5 habits that made 2021 a great year!

In 2021 I started or solidified 5 habits that made it my best year so far for personal growth and self-love!

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While finishing the year quarantining because we probably have Covid (people from Christmas tested positive) may not be the highest note to end on, I have to say that 2021 was probably my best year as far as personal growth goes!

Of course, making new friends and traveling couldn't be too much on the menu, but the amount of growth and self-care I have done is amazing. I have never felt this secure and happy in myself! Turning 30 (while I couldn't have the big party I had always imagined) was great because I felt really done with my 20s. There is all this pressure about finding yourself and building a career and succeeding in life, but being in your 30s -- it's the age of not caring what others think and realizing that life is long and you should do what you want with it.

I have always tried to find new habits and things that improve my mental health and personal growth, and these five made such a difference for me! I feel like most of them really came together during the second half of the year, so don't despair if you are struggling at the beginning! The groundwork you're doing now will make the road easier as you keep going and you continue to discover what works and what is important for you.

The 5 habits that made 2021 a great year for me:

1. Doing dance therapy

I only started this in the fall, but if you have anxiety you should definitely start doing it! Since I haven't been able to go blues or swing dancing in almost two years now (cries in pandemic) I wasn't dancing a lot. But I saw this girl on TikTok dancing every day as a way to manage and better her depression, and since I tend to carry emotions and trauma in my body, I started doing the same!

I usually danced at night before bed, and I could feel the difference as soon as I woke up the next morning. If I didn't dance, I could have this base-level of anxiety as soon as I opened my eyes. But the days I had danced I felt calm and content. Sometimes I do slow-dancing, sometimes happily bouncing around to upbeat songs, and sometimes I dance with angry despair at what I've had to go through. 

 It has made me feel a lot more confident in my body and how I move, and I swear even made my personality more bubbly as a result as I worried less if how I'm acting is weird! Take that, social anxiety! Now I prefer to do it in the morning, with I am woman by Emmy Meli as great way to slowly wake up for the day, getting in tune with my body. That was in fact how I started 2022!

2. Being organized in finances, schedule, and cleaning

As anyone who get easily overwhelmed knows, not being mentally prepared or living in a cluttered space really takes a number on your mental health. Along with continuing my monthly bookkeeping and bullet journal with monthly and weekly spreads (which is the major way I keep my sanity), I also created yearly maintenance lists. The Indoors one has things like cleaning the washing machine filter and washing the duvet, the Pet one has the cat's grooming and heartworm medication for the dogs, and the Personal one reminds me to change my toothbrush and schedule dental cleanings. 

There are so many chores that go into keeping a house (and a life), that it's hard to remember them all -- especially when it's only once a year or every few months. This way I can easily see if the car needs its oil changed or check when the last time really was that I washed the couch cushion covers. It keeps the house clean and decluttered and my mind relaxed. ​

​Photo by Kelly Sikkema

3. Having a good morning and evening routine

This one is both for self-care and personal growth! I especially like my mornings -- I usually have two hours to myself before I clock in to work and it is so nice to have had a bit of a life before the workday. It's been really good for me to practice some "slow living" with my beverages, relaxing without a phone.

​I also started to put more effort into clothes and hair, even though I work from home, because it makes me feel a lot better wearing cute dresses and jewelry and doing something with my unruly hair. :)​

Morning routine

• Empty the dishwasher
• Sip bone broth while reading a self-improvement book
• Dance to a song or two
• Exercise/garden/kitchen project based on the season and day
• Get ready and do my face care routine with happy music playing
• Prepare my breakfast tray with healthy foods and a pot of green tea

Evening routine

• Clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher
• Drink warm almond milk with cinnamon, turmeric, and honey
• Brush my teeth
• Take a relaxing shower
• Do my face care routine with a lit candle
• Journal

4. Counting calories and improving my relationship with food

After all the holiday eating last year I wasn't feeling great about myself -- I hadn't been able to work out due to my chronic Lyme disease and was at least 8 lbs more than I wanted to be. It was a rough start where I actually managed to gain weight, but in May I started counting calories and it was really a game changer. I honestly didn't know how many calories some of the things I ate was, and doing it gave me a sense of control that has kept me from emotional eating like I used to!

After three months I stopped counting and just did intuitive eating, since by then I had learned to gauge my hunger levels well enough to decide for myself how much to eat and know/look up what a portion is. It's not an exact science of course, but by doing that and having good daily food habits to eliminate unnecessary snacking I have been able to lose weight while still eating delicious foods and desserts. I ended the year more than 10 lbs lighter than I started it, even though I can't really exercise enough to actually burn calories! My clothes look great on me again and I'm just a lot more confident and happy with myself at this weight.​

5. Going hiking

I had set as a goal to go hiking once a month, and hit that almost every month! It is really important for me to get out in nature, so spending at least a few hours every month on a trail with my dog happily bounding around was a great decision. Especially at the end of the year when I started taking day hikes to different state parks!

It really made me feel more like myself, exploring new places. So much that I set it as a goal for the new year to take myself out on a date every month! As beneficial as having a routine is, sometimes it's really good for you to get out of it and challenge yourself (and your comfort zone). ​

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Related articles:

• 1 easy mind shift to become who you want to be
• The 20 best inspirational quotes to motivate you when you feel stuck
• 8 easy ways to create lasting habits

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