Christmas time is over for another year, and New Year's resolutions are in full swing. How are you getting on? I spotted this tree on a walk around town today, and I thought it was pretty apt considering it's the last day of advent, and Christmas festivities traditionally. I've just finished taking down my own Christmas tree and decorations; now the room looks pretty sparce and clinical. It got me thinking, what can I do to have some January cheer? How can I put some effort into the dull and cold surroudings I experience this Winter thanks to our lovely British climate? experiment with creativityI bought myself a new notebook and watercolour kit as early Christmas present, and these last couple of days I've found myself absent mindedly scribbling or doodling; in fact, my scribbling inspired me to write this blog post! I'm not normally an 'artist' having little skills past drawing stick men, but this is what I find so freeing about the process. I have no expectations or pressure to succeed with sketching, hence, I can 'experiment' with what I can do. What things could you try without putting pressure on yourself? find some escapismThe weather has been pretty bleak, and as much as I could tell you the many benefits of going outside and experiencing the 'fresh Winter mornings', sometimes we just don't feel in the mood. And this is absolutely fine. What things could you do to let yourself travel elsewhere for a while? For me, re-reading a novel gives me this; it's a bit like visiting an old friend. Other great escapisms I currently use are getting stuck into gaming (Watch Dogs 2 right now if you're interested), and listening to music that filled me up as a teenager. I won't subject you to my music tastes on here just yet ;). make a commitmentI'm so on the fence about New Year's Resolutions, mainly for the point that we often pressure ourselves too much, and can set ourselves up to fail. However, I've found this January has given me some time to think more about what I really want to stick to, and what this means to me. For example, is it your studies? Or your relationship? What would it mean if you said you were going to commmit 5% more energy to this? Our time and our energy are precious things; don't give it up lightly. embrace positive changeWhat's happened to you in the last couple of months that's been good? If you can identify something that you are proud of yourself for recently, you could start to think about what else you could do to keep this feeling going. Perhaps you really enjoyed seeing an old school friend who lives miles away. It filled you up inside and it was great to connect with someone who validates you, makes you laugh, and is generally awesome. How could you see this person more? Who else makes you feel like this? Anything that makes us feel consistently good in our lives is usually worth persuing, so embrace it with open arms.
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AuthorMy name's Julia, send me an email at [email protected] Archives
April 2017
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