If you’re heading into the New Year wondering what needs to change to improve your life or yourself then maybe it’s time to flip the narrative and reflect on all the great things about your life and yourself that you want to hold on to in 2025 instead.
It’s easy to get all fired up at New Year about resolutions: what you’re going to start or stop in pursuit of a new improved you. If you think about it though, January is probably the very worst time possible to dive into a new regime. Take dieting for example. You’ve enjoyed the festivities of December and probably eaten more than you normally would, indulging in those chocolates, the cheeseboard and enough stollen bites to sink a ship. It isn’t a single day of indulgence either – it’s a slow and steady slide into the big day which starts as soon as the Christmas songs hit our radios. By the time we reach New Year our taste buds and cravings have adapted to a diet of indulgence and so to suddenly eliminate all those extras for an extreme juicing detox on 1st January is asking a lot. We try to go from 0 to 100 overnight and more often than not we end up back in the biscuit box by 2nd. It's really no surprise. Our bodies don’t know which way is up.
Instead of taking extreme measures in the New Year I choose instead to take the best of the outgoing year with me: the things I did in 2024 which worked for me. This way the habits and choices which have served me well up to now become the stepping stones for continued wellbeing in the coming year. One of the benefits of being focused on health and wellbeing is that we’re always trying different things to support our wellbeing journey and we try them more naturally throughout the year, without the pressure of labelling everything as an all or nothing resolution. To that end, here’s the top 6 habits I’ll be taking into 2025 with me:
· Getting up super early to get the most out of each day
· Frontloading my day with meditation, a gratitude practice and yoga
· Following a Mediterranean diet
· Prioritising the people who matter most - family, friends and extended tribe
· Enjoying new adventures
· Magnesium!
By focusing on the habits / mindset above which served me well in 2024 I’m hoping to continue to enjoy the following benefits:
· Increased productivity as I work towards my goals
· Better mental, emotional and physical wellbeing
· Healthy relationship with food (food for fuel, medicine and pleasure)
· The joy of meaningful, love-filled connections which comes when you surround yourself with the right people (and none of the drama which comes when you don’t)
· Increased confidence (we’re never too old to try new things!)
· Better sleep
I’m playing the long game now: embedding the habits which give me the best chance of a long, healthy and happy future. By taking the best of 2024 with me into 2025 I hope to build on the benefits those habits offered while discovering new habits to support my longer term aim along the way. Ultimately, we all want to be the best version of ourselves so we can experience joy in life and spark joy in others. It’s one of the many privileges of getting older: we become more discerning, more focused on what matters and less inclined to tolerate the things which bring negativity into our worlds. We’ve learned to trust ourselves and we know what works and what doesn’t in our lives. As a result, we live life more purposefully and our intentions are clearer. It’s empowering.
So the only question is, what will you be bringing into 2025?
