Katherine Daniel ~ Editor-in-Chief
Many people come up with resolutions at the start of the new year. It is hard to come up with resolutions and sticking to those resolutions is even harder. Some say the new year is like when you clean out a closet: out with the old and in with the new. Here are a few things you can try during your new year’s resolution for 2019.
- Get in shape. I know it is hard to set time away to go the gym with jobs and school, but set a goal to exercise three to four days of the week, or to start out, maybe one to two days a week and the fitness to follow that.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. For me, I know I slacked on eating fruits and vegetables during the fall semester, so I need to eat a lot more with a new semester and a new year. I like carrots and ranch for a snack or apples and peanut butter. These are some of the healthy fruits and vegetables I have started to eat during this new year.
- Eat less junk food. Yes, that means cutting out the pizza rolls and cake. Start eliminating fried foods and sweets first, and then continue taking the rest of the junk away.
- Drink less soda and sweet tea. I know this one is a hard one for me because I love my Coca-Cola’s, but I have cut down to one soda a day. Sweet tea has always been a favorite of mine as well, from living in southern VA, but for the new year, I plan to occasionally drink it only once and awhile.
- Stop procrastinating. Making a plan of your everyday routine and setting goals will help you get your work accomplished in a timely manner. Getting these things done in a timely manner will also give you time to hang out with friends, your significant other, or to just relax and watch TV. For me, I use a whiteboard calendar, a planner, and I tend to make a list of things I have to do for the day.
- Earn more money. Get a job or do small side jobs, like walking a dog or babysitting while in college to help with earning some money. For the new year, work more hours or aim for a promotion.
- Lower your stress level. For me this a biggie for the new year. During the fall semester, I was always stressed with school, work, and anything that went wrong. Start paying attention to what your body and mind is telling you. Find the things that stress you during the day and eliminate them.
- Start journaling. During the day, set time aside to write down some of your thoughts and ideas or just record what you have done during the day. It helps bring out some of your thoughts that are running through your brain that you do not want to complain about or explain to your friends.
- Spend less time on social media. This one is a hard one, but spend less time on your social media platforms and get out and enjoy the scenery. Go hiking or hang out with your friends, rather than staying on Facebook or Snapchat all day.
- Learn to cook and bake. Learn to cook that favorite dessert you like or that favorite pasta dish you love that your mom makes. Fair warning: when learning how to cook these kind of things, have someone around that knows how to cook to help you, so you do not mess something up. It is a learning process. Stop eating out so much and eat healthier foods.
- Learn to control your emotions. I know for me, my face always tells what emotions I am feeling and I have a hard time hiding it. Write in a journal and figure out how to express and control your emotions.
- Start a new hobby. Sometimes finding something that makes you relax and have a good time after a long day is good. Find a hobby that makes you calm and relaxed after a long day or work or school.
- Get more sleep. I know this is hard for a college student to get a lot of sleep because we like to stay up late. Make sure your days are organized, stop procrastinating, put your phone down, and sleep. Sleeping more often than you usually do helps your health and prevents you from becoming sick.
- Break the unhealthy habits. Breaking an unhealthy habit is never easy. Stop smoking, stop juuling, or stop drinking, or take your pick from your unhealthy habits.
- Get organized. Out with the old and in with the new. Clean out your closet, throw trash away, and find cute storage bins to separate everything. Labeling things is a life saver, too. After you get organized, decorate your room some more.
- Do a study abroad. This a major thought of mine. I really would love to travel and why not by doing a study abroad? It counts toward your education and you get to see new countries.
- Make new friends. Now if you are somewhat shy like me, it is kind of hard to just speak to random people you do not know, but start speaking up more in different classes and get to know your classmates. They could turn into people that could be your lifelong best friends. With my job, I definitely have made some lifelong friends that I will always remember.
- Be more kind. People definitely need to be more kind to each other. Stop judging others and just simply smile in a hallway at someone or make a nice compliment can really make someone’s day better. The kinder people are to you and others, the happier you will feel too.
- Get an internship. It might be early for some of you, but for me it is not. Interning at Disney in Florida has always been a dream because the state is: number one, warm all the time (which I love!) and number two, it is surrounded by beaches, and if you know me, I love the beach. Internships help you get out and experience what you might experience in the workforce or what you are going to school to get a degree for.
These are nineteen new year resolutions that you can try and enjoy!
