Happy New Year!! Can you believe we’ve made it to 2022?! It has been a wild few years and we’ve had to figure out a new way of life after the arrival of COVID. Thank goodness for the blank slate of a new year. I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a better year, so I’ve come up with

3 guaranteed ways to make sure this will be the best year yet!

Easy peasy right? Just 3! We can do it! Are you with me?!

Key # 1 : SMILE MORE

Putting a smile on your face releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, relaxing your body and raising your mood. Did you know a smile can even lower your heart rate and blood pressure?

It’s a simple concept but what a difference you can feel if you turn that frown upside down more often!

So if you want to feel better physically and mentally in 2022 - SMILE!

Sure it’s easy to say, but we all know it can be hard to do, especially with the stress, anxiety and loneliness we may have become accustomed to in the past few years. So how can we take advantage of the mood boosting super power of a smile more often?

INDENTIFY and PRIORITIZE YOUR HAPPYS

Make a list of 5 things that always make you smile….

Then, commit to doing one of those things on a regular schedule. If it’s once a week, great! If you can commit to that smile, once a day, awesome! If you can make it multiple times a day, even better! But make it a priority to do something specific that makes you smile.

and don’t forget it! Put a post-it on the bathroom mirror to remind yourself!

More smiles in 2022 automatically means you will feel more calm and more relaxed with a lighter, brighter mood, and therefore automatically it’s a better year! That’s right, AUTOMATICALLY – it’s science!

Key # 2 : ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING

Do you make new year’s resolutions? Is it a giant list of all the ways you are going to eat healthier, work out more, drink less, give to charity, volunteer, etc etc.? And is it also a giant list that will be thrown out the window in about 3 weeks when you’ve “failed” to keep up? That’s the part I hate about new year’s resolutions. Mine are never realistic, always abundant, and the minute I start to slip just a little, the entire house of cards comes crashing down and I end up trudging along until I can try again next year.

I’m here to tell you, throw out that old way of resolutions!

If it’s not working for you, you don’t need to carry it around. Instead of trying to do ALL of the things that you think will make you a better version of you in 2022,

do ONE thing.

Don’t worry about accomplishing EVERYTHING, accomplish ONE thing.

Don’t make a list of everything you want to do in 2022, pick one thing, and make that your one, New Year’s Resolution Hit Single!

...and be specific.

No overarching theme resolutions like “I’m going to get in shape”, or “I’m going to keep my house clean”, or “I’m going to spend more time with my family.” Instead try “I will go for a 15 minute walk three times a week” or “I will clean off the kitchen table once a week” or “I will pick a time each week to watch a movie with my family.”

Pick something specific, achievable and realistic and then stick with it. Next year, when you look back at your new year’s resolutions for 2022 you can say “Hey, I did that!” and that feels so good.

Key # 3 : MAKE MEMORIES

One thing I’ve learned from the past few years is that life as you know it can change in an instant, but meaningful moments with the ones who matter most to us can be a light in any darkness.

To make 2022 the best year yet, PRIORITIZE MAKING MEMORIES.

One of my favorite ways to make memories is with traditions. A tradition gives you a focal point. It’s something you can all reminisce about but also something you can all look forward to. It’s a special point in time, with special, consistent components you can rely on, shared with the ones you love.

To make memories this year, start a new tradition!

Here are some ideas:

A travel-themed dinner party – pick a country and plan all the details around that! Foods, drinks, music, games etc.

A Sunday drive

Call a Snow Day! Even if it didn’t snow :-) no school, no work, and complete with movies and hot cocoa

Make a big deal out of a not so big holiday i.e. arbor day, national dog day, daylight savings etc.

What will you come up with?!

When the tough times hit, remembering back to those memories or looking forward to the next, will make everything feel a little better.

And there you have it! To make 2022 the best year yet...

SMILE MORE

ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING

and MAKE MEMORIES!

 

Cheers to a better year for us all!