I hope you had a fun holiday break. I certainly did. We spent the entire holiday here in Austin, allowing plenty of time to truly relax.
Don’t laugh, but one day I watched six Hallmark-type movies, all while lying on the sofa, head resting on a fluffy pillow, munching freshly popped, buttery popcorn. Heaven! 😊
We also met up with friends at some great parties and open houses. Just enough of them to break up our days and the evening parties gave us an excuse to sleep in late the next morning.
Of course, Beth and I live states away from each other, but I can report she also enjoyed her holiday break.
She has the added pleasure of celebrating her birthday just days after the first of the year when most of us are still on break.
When I asked her how her holiday and birthday were, she answered enthusiastically, “Fabulous!!” She had a chance to relax and she spent all her special days with good friends and her grown kids.
Ah, yes, the holidays were wonderful.
And now we’re back to work. We’re back to schedules. We’re making resolutions, filling up calendars. We’re getting calls from unrecognized numbers. We’re scheduling annual appointments. We have a “to-do” list again.
And if you’re anything like me, the routines and habits you adhered to so very effortlessly before the holidays now feel like somebody else’s schedule.
It's funny really, I didn’t stop my healthy habits entirely during the holidays. Most mornings you could still find me outside getting my steps and then working out at my apartment gym.
It’s just that during the holidays I possibly munched on a cookie or two before lifting those weights. That's all. . .
It just goes to show you how fragile habits and routines are. Hard to create. Easy to break.
We are aware that the saying, “We are what we repeatedly do” is painfully accurate. So, let’s take a deep breath, acknowledge the fun we had during the 2024 holidays, and now bring back the great routines and habits that will make for a stellar 2025!
Eight Easy Ways to Ease Back into Your Good Habits
START SMALL. Don’t overwhelm yourself thinking you need to execute the perfect high dive into the new year. Jump into the shallow end and get used to the water. Before you know it, you’ll be back swimming with the best of them.
START WITH YOUR "HAPPY HABITS" – We value all of our habits, but some are more fun than others. As we pack away 2024 and begin building 2025, start with your most enjoyable habits. For instance, for me keeping track of gratitude is a “happy habit.” What are some of yours?
PLAN YOUR DAYS. It might be helpful as you ease into the new year to plan at least part of your day. If you lost the habit of making your bed every day during the holidays, put it back into your daily routine. It always makes us feel accomplished when we can cross things we value off our list. It proves we’re on the right track again.
PRIOTIZE SLEEP. Going back to our regular sleeping pattern seems to help. During the holidays we’re all over the place – staying up late, napping in the easy chair in the afternoon, sleeping in late. Time to remember we feel our best – more energized when we adhere to a sleep schedule.
EMBRACE THE POWER OF MORNING LIGHT. While doing the research for this blog post I noticed this tip to restart and ease back into our supportive habits. Simply spending a few minutes outside in the morning helps to reset our body’s natural rhythms and boosts our mood.
CHRISTMAS CLUTTER. IS THE CHRISTMAS TREE STILL IN THE LIVING ROOM? It might be time to take it down. Consider packing away the holiday decorations. I’ll personally confess to having gift bags in our bedroom, next to a couple of gifts I still need to wrap and deliver. See the problem? It’s difficult to think clearly when you’re surrounded by clutter. I can vouch for that.
WHAT ABOUT “COOKIE CLUTTER?” I’d suggest baby steps here, but it’s no doubt time to get back to nutritional eating. A return to simple, healthy meals that supply us with steady energy will support getting us back on track with the rest of our reliable, healthy habits.
PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION. We were in “holiday mode” for at least a couple of months. Don’t expect too much too soon. And above all, BE KIND TO YOURSELF - Accept that it might take time to fully get back on track. Celebrate small wins instead of focusing on what you haven’t done.
And HAPPY 2025! Let’s greet the New Year with expectation and optimism. Practice self-compassion and personal forgiveness. And above all, hang around good people and live fully every day. ❤️
Good list!