With a brand-new year upon us, it’s time to toss out what doesn’t work in our lives and embrace new possibilities. If you’re yet to set resolutions for 2022, here’s 22 ways to invigorate your life and your home for a vibrant new year.
1. Nest Egg Challenge
Need to start saving money this year? Start the new year with a nest egg challenge. Freeze all of your non-essential expenditures for a short period of time, between a week and a month, then set aside the money you’ve saved in an account. Even if you only save a few dollars each day, before you know it, you’ll have a nice little nest egg to build through the new year.
2. Read More, Scroll Less
Winter is the perfect time of the year to snuggle up with a new book, so this New Year, put your devices to rest and grab a nice hardcover. Reading more and scrolling less will improve your sleep schedule and uplift your mood.
Studies have shown social media increases feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Try taking a break from your social networks, and fill that time by holding a book club. Bonding over a good book and some mugs of hot chocolate is a good way to unwind with friends and peers alike.
3. Give Back to Your Community
Sharing a random act of kindness can be a personally rewarding activity, so this new year, make it a point to donate your time to a cause. Whether you choose to join an animal rescue, do a beach clean-up, or volunteer at a soup kitchen, charitable work decreases stress, builds leadership skills and lets you walk into the new year with a sense of accomplishment. After all, winter is the season of giving!
4. Learn a New Skill
To make big life changes seem fun, make a resolution to learn a new skill or hobby. Find an activity of interest, such as baking, playing an instrument, or learning photography. To keep you on track, join a club related to your activity. A little peer support will help you stick to your new craft and build new connections along the way.
5. Drink up!
While we all love a coffee in the morning, or a soda with dinner, staying hydrated with water is an overlooked step to better health. This year, make a resolution to drink at least eight ounces of water each day. Regular water drinking will increase your energy, help the body metabolize fat, and prevent dehydration. Start quenching that thirst with these small changes for the winter:
- Drink a bottle of water while skiing, ice-skating or shoveling snow. Room temp water helps regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm in the cold.
- Replace high-calorie drinks such as eggnog or beer with sparkling water.
- Make a refreshing holiday punch by mixing sparkling water with fruit punch.
6. Declutter Your Space
Need a bit more zen this new year? Start by decluttering your home. Rip open that storage space, closet, and pantry, then section out only what you need, and make a plan to get rid of the rest. While decluttering, don’t overlook expendable items. Remove excess toiletries, cleaning materials and other household staples. For those items you don’t need but can’t throw away, try donating them to a local charity, or, with the help of a custom tarp, lay it all out on your lawn and hold a yard sale.
Make a resolution to be mindful of your purchases this coming year. As the old saying goes, less is more.
7. Clear Out Your Closet
After you’ve cleared out your main rooms, make sure you take the time to sort through your closet. A clean closet helps you start each and every day with a clear head. Try on all of your clothes and toss any items that no longer fit. Pack away any seasonal items into storage bags and remove them from the main closet space. To prevent your footwear from getting lost in a nook, invest in a shoe rack.
8. Prioritize Self Care
This new year, make a promise to yourself to prioritize self care. Take small steps to ensure mental and emotional wellbeing. Take the time to create a daily self-care routine, engaging in activities such as meditating, sleeping, exercising, listening to music, going on a walk. You can even schedule a lounge on your outdoor furniture to help you unwind, preventing burnout and keeping your mind sharp.
9. Schedule Your Doctor’s Visits
While you have self-care in mind, don’t put off the appointments you’ll need to make to keep your health strong. Make a promise to schedule all your doctor’s visits and check-ups early in the year. Putting your doctors on the back burner can lead to long term health consequences.
10. Travel
We all need time to unplug and unwind, but we also need new sights and experiences to reignite the imagination. If you’ve been neglecting your sojourn spirit, make a resolution to travel more. Take the time to plan your bucket list vacation. If your commitments won’t allow for that dream getaway, a simple, spontaneous weekend trip might be enough to break the routine and rekindle your sense of adventure.
11. Go Green
While you’re thinking about your new selection of plants, consider going green and taking ownership of your environmental impact this new year. Going green doesn’t have to include big purchases like solar panels or a hybrid car. By making sustainable choices, you can reduce your carbon footprint and contribute towards a bigger change. Here’s a few simple changes you can make to give back to our environment:
- Avoid using plastic cutlery and straws.
