New Year, New Me
And that’s a promise I’m keeping to myself this year.
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Every year, I start off strong. I eat well, I start going to the gym, and I work on my self care. Every. Single. Year. And it normally lasts a week or two, and then I fall back into old habits. It’s true what they say, “old habits die hard.” I’m no exception. I struggle with change, and once I get used to something, even if I know it’s not great for me, I keep doing it anyways. I’m a creature of habit, a trait I likely picked up from working with animals my entire life.
But habits need to change sometimes. And some of mine really need a revamp. The most important one that needs to change is how I take care of myself. I spend long hours taking care of other people’s pets, but I forget that if I’m not 100%, then I can’t give 100% to my patients. This year, I’m dedicated to giving myself 100% so that I can be my best self in everything I do. And here’s how I plan to do it.
1. I plan to start meal prepping. One of the biggest habits I fell into last year was ordering take out. It was so easy with all of the delivery apps available these days, and if I didn’t feel like cooking, I just ordered food. I’ve never been a great cook, either, but I’ve since realized that it was just because I was a lazy cook. Food prep has always been the most tedious part for me, and waiting for the food to finish was daunting if I was really hungry. This year, I will make meal prepping a new habit, and that will help me in so many ways. When I have dinners already cooked, I won’t have to wait for the meal to finish when I’m hungry. I will also be able to ensure I’m eating more well rounded instead of fatty, greasy foods all the time. My husband and I received an instant pot and crock pot for our wedding, and I’ve already used the crock pot more than once. I know that eating healthier and more regularly will help with not just my diet, but my overall health.
2. I will be spending more time outside. In the last year, I spent far too much time watching Netflix or playing games on my phone. The blue light kept me awake at night, and my high energy dog couldn’t settle down. I plan on taking him on more hikes and just spending time in the fresh air and sunlight. Even just small things like that I know will have a huge impact on not just my physical, but my mental health.
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3. In line with the last resolution, I will start working out. Little bits at first, but a start is a start. My husband and I have bought some initial work out equipment, and we’re going to be setting up a work out station in our basement. I will be setting aside 30 minutes a day to spend down there. Some days it might be weight training, some days it might be flexibility, and some days it may be something else. But all it takes is starting the habit, and I know I’ll be able to stick to it. If I can spend 30 minutes a day to just focus on bettering myself, that alone will help me sleep better at night.
4. A big resolution for me is to work on my sleep schedule. I’ve always had trouble falling asleep, and in the last couple years, I just stopped trying to go to sleep at a decent time. I tried lavender, melatonin, guided meditation, and nothing seemed to work. But in reality, I just stopped trying. I’ve stayed up late watching tv, cuddling with the dogs, or playing on my phone. None of those, besides maybe cuddling with the dogs sometimes (except you guys don’t know Finnegan), encourage sleep. In fact, they encourage the opposite. And because of that, I’m tired all the time. Like, ALL the time. My mental and physical health suffer from it, because I still have to live my life when im exhausted. That’s going to change this year. I’m going to get my sleep in order, and I think that will help everything else fall into place, with some conscious effort from me, of course. Everything works together, and each resolution will help the other ones come to fruition.
5. The most important resolution, at least to me, is to prioritize myself. For as long as I can remember, I was always focused on making other people happy. I worked at jobs I hated because I didn’t want to leave coworkers short staffed, I’ve stayed friends with people because I thought they would be hurt if we fell apart, and I’ve given 100% of myself to people who didn’t want it. I suffered because of it. I didn’t give myself the energy I deserve, because I was giving it to everyone else. It’s time to start giving that energy back to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be there for my friends. I’ll still be the wife my husband deserves. I’ll still always be in my family’s corner. But I can do that better if I’m feeling like I’m at my best. I can’t wait to be my best version this year, and be the best person I can be to my favorite people. I can’t be the person they deserve in their lives if I can’t be the person I deserve to be.
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So, yeah, I know these all sound like cliche resolutions that everyone makes every year. But the difference between this year and every other year is I have the motivation this year. I have the drive to become a better version of me, and having a drive is what it takes to start the journey. It’s going to suck at first, I’m fully prepared for that. Sometimes you have to go through a little bit of suck to get to the good part. And I know the good part is coming.
About the Creator
Hannah York
On 06/14/2016, my cousin committed suicide, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. After that, I decided that I didn't want to leave anything unanswered, so this page is a place for me to write anything and everything on my mind.
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