1. Get to a healthy weight – I don’t want to take medication for cholesterol and blood pressure. I need to get to a healthy weight for my height, especially if I plan to pursue my dream of having a baby.
2. Be more eco friendly – I’ve bought reusable fabric bags that I can put my fruit and veg into at the supermarket. I’ve also just bought washable make up remover pads so rather than using cotton wool pads and make up remover wipes which go straight into landfill, I’ll wash and reuse my make up remover pads.
3. Plant more bee friendly plants. I started in the spring this year with buying a lavender plant but plan to plant more in the coming year. Bees and pollinators need all the help they can get! I’m going to do my bit.
4. Cook more. Linked to number 1, home cooking will help me get healthier. I can cook and really enjoy it, I need to use my menu planners and cook my meals from scratch. My waistline and bank balance will thank me.
5. Read more. I love books and I own hundreds. I want to make more time to read. Its a window into many other worlds. I enjoy it too. It is great escapism. Besides, I have a bookcase just waiting to be filled!
6. Stress less. I’ve spent a lot of 2019 battling with anxiety and stress. I’ve been a worrier all my life and all it has done is adversely effect my health. No more. All I can do is my best and if that’s not good enough, so be it.
7. See my friends more. I’m lucky that I have amazing supportive friends. This year, I plan to spend far more time with them. Its hard when we live in different places but well worth the time and effort.
8. Stop being a people pleaser. I’ve put myself out to please others far too often, mostly to the detriment of my health or my needs. It left me burnt out and in a bad way. Never again will I hit the lows of 2019. I have to please myself and look after myself first.
9. Create a blogging schedule. In 2019, I’ve written my posts as the ideas have occurred to me. No plan. No schedule. Just my random ruminations. I enjoy blogging and would like to pursue it. I need to get myself organized, create a plan and follow it.
10. Contribute to and buy more from charity shops. In a bid to reduce how much I consume, I plan to continue to donate to charity shops but also make more use of them buying second hand rather than brand new.
11. Sort out my finances. This year really showed me how close to the wind I sail financially. I have no contingency. This needs to change. Starting in 2020, I’m going to reduce my debts and make a plan to start saving some money.
12. Keep journaling. I’ve kept a journal for as long as I remember. Its great to keep track of what is happening and how I’m feeling about it. I find it very therapeutic too – all the more reason to keep it up in 2020.
13. Drink more water – using a refillable bottle. I love tea but I’m not great at drinking water. I’m convinced I’m dehydrated more than I should be. It is also linked to resolution number 1.
14. Moisturise morning and night. I confess that I am guilty of going to bed still wearing make up or, having taken off my make up getting into bed without moisturising. I may have got away with it while in my twenties and thirties but now I’m 40, I really should look after my skin better.
15. Find an exercise class. I used to do Zumba classes at least twice a week and I loved it. It didn’t feel like exercise, the music was brilliant and it was a good laugh. I miss it. Walking is fine but I don’t do it if it’s wet/ dark/ icy. I’d like to find a class that I enjoy so I’ll go regularly.
16. Change my hair colour. My hair has been brown for ages and I fancy a change for the new decade. I might go purple or I might go back to being a redhead. Either way, it’ll be bright, vibrant and not brown!
17. Stay true to myself. Linked to number eight, this year I plan to be true to myself. I’m done with trying to be something that I’m not or changing to suit others. I’m 40, I know who I am and what I want. If you don’t fit in with that so be it. Its your loss, not mine.
18. Be more assertive. I let myself be walked over/ taken advantage of because of the decline in my mental health. I was not okay and that was not okay. No more. If people don’t like it, tough. No more being being a doormat.
19. Use less plastic. I already try to recycle as much as possible, but if I buy less plastic materials, even better. Linked with resolution number 2, in 2020, my plastic consumption will reduce. I’ll still be trying to drink more water, but I’ll do it as a more eco friendly solution.
20. Really practise self care. I’ve learned a lot about myself this year. I’ve battled anxiety and depression (still am). I feel like I am coming out of the other side and am getting stronger. I never want to be back feeling the way I did this time last year. So I am going to mind myself, take time for me. I’m going to knit, read, cook and listen to my body.
