We have finally come to the end of 2018. This allows us for a fresh start into the new year. Realistically, you can start goals and lifestyle changes throughout any time of the year, however the occurrence of a new trip around the sun is always an exciting time to start fresh again.

The Christmas holidays can leave us feeling out of it, tired, lethargic, unhealthy and possibly stressed. I very much love spending time with my friends and family throughout this vacation but my body always feels terrible after it all. It can be difficult to say no to those around you.

This year I decided to do something different for myself. I didn't go on my usual 2 week bender of partying with my family and friends. I decided to grow up a bit. I was my family's designated driver on Christmas eve and Christmas. Also, I have been offering rides to many of my friends after the bar so I know they get home safe. I would rather stay sober and drive someone then let anyone get behind the wheel intoxicated. Plus, not being hungover the next day is the biggest pro.

Throughout this year I have realized, my body really does not like drinking and partying anymore. My stomach cannot handle the stress. At first I was angry about this since I could go out for 4 days in a row and not notice a thing. Now, the hangover is not worth it. I still allow myself to have fun and enjoy some drinks but ensure that before I fall asleep my stomach is full of food and lots of water. This makes the morning A LOT more tolerable.

Anyways... I want to write this post to encourage my friends and family to make some healthy lifestyle changes going into the new year. This post is going to contain some ideas for New Years Resolutions and tips to stay on track with your goals.

Setting goals is an extremely important part of making changes in your life. Whether that is physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual or environmental. We cannot stay the same forever. We as humans strive for change and were made to adapt to new circumstances.

We have a new year ahead of us.
A time for change.
A time for discovery.
A time to make a difference.

If you have been feeling unlike yourself lately, now is the time for you to flourish. I want to encourage you to change. Whether that is big or small. Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself. Stop the unhealthy habits. 

Here are a few ideas of new year resolutions you could take on:

1. Make more time for self care. This can get more specific as well, such as a face mask once a week or a cup of tea before bed each night. Personally, my favourite way of self care is to exercise daily to get the endorphins running.
2. Stretch before bed. I know I am not the only one who suffers from insomnia and now I swear that yoga before bed puts me into some sort of sleep hypnosis. My eyes slowly close and my breathing rate decreases, encouraging a healthy rest.
3. Start saying "NO" more often. You don't have to go to every social event you are invited too. You don't have to do anything.
4. Increase your positive self talk. Make a list of things you love about yourself. YOU ARE AWESOME. Embrace your uniqueness! Who cares what people think?
5. Look into a new hobby. Last year I took on embroidery and I am unsure what this new one will be. Lately, I have noticed that I am not as creative as I was in high school so I would like to get back into drawing and painting.
6. Get rid of negative relationships. If holding a relationship with someone is making you feel emotionally exhausted, find out why. Either fix the problem or ditch the friendship. It is OKAY to not connect with everyone.
7. EXERCISE. I will never stop recognizing the importance of physical activity in the maintenance of your holistic health. Here are some specific exercise related goals: walk everyday, try a new exercise class, stretch everyday!
8. Drink more water. Nobody drinks enough.
9. Get rid of old stuff. Minimalism is a great encourager for a positive mindset. The less stuff you have, the more you can focus on the present.
10. Stop and smell the flowers. Literally. Try it. 
11. Begin journalling. This is a simple technique to get rid of thoughts on your mind instead of holding them in. Sometimes my blog is like a journal to me, however I also have many at home to write down my feelings. Journalling allows yourself to be free from your feelings.
12. Drink more tea. There is a type of tea for everything. Whether that is ginger for nausea or peppermint for a sore tummy. Maybe in the future I will write a post on my favourite herbal teas and how they can heal your body.
13. Take your vitamins. Initially, you should find out from your doctor if you are having any nutritional deficiencies and base your vitamins on the tests. We can all benefit from daily vitamin intake. These can include Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, magnesium, iron, omega-3, etc.
14. Have something green everyday. A handful of spinach or some green powder in your smoothie can make a difference.
15. Stand up for what you believe in. Join a club, take a pledge, find out what makes your heart full.
16. Go somewhere new. Whether it's in your region or a different country.
17. ​Begin a new morning routine. I have chosen my main new years resolution to begin journalling in the morning along with some slow yoga flow. I am going to start a timer for 10 minutes every morning to get the day started off right.
18. Become more mindful. Notice what you are saying to others and what you are thinking inside. Are your words hurtful? Are they empowering?

