1. Practice a Morning & Evening Routine.
Here’s the truth: morning and evening routines are there to help us, not hinder us. Embracing routine is essential to self-care, as well as for productivity and making time for the things that matter. Routines have also been shown to reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of anxiety.
2. Invest in Our Communities & Relationships.
Wherever you’re at and whatever relational needs you may have at the beginning of the new year, keep seeking out connection and friendships. Life is an astounding and beautiful journey, but it can often be lonely. Let’s keep investing in one another this year. And let’s also make sure we’re creating environments where everyone feels they have a seat at the table.
3. Choose to Speak Up For Ourselves—And Others.
Stand behind your words and grant yourself permission to take up space, to belong. Your voice is valid. Not just the words you say or how you say them, but your voice. You, as a person, are worthy of existing, of speaking, of feeling, of experiencing. You belong, period.
And so does everyone else. In addition to using our voices to speak up for ourselves and validate our own experiences, let’s resolve to using them to speak up for others. Sometimes this means using words (like calling people out for discrimination and intolerance), other times this looks like passing the microphone to a person, or group of people, who have for too long been marginalized. Our voices can speak, but so can our bodies—by listening, by showing up, by supporting organizations.
4. Read More & Keep Learning.
I love reading because it encourages me to see the world through someone else’s lens. And I like podcasts because I can continue learning about new subjects and fascinating people. For me, reading and learning are forms of self-care. Not only do books make me more confident in who I am, but they remind me that I’m not alone, that others have come and gone before me, and that my experiences are not as unique as they seem. I find comfort in that. And I enjoy being challenged in my perspectives and world views.