According to the experts, the majority of the New Years Resolutions center around weight, money and relationships. And, normally the 3 are related to each other.
December is the highest month for suicides, and January marks a new beginning for everyone, but especially for those who had a rough depressed December. Most people who have experienced a rough patch in their life, or during December don't want to repeat the the following year, so they make goals or resolutions. Why December?? December should be a happy month, but for many its not, there is the tax bill in the mail, false hopes and expectations of gifts, high winter utility bills, flu season, and the short winter day. Research has shown repeatedly that the shorter days of winter have a huge negative impact on those with depression and addictions. Many doctors recommend the use of light boxes. Often, your night shift medical staff, police, fire and other occupations that work 12 hour shifts will go to work in the dark, come home from work in the dark, and sleep while it is light. That causes a chemical imbalance, which triggers depression as well.
So, January 1 rolls around, and people want to change, which is good. Just remember to make your goals ones that you can actually obtain, so that you are not even more disappointed next year. If you don't think you can actually loose 100 lbs, set your goal at 30. If you hit your 30 lb goal, then decide to either maintain that goal, or add another 10 to it.
If your house resembles one off of the TV show Hoarders, a complete housecleaning may not be within reason of a person doing it single handily. So, set a goal that you can do. By the end of January, I will have the bathroom clean and will keep it clean. By the end of March, I will also have the kitchen clean and will keep it clean.
If your goal is exercise, don't say I will run 3 miles a day. Make it by the end of the year, I want to be fit enough to run a 3 mile run.
I have seen many people get discouraged and just give up. Don't give up, keep at it, little baby steps do add up! Ask anyone who has been through physical therapy to learn to walk again, and they will tell you the same thing.
If exercise and weight loss or healthy eating is on your list, check out slimkicker.com. I've mentioned it on here before. It was developed by a former homeschooler and some of her peers. I use it, and love it. It also stores your information, that you personalize for you.
My goals this year, are to eat more healthy (sorry chocolate)...and to get the basement reorganized. At one time I had the basement organized and we had our homeschool classroom down there. Then, a few other people used it for storage, and there went the classroom, my sewing area and my food pantry. Then, we had a flood of sorts in the basement, during several days of heavy rain and the gutters had no hoses on them to direct the overflow away from the house. Those items are now gone, but the basement never got put back into order. So, time to put that all back to order. I also have set a goal for the husband--to move the wood cook stove into place in the basement and get it hooked up. (Otherwise, it will all have to be moved again to get the stove into place).
My pantry helps me to save a huge amount of money, by combining sales and coupons. Since lately I have not been able to get to it for boxes in the way, I sort of quit my couponing, and my budget is not liking that.
However, by not getting the basement back to order sooner has also had its advantage. We were going to sheet rock some walls downstairs. But, since then a friend of ours used galvanized barn tin on his, and I think we are going to go with that. Simpler, no dust, and easier to take down if we decide to add an outlet or make changes.
I hope to start to tackle the basement later this week.
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