TIPS TO STICK TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS!
-Chose one MAJOR and one MINOR resolution to begin the year off not too complicated
-Write them down somewhere where you can see them every day
-Write down steps to achieving your goals (What do you need to do? How can you do it?)
-Reflect on your progress weekly by writing down what you did to achieve your goals
-Do not give up!
-Making mistakes is NORMAL AND HUMAN, embrace the challenge


Here are mine:
MY MAJOR GOAL: Allow yourself 10-15 minutes in the morning for self reflection through journalling and yoga. Drink your tea and use some essential oils
MY MINOR GOAL: To start playing the ukulele more.


Thank you everyone for listening to my thoughts about the new year. I hope this can help some of you accomplish new goals and become your truest self.

This is how to flourish.

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Please share this post to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health.
​
This post is on the topic of anxiety. Recently, I took a course through my employment with Douglas College to get certified in Mental Health First Aid. It was incredibly eye opening, bringing awareness to many topics I had not considered before. When the topic of anxiety came about, I felt nervous to share my story but did anyways. I then found out I wasn't the only one it the room that had these feelings.

Our workshop leader, who is extremely passionate about the subject, engaged us in many differing tasks and activities to help the class understand mental illnesses. For the anxiety activity, we were placed into groups and told to come up with a sign or symptom of anxiety for every letter in the alphabet. 

The alphabet has 26 works, we had four groups, meaning a total of over 100 words were brought to our attention regarding anxiety. These signs and symptoms are some of many various feelings one can experience. Anxiety is a part of being human. We must learn to accept it until it interferes with day-to-day living. When it takes over from letting you complete your day to day life, it can become a problem.

In this training, we were not taught to diagnose, but to notice lifestyle and behaviour changes in others. Those who are struggling with their mental health can give us signs that we may never catch on too. Now being certified in Mental Health First Aid, I feel even more confident in helping others find appropriate help.

*NOTICE: There are a variety of links in the blog post regarding mental health and the training I received. Since I have not found how to make them active yet, please copy and paste into your browser to view. *

​Here is the first photo of the activity.

This favourite words from this one are
-zoned out
-extremely scared
-fatigue

I can relate to many more of them as well. Did you know that all of these words can relate to the signs and symptoms of anxiety? Maybe some of them are new for you like they were for me.



Here is the second groups work.

The words that stood out for myself the most are procrastinates and irritation. I notice these traits within myself when I am extremely anxious or stressed about a certain situation.



​Here is the third group's work.

Ah. Zombie like. We can all relate to this.




Here is the fourth group's work.

Personally, I feel oversensitive to most situations I am presented with. I have been told that I am over sensitive my whole life. The smallest things can affect me in very large ways and instead of being ashamed by my sensitivity, I am embracing it.


Overall, this activity was very intriguing to me and brought attention to our group what anxiety can look and feel like in others. Since it is a NORMAL reaction that the human body has adapted, it can be difficult at times to tell the difference between feeling anxious and having a mental health problem. 

We were taught very well throughout the course to recognize that we are not taking this certification to diagnose others, but to notice behaviour changes. When the signs and symptoms are taking over one's ability to fulfill their daily life, it has become a problem.

If you, or anyone you know, are struggling with identifying if you have a mental health problem, I recommend seeing your family practitioner and doing online research of your own.

During a stress-less event at Douglas College, we had the counsellors come down and encourage students to take an online test regarding mental health problems and how we can help them.
Here is the website:

http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/

It is full of self help resources, personal stories and information from professionals to ensure your safety. 

Knowing that you are not the only one who experiences anxiety, is a relief to those consumed by it. One lady in the course opened up about her GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), as did I, and we both felt connected in knowing we were not alone. 


The Mental Health First Aid course was delivered by the amazing and informative, Carla Abichahine who works for the CDA Training and Development. I would recommend this course to anyone in the workplace. Specifically, those who are working with youth and young adults throughout public education. The link below shows more information about the training from Carla. I cannot thank her enough!

​http://cdatraining.ca/


Thanks for reading How To Flourish.