New year, new tees is one of our favorite sayings… but let’s talk about keeping this New Year feel all year long. Despite what’s going on around you, keeping a positive attitude beyond January is key to crushing your goals for this year (and the ones that you couldn’t make happen last year). It can be difficult to stay on track, so we have 5 Simple Ways to Welcome Positive Vibes throughout the year.
1. Express Gratitude
Gratitude is the first step toward true contentment with your life, relationships and career. Similar to a plant, the more time you spend watering gratitude through your words and journaling, the more it will grow. Gratitude doesn’t always have to mean giving gifts (although we are big fans of it)... you can express gratitude to others in multitudes of ways through handwritten notes, heartfelt texts or simple sayings like “I appreciate you for...”. You can also choose to express gratitude privately by recognizing things or people you are grateful for and writing them down in the notes section of your phone or your journal. Throughout the year, as you lose that new year feeling, you can flip back through your gratitude notes and relive those appreciations.
2. Reflect
If we learned anything from the past year, it is that time flies even when your life slows down. Reflecting, either through journaling, chats with your best friend, or meditation, allows you the opportunity to attach meaning to past experiences and learn from them. It even lets you cherish and appreciate special moments you’ve had in the past year. Taking a look at how far you’ve come, what challenges you made it through and how it shaped you today can lead you to a more positive mindset when taking on the new year.
3. Pick Your Mantra
We’ve all heard of manifesting, right? Picking a mantra for the year can be a great way to manifest and guide you as the year goes along. Taking a step back and imagining how you want to feel this time next year can be a great place to start when picking your mantra. This article from Inc.com is the perfect read as you look to pick your word for 2021. Whether it’s a phrase or just one word, I recommend displaying your mantra in a place that you’ll see it every day.
4. Put Your Phone Down.
It’s easy to get lost scrolling through social media, comparing your lives to others and feeling heartbreak after reading national news! Circling back to our first item of practicing Gratitude, setting down your phone while you play with your kids or taking a walk outside can bring fresh perspective to all that is going right in your world. Being present in the moment and focusing on what is right in front of you is easily one of the best ways to bring back a sense of peace and contentment.
5. Light a Candle
Many studies have shown that scents and smell have profound physiological effects on your mood, stress, and working capacity. Beyond scent, the warmth and glow from candles have also been shown to help improve sleep in addition to shutting off blue lights well before bedtime. Try lighting a candle while you’re working during the day to promote relaxation or when you are sitting down to read a great book in the evening.