Carry on Beautiful!

I’m really looking forward to 2016, 2015 hasn’t been the best year for me or my boyfriend and i’m so excited as i look to this sort of made up fresh start thats right about to arrive. I know these posts are going to be EVERYWHERE but i wanted to post it anyway to make my self somewhat more accountable and so that as i post updates and the like, readers will know whats going on! So, i won’t ramble anymore, here are my resolutions and goals for 2016!

First, I’m going to revamp my lifestyle completely. I don’t like the way i’ve been living and i know that changing that will really help my mental health. The first step to this i have admittedly already begun and thats getting rid of stuff. I’ve begun to really look into minimalism and the idea of living in a tiny home. I’m not going to be going full on minimalist but i have become suddenly aware of how much stuff i have that i never use because of silly reasons like ‘My dad liked this’ or ‘Someone gave me this for my birthday six years ago’. My flat is cluttered with stuff i never, ever use and i have begun getting rid of it all to help my self live in a more calm and happy environment.

I’ve started pretty small by getting rid of bowls and various kitchen appliances i haven’t used in the year and a bit since we moved into my flat. I had four decorative desert bowls for things like jelly that i had kept hold of because my mum gave them to me but i hadn’t used them once! I’ve also begun getting rid of clothes and thanks to my nan getting me a lovely set of towels for christmas, i got rid of the hair-dye and bleach stained towels i’ve had since moving in.

Along with this lifestyle change i will be revamping what i eat. I don’t want to call it a diet because its not, its an absolute life style change to allow myself to live healthier and happier. The last 3 or 4 years my diet has been take away and easy microwave or ‘stick it in a pan, boil it and eat it’ meals. I do enjoy cooking so i have had many home made meals but they still haven’t been particularly healthy and i’m going to change that. I would like to lose weight too but i’m not focusing on the way my body looks at all, just how i feel. Of course, by eating healthier i am almost definitely going to lose weight but I’m not making that a priority at all.

The final step of this life style change will be exercising more. Last year i did 30 days of Yoga via youtube videos and also went to a local Hot Yoga studio which i enjoyed immensely but after that month could no longer afford so i just gave up on it. I wish i hadn’t because i loved it and it really helped me feel happier and more content with myself, it calmed my anxiety, lightened my depression and got rid of the niggling back pain i occasionally get. Unfortunately i likely will not be able to afford to go back to a real yoga studio anytime soon but youtube is full of incredible Yoga Lesson videos and i will be following them. My immediate goal is to do 30 days of yoga and then do it at least 3-5 times a week as i feel like it.

I don’t want to force myself to do Yoga when I’m not in the mood or i know i’ll end up hating it and just give up so i’m just going to do what feels good for me, which i think is the key to any form of exercise. I would also like to start going to the gym again, which i did for about a month last year before no longer being able to afford it. The difference between those exercise attempts and this one is that i’m not going to let money get in my way! I have so many resources around me that i didn’t notice then, theres no excuse for me to not just go for a run when i live 5 minutes from a lovely path along the mersey and 15 minutes away from Birkenhead park.

I’ve made that look like one long, impossible goal so to shorten it down, I basically want to eat healthier, de-clutter and exercise more. I could have just said that but i thought i’d put a little more information in with it or this would be a very short, boring post.

My next resolution is a much simpler one, i want to move. We’ve been in this flat for over a year now and theres just issue after issue with it. We moved in November 2014 to a flat with broken windows, peeling paint in the hallway, the bathroom tiles raising from the floor, mould around the shower, no door bell and a dodgy boiler and were told it would all be sorted by Christmas that year. Needless to say, here we are a year later and all thats changed is that we now have a bell and a problem neighbour.

I really want to get a house with a garden. Nothing huge since its just the two of us but a nice little home that i can be proud of, its hard to make a flat look nice when there are so many issues that i can’t do a single thing about.

Next is to quit smoking. It’s a disgusting habit i know but i started smoking from the stress and anxiety of it all and i got hooked. This obviously goes along with the whole ‘healthy life style’ thing, i know its bad for me and i don’t want to indulge myself in something that only does harm.

Finally, i want to do more good in my community. As a child i was a Brownie so i was forever volunteering and going on litter picks but that all stopped a while ago, i really want to do more good stuff just for the sake of doing something good rather than because it will benefit me. I’m not sure what it’ll be yet, maybe volunteering in a local charity shop or doing a little pick somewhere like New Brighton Beach or Birkenhead Park. If you have any ideas, suggest them below!

My more short term goals for the new year are to go to my birthday at the end of March without eating out or ordering take away, do a 10 day liquid fast to detox and cleanse my body, do at least 1 yoga ‘class’ a day for 30 days, cut out all fizzy drinks for at least a month, get out the house more just for walks on my own and to spend more time reading.

What are your new years resolutions? Feel free to list them or link to your own post below, i would love to see them!

-Dana