- Use reusable water bottles.
- For your garden, use natural compost instead of fertilizer.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with low energy LED bulbs.
- Turn off your lights when they’re not in use.
12. Don’t Diet, Eat Healthy
Instead of trying a fad diet, focus on eating healthy. Make minor changes in your eating habits like adding more green vegetables, cutting down on junk food, focusing on a plant-based diet, or snacking on seasonal fruits. While stocking up on healthy munchies, don’t forget to add citruses. Citruses are rich in Vitamin C, which come with a myriad of health benefits. Not to mention, studies have shown citruses also prevent wrinkles and rejuvenate your skin.
13. Make A Gratitude Journal
Expressing gratitude has been scientifically proven to improve your health, by increasing self-esteem, resilience, and helping manage depression. An easy way to make gratitude a habit is by maintaining a gratitude journal. Jot down everything you are thankful for each day, from lucky moments to the people in your life. By cultivating this habit, you’ll foster a positive new attitude for the new year, which will help you bring positive change to your life.
14. Add Some Greenery To Your Home
Modern life comes with rising pollution, frenzied schedules, and spiraling stress levels. To get your home back in touch with nature, try adding potted greens around your space. Some simple options include teacup planters, succulents and pocket herb gardens. For a more inexpensive way to revitalize your space, try florals. Pick flowers with colors that complement your existing decor, and welcome the fresh scents into your sanctuary.
15. Create An Office Oasis
With work from home becoming the new norm, the new year is a great time to recreate your home office space. From standing desks to ergonomic chairs, a new set of office furniture can bring comfort, style to your workspace.
16. Schedule Maintenance Jobs
As the weather takes a turn, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the work needed to maintain your home. From bleeding your radiators to flushing out your water heater tanks, make a resolution to schedule all your maintenance tasks this year. Creating a plan in advance will help offload stress, and prepare you for the times you’ll have to offload the work to a professional.
17. Work Out Your Chore System
When housework is left for one person to do, household tension will follow. For more peaceful relationships with your co-habitants this year, make a resolution to create a chore system, dividing your household chores up and schedule them in a way that works for everyone. For families, work out age-appropriate tasks to teach your kids the value of responsibility and contributing at chore time. For a house to be a home, everyone needs to work as a team.
18. Brisk Walk Breaks!
Between desk jobs, long commutes and stay-at-home orders, it’s easy to fall into an inactive lifestyle. If you want to get back in shape but avoid an expensive gym membership, just make a habit to take simple, brisk walks during your break. Walking at merely 3 mph provides similar health benefits to going for a run, and requires nothing more than a pair of comfortable shoes. Unlike a full workout, you can walk wherever and whenever, through your neighborhood, office complex, or across the lawn.
19. Plan Your Workout Program
If your goals for your body are a bit more ambitious, plan out a new year’s workout program. Make sure you pick workouts you find engaging, while also keeping in mind the health benchmarks you need to meet. Simple, sustainable changes will lead to long-lasting benefits.
20. Take Time to Meditate
If you’ve already got your gym routine down, invest in the exercise of mental health: meditation. This year, make a resolution to add meditation practices to your daily routine. Dedicate at least one a day a month to quiet time, introspection, and decompression. For a simple way to get some alone time tranquility, take an evening to sit on your patio and self reflect. Keep your outdoor space tranquil and protect your patio with a set of custom covers.
21. Make Time for Friends and Family
In 2022, reserve some time from your busy schedule and make a concentrated effort to plan and set aside some family time. Family time doesn’t need to be complex. Just holding a barbecue or talking by the fireplace will help show your friends and family you care. If all of your loved ones live far away, a simple video call can do. Just giving a moment to the ones you love goes a long way.
22. Spruce Up the Home
Whether it’s a bathroom upgrade, a living area refurbishment, or sprucing up your patio with custom sofa covers, set aside time to complete any projects to make your home more homey this year. Choose the space you’d most like to show some love to, set a budget, and start on your renovation process.
The new year is a great time to establish new habits. Keep these resolutions in mind as you think about ways to improve your life over the next year. Small lifestyle changes can have a positive impact on your abode and your wellbeing.
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