How to START the Year Off Strong and Healthy!
Part 3
Happy New Year!
Let's ring in 2026 with the last installment/the first of the new year! With the new year here, and last year behind us, I know we are all excited to jump right into our "new selves." But my philosophy is to ease your way into new habits through healthy and sustainable routines, and practices. Here are some pointers on how to start off your year, just right!
1. Not Spring Cleaning, but a Winter Cleanse
Spring isn't here yet, believe me, I know. But you don't need spring to be here to cleanse your space.
If you know me, you know I love a whosit and a whatsit, with more than twenty thingabobs lying about the house—What??? They were on sale! With so many things in my small space, it can feel cramped, physically...and mentally, too.
Start the year with a gentle cleanse. Look through old clothes, old papers, things you stored away because "you were going to use it for something" and get rid of it. Donate, sell, trash—cleanse your space now so you can invite the new into your life. I love donating books that I've read to the Community Library outside of the fire department in my neighborhood. As they say, one man's trash is another man's whatsit-galore!
You can wait until spring to go "full out" on the cleaning, but for now, cleanse your space this winter!
2. Brain Dumps
The year has ended, and the rush to finish everything has come and gone.
You didn't complete everything you set out to complete. I know I didn't and that's okay. And it's okay if you didn't as well. I say, throw it in a brain dump! Write it down, save it and look at it in a few weeks. Celebrate that you made it through the year. Celebrate all that you've accomplished. Throw everything else in a brain dump. You have another 365 days to get it done, but for now, you don't have to crystalize what those things are just yet.
Brain dumps are a great way to keep track of those thoughts that come around your mind without having to worry about remember it. With the revitalized energy of the new year, we can feel overwhelmed with new, new, new but breathe. You don't have to do it all at once. Grab a steno pad, construction paper, anything you can get your hands on, and write it down. Things you wanted to accomplished but didn't, things you might want to do. No need to organize them just yet. Just get it down!
3. Creative Play
Find the joy again. Yes, you have deadlines. I have deadlines. We ALL have deadlines! But you deserve to play when it comes to your creativity. Here are a few tips:
- Crack open that sketchbook, and draw the first thing that comes to mind. Doesn't have to be pretty.
-Look up some writing prompts and write a one page short story. Character build. As my roommate and I say, grab your barbies and make them do stuff. Play with your writing.
-Same thing with drawing prompts. If you can't think of something off the top of your head, no worries. There are tons of drawing prompts out there. Hey, maybe you'll discover something new that you love to draw.
-Use materials you've been wanting to experiment with. Experiment on scrap paper. Throw it away, rip it up if you have to. Don't be precious. Create with abandon! You'll never know what mistake will become a new personal technique or process.
4. Growth Check
Now that you've unplugged, rested, replenished and reviewed your year, it's time to have a "growth check." See where you were a year ago. What have you learned? What challenges did you have then that are no longer a problem today? Most of the time, we grow gradually so we don't feel the full extent of our growth. I know there was a moment in time when I had a meltdown about color palettes, and now, though still working at it, I feel so much more capable—a gradual growth that I had to recognize within myself.
Growth isn't linear, but when we take the time to reflect on where we were and where we are now, it can really inspire us to keep going.
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Again! Happy New Year to you all! Thanks for tuning in and cheers to a strong and healthy year ahead!
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