New Year, New Approaches: My Intentions for This Year

I like to start the new year by embracing new approaches instead of making resolutions. So, here are some approaches I am trying, as I begin a new year:

Investing more time in myself

I am sure most of us would agree that we could use more time to nurture ourselves. We say it frequently – however, I am not sure if we really think about the benefits of investing time in ourselves.

Just like our financial investment accounts, if we set aside even just a few more minutes into our mental/emotional/physical savings each day, we can begin to fill up our reserves.

Imagine investing just 5 minutes each day in quiet reflection time, meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, or Reiki. These practices can provide many benefits – providing more calmness or peace, better focus, increased relaxation, and less stress for the day. There is also a cumulative effect when we do these practices for successive days.

Being more prepared

Last year, my husband and I attended a talk at our local Parkinson’s group about emergency preparedness. The speaker mentioned numerous ideas to be ready in case of an emergency. I plan to devote time this year to work on helping us to be ready.

So far, I made the following preparations:

• Prepared a spreadsheet for myself and my husband that documents our current medications and doctors. I carry both with me in my purse and in my mobile phone.
• Purchased and wear a medical alert necklace which mentions my health issues and that I am a caregiver for my husband, with Parkinson’s.
• Bought supplies for an emergency kit that includes important family documents, pet information, batteries, flashlights, and more.

More time to plan travel

I find it hard for me to set time aside to plan for future travel activities while trying to complete my daily tasks of caring for myself and for my husband. It is so easy to get derailed when urgent issues crop up!

My goal, this year, is to spend more time with friends and visiting loved ones. To achieve this goal, I am consciously devoting more time to plan and research travel to see friends and family.

Consistent “date nights”

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my husband and I started having “date nights”. Since we work from home, we both tend to stay home and watch TV or movies, after a busy day. 

Date nights are a way for us to get out of the house, enjoy a meal together, see a movie, and get away from our tablets and computers. It also encourages us to get out into our community and see what’s happening. We have been successful with our date nights, but I would like us to be more consistent. So, I am doubling my efforts to get us out there more often. I am even looking into trying new activities that sound interesting to us.

As with any new approach, I am determined to keep this commitment, but not be hard on myself if something comes up and things change. Every day is a new day to start again.