In this mini-episode we discuss the process of setting resolutions for 2024 and prioritizing self-care as you create your lists of goals for the new year!
In this mini-episode we discuss the process of setting resolutions for 2024 and prioritizing self-care as you create your lists of goals for the new year!
Welcome to the Self Care Society podcast with your hosts Celia Williamson, ashley Kutcher, louis Guardiola and Carrie Shaw, a podcast devoted to those whose job it is to help others get or remain mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, but who also need to take care of themselves. How we're going to do this? By first showing you the filtered, pretty version of success and then the real struggles, real work and raw grit it took to get there, how they took care of themselves and also achieved their goals while doing it Together. We will work with you to improve and maintain your internal health and growth, while helping you achieve your external goals and your next professional achievement in life, and we're excited to show you how to follow your own individual and unique path and achieve the dreams you have, while taking good care of yourself.
Speaker 2:So let's get started. Hello and welcome to the Self Care Podcast. I am your host, isabel Matossian, and today we're going to keep it pretty short. With the new year coming up, many of us will be working on our new year resolutions. I think these can be both pretty helpful as well as a bit stressful and frustrating when you can't accomplish every single thing you set your mind to in January. But the fear of failure is no reason not to try right, and setting goals is crucial to living a fulfilling life because it keeps you actively thinking about what you'd like to do next. Humans were never meant to be stagnant and unchanging. We were meant to grow and change and learn incredible things. I think setting new year resolutions can be a part of that. While it doesn't necessarily serve as a reset button for your life, it can serve as a motivator to try again and keep working towards something. In that spirit, I encourage our listeners to set goals that they can accomplish. This can be done by maybe setting fewer goals or determining what is reasonable to accomplish in the next year. That doesn't mean stop dreaming or setting bigger life goals, but maybe choose something to help contribute to those goals instead of setting that larger life goal as a resolution for the year, unless, of course, you're prepared to accomplish it.
Speaker 2:This year we talk about setting smart goals. In social work school. This stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. I think this doesn't only need to be applied to projects or programs. Right, specific goals are concrete and tangible. You know what it would look like to accomplish it. Measurable goals can have an objective measure of success. Attainable goals are challenging but should be achievable with the resources available to you. And goals meaningfully contribute to your objectives, being perhaps improving your self-care skills. And timely goals have a deadline or a timeline of progress milestones, maybe every three months. You want to see a certain level of improvement in whatever the goal was. I'm not saying you have to be so scientific about everything no need to take the magic and fun at goal setting but it might help you to have a framework to use when setting your goals. I also encourage you to make the goals about you or your life.
Speaker 2:Try not to include others in these, not only because we can't control the actions or choices of others, but because you deserve to set personal goals. Every good parent, for example, wants the best for their children and may be tempted to add that to a resolution list, but that doesn't mean it has to be on your resolution list, because you will already be doing your best to be there for your children. You do it all the time, especially if you're listening to this podcast. If you're all involved in our project, then you are someone who constantly gives and strives to do better for others. This time, set these goals for yourself when you are at your best. When you're fulfilled, happy and practicing self-care, the people around you naturally learn to do the same. The people you love still benefit from you setting goals that are solely for you, not an example by prioritizing yourself in these resolutions.
Speaker 2:Here are a few mini goals for self-care to incorporate into your resolutions list. One is to focus on your sleep quality. Give yourself permission to have high quality sleep. Maybe get in bed 15 minutes earlier than you usually do Once you get into a rhythm with that. Consider other aspects like sleep hygiene, which may involve limiting your screen time before bed or making it darker in your room and ensuring that you are resting in a peaceful environment. Sometimes, when I struggle with sleep, I clean my room and light a scented candle to make it a less chaotic environment. Find what works for you.
Speaker 2:Another may be taking a break from social media and being present in your own life. One suggestion for that might be to schedule time to scroll your social media feeds. My favorite idea is to schedule days of rest. Getting rest allows the body and mind to recover from daily life. Don't love a day in with sleep. Make a point to schedule a day each month with no plans and no obligations and do what you enjoy on those days. If that's too much for right now, then start by incorporating hours of intentional rest throughout your weeks rather than a full day.
Speaker 2:You can also practice mindfulness through activities like yoga and meditation. This can help you be present in the current moment. Even taking a walk around your neighborhood or incorporating it into your meal time can help increase your connection to your body. Spend some time outdoors. It can improve your mood and feelings of peace, similarly to mindfulness. Maybe even eating lunch outside once a week or planning a monthly excursion. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
Speaker 2:Clutter can increase your feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed. So set a self-care goal of decluttering your space. You can start by choosing a drawer or cabinet each week and set a monthly goal to go through clothes, books, dishes or cookware to donate. This way, you help your community and yourself. I personally like to set aside just five minutes in my morning routine to clean my bathroom sink and counter, and another five maybe to tidy my room up. A last mini-goal to consider is creating a gratitude list or journal, or just a self-care journal in general. We've talked about practicing gratitude before. This is an idea to help redirect your focus away from the negative thoughts and focus on what makes you feel happy and grateful. As I said, today is a short episode, so that's all I have for you. I hope you all have a fantastic New Year and will take good care of yourselves. We'll see you again in 2024. That concludes this week's episode. And remember, it's not selfish, it's self-care.