We head towards midnight and 2018 is all set to make its arrival with a bang. The sky will soon be set alight by the glow of brightly flashing fireworks. Celebrations, songs and tipsy cheers will ring out all around the world as we welcome the start of a brand new year. If you’re anything like us, you’ll most likely be sat on the sofa in your cosy pj’s finishing off the leftover Christmas food (of which there is always too much) and watching classic movies. To those of you who are off out – I hope you have the best time!
2017 has definitely had its ups and downs for us all and whether you are glad to see the back of it or not, there’s no harm in taking a few minutes to think about the things you hope for next year. Here are some little changes that might help to make a positive impact on your 2018.
Cultivating Friendships and Family Bonds
When it comes down to it, family and friends really are the most important things. This year I’m planning on putting more effort into making time for those who really matter. We can all do something as simple as remembering to finally send that text back to a friend or pinging them a facebook chat message with words of support or something funny to brighten their day – even when times are busy. Less excuses, less bullshit. More love.
Waving goodbye to toxic people
Holding onto the wrong people for fear of loneliness or for the sake of keeping up appearances can lead to stress and upset. Perhaps there’s no need to feel bad about removing someone from your life if they continuously bring toxicity and heartache rather than joy or positivity. Life is too short and you deserve to be happy.
Self care and Listening To Your Body
Making plans, setting goals and driving ourselves to be more positive and pro-active is amazing and definitely something I intend to continue doing during 2018. It’s important to also remember that sometimes our bodies (and our mental health) need a break. If you are feeling low, run-down or unwell then taking time to listen to what your body needs is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.
Sometimes it’s OK not to be ‘OK’ and there’s absolutely nothing wrong in holding our hands up and saying so! Those around us will be able to help and support us more effectively if we are honest and open with our feelings and communicate about we need or don’t need.
Doing more of what makes you happy
Similar to above, sometimes we are all guilty of people pleasing and doing so much for others that we forget to take time and invest in ourselves too! So during 2018 let’s not forget to consider what we want for ourselves. Whether that’s arranging to travel to one of the destinations on your bucket list or something as simple as taking a regular night off to see a movie or spend time with friends.
Being present in the moment for 2018
Now for any of us who basically live on social media, this is something we are all likely guilty of. Taking time to be present in the moment and resisting the urge to photograph and video everything immediately for our social channels is important. Instagram can wait, and we can all definitely afford to take a few minutes to enjoy things before reaching for our phones to document them!
Being aware of our surroundings and giving back
Something our family will be focusing a lot more time and attention on this year is asking “how can we make a difference?” there are so many ways that all of us can help make a real change in this world and whether that’s donating to a cause or helping raise awareness of it, we can all do something. Climate change is one very real and worrying issue (even if certain uneducated presidents don’t believe so!) and our planet and wildlife definitely need us more than ever right now.
There are so many charities and causes that could use the extra help and promotion too. So whilst financially we might not all be in a position to donate lots of money, we can definitely look at all of our options to make a difference and raise awareness. This is a topic you’ll see more of here in 2018 and something that I’m really passionate about.
Hopefully you all have a happy and healthy 2018 and thanks from all of us here for your support this year! If this post has inspired you to make your own list of self care and positivity reminders please share your links as I’d love to read them! – Becky xxx