Setting smaller goals have a higher chance of being successful – and more satisfying – than striving for larger and more challenging goals. Making small changes in your daily routine can help enhance your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Here are a few goals for the new year that would help support self-care practices:
The new year brings forth hope for the future. It motivates us to start the year with renewed zeal and enthusiasm. It is time to make resolutions and prepare for the exciting adventures and challenges ahead. While focusing on the resolutions, it is important that we set realistic expectations and remember to be kind to yourself while trying to achieve something.
Every January, most of us ask ourselves and those around us, “What is your new year’s resolution?” But why is this a thing? Is this simply a tradition, or is January truly the ideal time to establish goals for the rest of the year?
New Year’s Day serves as a clean slate. It is such a popular time of year to evaluate our goals because it represents a reset button, a fresh start that has the potential for greatness. My personal new year’s anthem is the song Feeling Good by Nina Simone. Regardless of the intended meaning of this song, the lyrics speak to me around this time of year.
Happy New Year! Here is a delicious healthy side dish to make with any meal. Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese is a favorite in my house. You can make it as crispy as you like. I like to add the extra breadcrumbs on top to fill in all the little spaces in the broccoli. Yum!!
So here we are in mid-January… long past New Year countdowns and the making (and breaking) of resolutions. Although it is different for me now, when I was younger, New Year’s was the grand finale to 365 days, worthy of much celebration.
I can still remember my first and only formal New Year’s party held in a glamourous ballroom. My husband and I were in our 20s and completely inexperienced with swanky affairs. Soon after arriving, I proudly stood in my evening gown alongside my husband in his borrowed tux as he uncorked the first bottle of champagne at our table. I can still see the cork shooting from the bottle and hitting the woman on the other side of our table smack-dab in the center of her forehead. Fortunately, my New Year celebrations are much quieter now – and much safer for those around me!
For most, the new year comes with excitement of what’s to come. For those of us who battle MS, the new year comes with its fair share of worries, challenges and anxious thoughts of what the new year may bring. We reflect on our past year, perhaps your MS got worse, and you’re worried it won’t get any better, or maybe you are finally considered “stable”, and you’re concerned it is too good to be true and you will get worse. However you choose to look at the new year, we all worry one way or another. I am here to tell you that you are not alone.
It’s the start of a new year; a fresh new calendar with 12 empty months waiting to be filled with the dates of all your dream vacations and the goals that are itching to be accomplished. Although it is a great time to kick start your journey of new beginnings and aspirations, it is not necessary to associate the new year with restarting.
If you are in the midst of figuring out what you want out of life, it is okay to take your time in continuing to do so. Enjoying the journey of trial and error is what allows for a more positive experience and long-lasting results. I encourage you to take your time in pursuing your dreams and being patient in figuring out what that looks like for you.
They say as you get older, the holidays tend to feel less special. There is more pressure to give the perfect gift, more work to be done to host guests, and less magic in waking up to presents under the tree. As much as I can understand the added pressures around the holidays as an adult, I can also say that there is so much more to be grateful for as I become more aware every year of what truly matters.
This year, I can say I feel blessed enough to travel home to a family that means the world to me. The people, food, and shelter that I had become accustomed to and overlooked as gifts in themselves are now what makes my heart feel full. Seeing the happiness in my niece and nephew’s eyes as they rip apart wrapping paper (even on gifts that aren’t theirs) are moments that I will always hold on to. The love that my family encompasses is one like no other, and that is something that can never be gift-wrapped. Despite the hiccups and miscommunications that we experience, as I’m sure many others do, I can never thank them enough for the support and love that they unconditionally provide. That is what makes our home warm even on the coldest of days. The holidays for me this year remind me of all the simple things that we typically take for granted, but I know I would be lost without.
It is the time of the year when the heart is merry and the spirits are high. Time to eat a hearty meal and spread the good cheer. One of my favorite childhood memories was hanging the Christmas stocking every Christmas Eve and as expected Santa always delivered. Those where the times when the little pleasures of life, gave immense fulfillment.
There is a reason why the holiday season is considered the most wonderful time of the year. Embracing holiday traditions is one way to make this season merrier and brighter. Whether it be carrying on family traditions or creating new ones – traditions bring a sense of nostalgia, joy, and comfort. Traditions are unique to every family, but no matter how we all celebrate, there’s one thing we all have in common: the holidays are meant to be enjoyed with those we love.
