A guide to surviving all of that ‘New Year, New Me’ bullshit

Unlike the teen girl who rushes to her Macbook pro at 12:00am on January 1^st to update her Facebook status  ‘OMG you guys, I haven’t had a shower since last year’she types with a smirk as the world erupts into laughter — I am way behind the New Years bandwagon.

I know what you’re thinking — New Years was a month ago. But in my defense I have been really busy. Busy lounging by the pool in my super cute new bikini, riding roller coasters and sipping strawberry smoothies. DAMMIT GET THAT JUDGEMENT OUT OF YOUR EYES! It’s January after all. And I can’t help that the warm weather makes me a little lazy. If you’re going to ask me to do something in January (like write a blog post), I require at least 3 days to contemplate doing it first, and another three to actually start. And by three days I mean three weeks. Oops!

As far as New Years Resolutions go, I think that January 1^st is the perfect opportunity for those of us who are crazy OCD to further plan the year ahead. It’s like when you say ‘I’ll start studying at 5pm’, before glancing at the clock to find it’s already 5:08pm, and then saying, ‘fiiiinneee I’ll start at 5:30’. Likewise, there is something refreshing about the first day of the new  year. It’s the beginning, a fresh start, a clean palette. (Except that it’s not because it’s just the day after December 31^st and everything continues as normal). 

While I’m not a big fan of all the ‘New Year, New Me’ bullshit, I am a firm believer in resolutions. Like last years resolution which was to 'not date James Franco'. I'm proud to say I followed through with that one. There are a few cases however, where I haven't accomplished my New Year's goal (shocking I know, but I guess it’s kind of cute that I have this one small flaw). 

So if three weeks into January you're already worried that this is you, (and are in desperate need of a little inspiration that Tumblr simply isn’t delivering), I have a quote from my high school art teacher . ‘There is no rule in life that says you have to wake up exactly the same person as you were yesterday’. So go and be a mermaid for all I care (I do care, that’s awesome). Screw January 1^st and be whoever you want and do whatever you want starting… NOW! (Unless of course you have OCD, in which case, you’re gonna have to wait until January 1^st comes around my friend). 

Xx

Resolutions for 2016!

New Years is not one of my favourite holidays. Well in all honesty, I hate New Year's Eve. Especially as I've gotten older, and the pressure to drink has become more and more prominent. I find my self counting down the clock until midnight more than anyone, because it means I can get home to my warm bed. It's not just the drinking though. After all, people drink at parties throughout the year and it's not something that usually bothers me. It's just all the other added pressures of having the best night of the year, staying out till the next morning, and landing that perfect New Years kiss. One of the best New Years I've had was actually spent playing card games with my parents and then watching 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' until midnight when we switched over to watch the fireworks. So I guess New Years isn't all bad. I do enjoy watching the fireworks off Sydney harbor bridge on the T.V with the sound turned right down. I guess I just don't enjoy celebrating the holiday in the 'traditional sense'. 

Even though I wouldn't consider New Year's Eve to be the best night of the year, New Year's Day always makes me feel motivated and hopeful for the year to come, and I'm a sucker for making New Years resolutions. However, like all those wasted gym memberships that haven't been used since January 2015, I'm notorious for not sticking to them. It doesn't bother me too much. Even if I only make one good new habit, I figure it'll just make next years resolutions easier to stick to. However I'm determined to make significant headway with my resolutions this year and hopefully make 2016 a better one then 2015 has been. I figured that by publishing my resolutions on here, I could hold myself somewhat accountable for them and at least try to stick to them for the most part of the year. 

1. Be fitter and eat a healthier diet; I honestly try really hard to adhere to these rules but the lack or fruit and veg in my diet is appalling. It's easy enough in the summer when salads and fruit are the perfect summer treat to cool you down, but all I seem to crave in winter are hot chocolates, chocolate hot cross bun (warmed with the chocolate oozing out) and macaroni cheese. So as you can see not a vegetable in site. Determined to change my ways I've purchased a book with 150 different sir fry recipes. While some are healthier than others, I'm sure this is a step in the right direction (hopefully), and maybe by the time the end of winter comes rolling around I won't struggle to re bed the last time I ate something that wasn't made in the microwave or the toaster. 

2. Spend less time mindlessly trolling through the Internet (in particular my Instagram feed) and more time taking my own photos, drawing and writing blog posts; I love looking through Instagram: it's my new obsession. But I rarely upload my own photos. I spend so much time being inspired by other people's content that I neglect the opportunity to create my own. This year I hope to enhance my Instagram resume and make my page one to inspire others. I'm also going write at least four blog posts a month, and draw at one sketch in my notebook once every two weeks, whether it be a master piece to behold or resembles the artwork brought home by a kindergartener. 

3. Take better care of my skin; recently I was sick and in order to try and rejuvenate myself I drank about 2 bottles of water a day, and by the end of it I loved how my skin looked and felt. It's incredible what a difference it makes! Tragically over the Christmas holidays I've reverted to my usual habits and have only been drinking water at lunch or dinner which amount to about two glasses a day as opposed to the recommended eight. While drinking water is an easy cost effective way to improving my skin care routine, I also hope to invest in some good skin care products to give it that extra boost on days it's not looking so flash. 

4. Try new things; they say we are creatures of habit and if anyone ever needed to prove that theory then my life would be the perfect proof. I seldom allow for any kind of change in my life and avoid it at all costs. So last year when I left high school and began university I must admit I crumbled, being in a new environment about an hour away from home and not knowing anyone 'change' was banging on my front door demanding to be let in or it would forcibly enter. Admittedly, all my friends were going through the same thing. But while it seemed they were taking new ventures, making new friends and excelling with every curve ball that was thrown at them I felt as though I was in the batting cage with out a bat. Eventually I adjusted and have found that by the second half of the year I'd become accustom to uni. This year I hope I can continue to try new things and persevere through the difficult stages by saying yes to more experiences that lie outside my comfort zone. 

I hope that 2016 is a successful one for all of you and that you manage to stick to your own resolutions past January!

xoxo