It’s that time of year when we begin to write our resolutions for the new year. A time of hope to achieve the aspirations that you we not able to attain the year before. Maybe you wish to travel more or start a new hobby. Perhaps you have a weight-loss goal, or you want to limit your screen time and become more present. The New Year is a time when we feel optimistic, that there is no resolution too vast to lay before us.
For me, 2023 was a very bittersweet year. Joshua and I decided to start a podcast, The Cashmere Couple, where we discuss Christian dating in the modern world. In May, we lost my mother who was battling terminal brain cancer for 3 years. And the day before her memorial, on my husband’s birthday, we found out we were expecting our first child. It has been a strange season indeed. The juxtaposition of emotions that played within, in the end, left me numb for most of the year.
With the birth of our first child at the beginning of 2024, we expect our lives to radically shift. Keeping that in mind, my New Year’s resolutions are to be focused in a more holistic manner: mind, body, and soul.
Mind Resolutions
I’m a content junkie. Whether it is audiobooks, podcasts, or YouTube, I am constantly listening to content for a quick fix to gain whatever information I need. The problem is, due to the high amount of information my brain is receiving, it is overloaded. My goal for 2024 is to limit the content I am hearing and allow my mind to be quiet and take in the new knowledge I have received. In doing so, I would also become more present with my loved ones, especially with a new baby on the way.
What do you need to do to become more present for 2024? Maybe your resolution is to read more books. Perhaps to be less on the screen and make a more conscious effort to be with friends while your phone is at a good distance. You could learn a new skill in self-preservation, just keep in mind not to fall into the trap of YouTube, researching without putting anything into practice. Choose one thing for this year and make the decisive change.
Body Resolutions
New baby, new body. It will be interesting to see how things have changed after turning the page to motherhood. My resolution for this category is to be strong and healthy. Making sure I have the right nourishment to be able to nourish and care for our son and have the strength to care for our home. The movement of choice, besides walks in the great outdoors, would be at-home Pilates. Honestly, I am much more motivated to work out at a gym with a community, but it is best to make the most of the situation.
Take this time to reflect and see what is best for your season of life. Maybe start intermittent fasting? Have a gym membership that you aren’t using? Schedule three sessions a week, and use it as an appointment. After a month, gradually up it to five sessions a week. Gradually change your diet toward healthy protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Whatever it is you decide to do, do it for your health. Treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit as Scripture says. Don’t worship your body, but be good stewards of what was given to you.
Soul Resolutions
It’s easy to become so distracted that you forget your soul – which is the most important to your holistic health. You may be the most fit, intelligent, and successful person – but without your soul, it is all but vapor. Scientific research done by the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) in 2009 revealed how reading the Bible four times a week can lower your depression by 30%, anger issues by 32%, bitterness by 40%, alcoholism by 57%, and feeling spiritually stagnant by 60%. That is because it is the Living Word of God that continues to radically transform lives.
I will be the first to say that I’ve been feeling spiritually stagnant. My spiritual resolution for 2024 is to make time to read the Bible. I will start with one chapter a day, four times a week. Like a fitness routine, it is good to begin small and slowly add the resistance. This is a goal I am asking you, my readers, to join along with me.
How about you? What are your aspirations for the new year to come? Leave a comment below as I would love to hear!
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