My resolutions for 2016

Happy New Year to you all! 

Here’s what I’d like to achieve over the next year – I’m writing it here in a bid to remember it all, and maybe inspire some of you too.

1. To practise Mindfulness as much as possible and weave it seamlessly into my everyday life. I’m often anxious and easily distracted and I really believe that using these techniques will be beneficial to me. By the end of the year I’d like it to be second nature, and not something I have to remember to do. I’ve signed up to Headspace and I’m reading this interesting (and funny) book.

2. Fake it until I make it. I’ve read this so many times before, but this year I really want to try harder at it. Smile more, do more, feel confident – if I do these things over and over again, they will eventually become true. I’d like to trick my mind into being more positive, which is not its natural default setting.

3. As well as de-cluttering my mind, I’d like to de-clutter my house. We’ve spoken about this before, but this year I want to take it to a whole new level. It’s more than de-cluttering really – we want to totally re-think the way we use our house. Time moves on and our needs are different – when we arrived here we had a toddler and in baby. Our needs are so different now, and it’s time for some change. Nothing drastic or structural, but a lot of sifting, sorting, decorating and swapping furniture around. First on the list: the kitchen!

4. Get fitter in a way that works for me. I’m far too creaky and achy for someone my age, and I’d like to get a lot fitter this year. I’m finally embracing running, and I’d like to continue my journey with it this year. It fits in well with school runs and feels very efficient. It also doesn’t seem to hurt my dodgy back. I’d also like to go swimming once a week – something I’m not keen on, but I’m determined to get better at.

5. Travel more. Now the boys are older and more flexible I’d like to travel more with them at the weekends. We live in quite a dull area of countryside, but we are perfectly placed for easy access to so many fabulous places – whether by car or train. You can get to just about anywhere from our railway station and I’d like to be more adventurous. As well as embracing the countryside, I’d also like to visit more cities – Bath is top of my list as I’ve always wanted to go there.

6. Start new ventures. As well as writing this blog, I’d like to seek out some other new opportunities. I’m still very much at the thinking stage but I’ll keep you posted!

7. Drink more water. This is on everyone’s list isn’t it? But I must do it by any means. Tea counts I’m sure.

8. Get up earlier. I’m terrible at getting myself out of bed in the mornings. Which is ok at the weekend, but bad news during the week. Currently I feel like most mornings get off to the wrong start because I’m running late and chronically disorganised. I could do with getting up at least an hour earlier to get a head start on the day. To help me do this, I’m banishing my phone to the kitchen at nights and have bought two new alarm clocks. As I said in resolution 2, I’m hoping that if I make myself do something enough times it will become natural after a while!

9. Eat nicer things for lunch. Eating healthily at lunchtime is a lot easier in the summer. In Winter I tend to regress back to nursery food: marmite toast, peanut butter sandwiches, boiled eggs…it’s all very beige. I want to vary things and eat more fruit and vegetables at lunchtime – it’s a whole culinary window that I’m missing out on. The boys eat lovely hot lunches at school, so it makes sense for me to eat something more exciting at lunchtime. Then we can all have marmite toast together at teatime!

It’s a modest list, but also pretty challenging in places. Really it boils down to doing more, being less afraid and drinking more water. 

Are you making any resolutions this year? If so, then good luck!