2019 will soon be upon us, and whether you are a serial resolution-maker or not, you cannot help but be caught up in the spirit of renewal and fresh starts that a new year brings with it. This past year has been stressful for everyone, both for macro-reasons that affect us all, such as the uncertainty of how Brexit will affect our finances, to our personal day-to-day life events.
One resolution that is definitely worth making is to make 2019 less stressful. It’s easily said, but the key to really making resolutions happen is to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. In business, this is expressed by the mnemonic SMART objectives, and it is a strategy that is just as effective in our personal lives. Here are some SMART resolutions for a low-stress 2019.
Reflect on the positive
Going into a new year with the feeling that the last one was a disaster area devoid of any redeeming features is only going to make you start 2019 in a negative mindset. It will also ramp up the pressure on yourself to make a difference. Instead, focus on the accomplishments you have achieved this year, however small.
Even negative experiences add to your personal growth and serve as a tool to help you achieve better things in the year ahead. Learning from your mistakes is as important a part of life’s journey as accomplishing some long-held dream, so stop being hard on yourself.
Understand the causes of anxiety
Unless you fully understand what caused stress and anxiety in the year gone, you will have a devil of a job making positive changes in the one ahead. Sometimes, the triggers are clear, for example if you have had financial worries or relationship difficulties.
In other cases, the root cause can be from within. If you have a constant feeling of anxiety and cannot put your finger on the cause, it could be something as simple as a serotonin deficiency. The 5-HTP+ patch provides exactly the boost that you need, so give it a try and see how it affects your outlook on life!
Declutter
Mess equals stress, and there is nothing quite like kicking off a new year with room to breathe and a home that is organised and properly structured. With the Christmas paraphernalia out of the way for another year, take the opportunity to reorganise and get rid of what you don’t need. Be ruthless, and set things into three categories of keep, throw away and give away. The latter, in particular, is hugely therapeutic, whether you are giving toys and children’s clothes that have been outgrown to younger members of the extended family or presenting a large box of assorted items to a charity shop.
On the subject of clearing the decks, make a concerted effort to do the same electronically. After the festive break, your email inbox will almost certainly be bursting at the seams. This is the ideal time to purge all those unread messages and also give your desktop a good tidy up.