Some of us love them, some of us hate them. It’s New Year’s resolutions! Personally I see a new year as a fresh, clean slate. A chance to start things over, try new things and set new goals. I love to create a list of resolutions at the start of every new year, but admittedly, a few weeks down the line they either get forgotten about or life simply gets in the way, they don’t get attention and I am left feeling unaccomplished. That’s probably part of the reason why people don’t like them, because of the sense of  disappointment when they aren’t fulfilled. This year, I decided to start my resolutions on the second week in January because let’s face it, the first week is finishing off leftovers from the festive period, being hungover, trying to get into a routine and wearing something with a waistband – and feeling it a little tighter than you remember – for the first time in a fortnight.

I’ve also decided to make my resolutions this year a little easier to accomplish, and instead of setting a huge goal (for example ‘get toned and get my ideal body like the ones I see on Instagram (even though I’m not the same height or shape as them)’, I would make it ‘start lifting weights again’. Real goals, that you can achieve. I have a mixture of small ones, and bigger ones, but I think over 2018 they will be easy to accomplish, because this year they are a little more realistic and less vague.

Here are 10 resolutions I’m going to try and stick to…

1. Finish a full cup of tea

This seems crazy, but it’s something I can never do. I’ve never been one to finish a drink, whether that’s water, cola or tea (funnily enough I can polish off a gin). It’s something that people always point out to me, particularly if they’ve made the tea, “did you not like it?” they’ll ask me. In actual fact, I love tea but I am too much of a chatterbox or busy doing other things and it ends up sitting and going cold, I can never finish it! This is a simple resolution that makes me a little more conscious to finish the full drink when I make a cup of tea, or am lucky enough to have one made for me!

2. Drink more water

Coming hand in hand with this resolution is to drink more water, or at least aim for my 8 cups a day! I am one of those people that can have a full meal, in fact, all three meals of the day and snacks, without one drink! I rarely need a drink, but I know how bad that is not only for my health but for my skin and general wellbeing. I’m going to really try and drink as much water as I can, and less fizzy juice!

3. Use my gym membership

I’ve signed up to a yearly contract and been three times, like many of you! I just never had the motivation last year and therefore wasted 6 months of money, so I am determined this year instead of saying I want to ‘get fitter’, ‘get toned’ or ‘lose weight’ I’m saying I actually want to use the membership more. This means that I am not wasting money, I am getting the most out of my money, and as a consequence of going to the gym I will get fitter and more toned because I’ll be in a gym class or using the machines – it just gives me an easier goal in my head than telling myself constantly “I must get fitter!!”

4. Eat more fruit and veg

Since spending most of my week staying at my boyfriend’s flat I have definitely become more unhealthy and it’s because we are both guilty of sitting with Netflix and ordering a pizza. He works late, and we get up later, usually meaning we will grab a McDonald’s or he will get a Chinese takeaway after work, and of course I happily eat some. I am determined this year to get back into the swing of buying fruit and vegetables and instead of them sitting in the fridge going out of date, I am going to use them to make healthy meals such as pasta sauces, bolognese, soups, smoothies and curries. This way, we will have food in the freezer or the fridge and always have something healthy that will get some of our 5-a-day inside our tummies as well as leaving us feeling satisfied, and saving money too!

5. Stop self-criticising

Whether it’s the way I look, things I say or things I do I always find myself my own worst critic. You probably do too, and this is why this year you should make a point of being kinder to yourself and stop criticising. Instead, write a list of things you have achieved, whether it’s in your full life or in the past year and feel proud and grateful for that. Then write your goals for this year and focus on achieving them one by one, in small steps.

6. Live in the present

Instead of dwelling on past mistakes or issues that make you unhappy, focus on what is happening in the here and now. There is nothing worse than ruing your present situation with something from the past, because by doing this overthinking you are wasting the life you are supposed to be living now, and getting that horrible gut feeling that makes us nauseous we are all too familiar with . Learn to let go, try enjoying things in the present, like the crunch of an apple (or a chocolate bar if you’re not doing the whole ‘new year, new me’ thing), the smell of your soap in the shower or the feeling of a fluffy cosy jumper against your skin. By focussing on these small things so very deeply, it will discourage your brain from diverting to past situations that you have no control over, and allow you to be fully present in your daily life.

7. Learn some basic sign language

Instead of setting myself a goal of ‘learning sign language’, I am setting a goal to learn some things in sign language, such as basic communication skills of ‘hello, my name is, how are you, the alphabet, hobbies and interests’ etc. I think it’s such an important skill to have to communicate with the deaf and it’s something I strongly believe should be included in the curriculum in schools across the country, as British Sign Language (BSL) is a recognised language, and it would be great to teach children from a young age how to communicate in the language.

8. Read more

Hand-in-hand with this, is to spend less time on my phone. I want to read more books and particularly books on mindfulness and wellbeing. I am far too easily distracted by my phone, and will spend hours on social media, literally scrolling through timelines and watching pointless videos. Instead of wasting this time, I could spend it reading and gaining knowledge and satisfaction. I love mindfulness books and books with fancy fonts, colours, pictures and quotes as they really inspire me. It’s something I enjoy doing, so instead of wasting time on Snapchat taking selfies with puppy filters, I’m going to try and dive into a book – I’m aiming for one a month, but some mindfulness books are easy to dip in and out of.

9. Manage my time better

In the past year I have found that I arrive for things either on time, which is fine, or slightly late, which is not. It’s just rude! I have always had great timekeeping and I like to be early, but recently I dilly-dally so easily, spend more time on my make up than I should, don’t prep my lunches, don’t have time for breakfast, leave my laptop charger, fob for wok, have to turn round to get it, forget a gym bag… you get it. This is all down to the well-known phrase ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ which could not be truer! This year I am determined to get better at this and it all comes down to the night before; a rule my mum has always taught me. I’m going to start looking out my clothes for the next day the night before, try and prepare breakfast and/or lunch, including snacks, leave everything I need by the door next to my bag and check the weather to see what jacket or coat I may need. I need to make sure my car has petrol and take into consideration the traffic at the time I will be travelling. I also like going to bed late, but it’s just not practical having to get up some mornings at 6am and going to sleep at 2am… that’s going to set up my day all wrong. On those mornings I end up knackered, late and leaving something behind, and I also waste money on a lunch from Subway or McDonald’s because I haven’t made lunch, so some nights an earlier bed is crucial.

10. Blog and Vlog weekly

This is something I started up around this time last year just for myself but began doing it as a hobby more frequently to share with you from about August last year, so therefore I am excited to try and post a blog post every week and a vlog weekly too. I love writing and I feel it makes me feel happy and like I can get all of my thoughts onto paper (or screen, whatever!) and have my own little space on the internet. As for vlogging, it’s great fun but the time to edit videos is sometimes hard to find but I am determined to find that and get the ball rolling again!

Here’s to 2018 – wishing you health and happiness in the new year. Tell me your resolutions!

Keep Smiling!

Amber Zoe x

• 2018
• blogger
• glasgow
• new year
• resolutions