As I type this, we are deep into mid-January. My gym is packed, and every time I turn on any social media, I am bombarded on my feed and in my DMs with some sort of “new challenge” for the “new you” in the new year. Don’t get me wrong, I need to lose some weight. I had a baby five months ago, and dropping that baby weight the second time around has not been instantaneous. However this year instead of focusing my goals directly on weight loss, I’ve decided to add some non-scale resolutions in there as well:
Stabilize My Core
This year I resolve to spend more time strengthening my marriage. Having three babies in four years has definitely been tough on our relationship. Throw on top of that a husband who frequently travels, and it often feels like we are two ships passing in the night. In 2020 I vow to spend more quality alone time together. More date nights, more weekends away, more US time.
Energize My Brain
It seems like a lifetime ago that I had an intellectually stimulating career and used my brain for what I actually went to graduate school for. These days it’s crowded with round the clock feeding times, activity schedules, and which color socks my twins have self-assigned to each other. In 2020 I vow to start reading more, attend some CLE courses, and put something in my brain that is not just kid-related.
Drop the Dead Weight
This year I am dropping all toxic relationships in my life. I don’t have the time for them, and frankly, I’m all out of you-know-whats. I cherish the genuine friendships and relationships I have cultivated over the past years, and those are the ones that will stick. If you can’t make the time and effort for me, I won’t extend the same courtesy. Period.
Strengthen My Mental Health
I have always struggled with generalized anxiety. Often there are days I feel like sometimes I am operating inside a fog. For some time, I was on medication to handle it, but I currently am med-free. I indeed attribute that to everyday exercise and enough sleep. Though I’d love to go eat a donut after preschool drop-off or stay up late binging Netflix, I know to keep my brain clear, I have to hit the gym and my bed.
Balance My Emotions
I’m a yeller. Always have been. I have a short temper, and it blows quickly. But as I continue down my parenting and marriage journey, I’ve come to realize that yelling isn’t usually the solution. It isn’t fair to my kids or my husband. I’ve seen the look in my daughter’s eyes when I’m screaming at her to put on her shoes when we are late for drop-off. Listen, I’m not saying losing your temper is wrong or that it’s never going to happen again. But in 2020, I vow to try and control it a little better.
I hope your 2020 is off to a great start! I’d love to hear some of your non-scale resolutions in the comments below!
