The start of a new year can be a stressful and overwhelming time of the year, especially for youth and teens. You might be asking yourself how you can make the New Year meaningful, beyond stereotypical resolutions. Keep reading to learn how you can make 2024 your year!
Make a Vision Board
One of the most stressful parts of a new year is envisioning what you want to accomplish throughout the year. It can seem like an overwhelming task to set out to accomplish your year-long goals. An effective way to achieve your goals for 2024 is to envision them via a Vision Board.
What is a Vision Board? A Vision Board is collage filled with images, quotes, and other pieces of media that serve as motivation catalysts. Vision Board can be a physical scrapbook-style board or an online collage. For 2024, get together with friends and family to create Vision Boards that are representative of your goals and dreams. For a more indepth Vision Board tutorial, visit: https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a29959841/how-to-make-a-vision-board/
Reflect on 2023
You can learn a lot about yourself and your goals via the past, so going into 2024 by properly closing 2023 can serve as a significant tool in making the New Year meaningful. Start off 2024 by reflecting on your life experiences in 2023!
There are a lot of ways to reflect on your past, including journaling. Journaling can be helpful in reflecting on important life events, relationships and friendships, and personal life. Further, journaling and reflection can improve mindfulness and a better understanding of your thought process.
To learn more about how you can journal and reflect in 2024, visit: https://journey.cloud/reflective-journal
Write Out SMART Goals
Goals can be intimidating, especially when you don’t have a good basis for them. More specifically, New Year’s Resolutions can be hard to keep when they are without a plan or foundation.
SMART Goals stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. By basing your goals for 2024 around the guide of SMART Goals, you are creating resolutions that are realistic and attainable. Take this example from Atlassian:
“Our goal is to [quantifiable objective] by [timeframe or deadline]. [Key players or teams] will accomplish this goal by [what steps you’ll take to achieve the goal]. Accomplishing this goal will [result or benefit].”
To learn more about how to apply SMART Goals to your 2024 lifestyle, visit: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/how-to-write-smart-goals#:~:text=What%20are%20SMART%20goals%3F,within%20a%20certain%20time%20frame.
Prioritize Gratitude
Sometimes it might feel easier to beat yourself up about your less-than-successful moments throughout the year. But an important habit to develop is gratitude, and by doing so you will find yourself more uplifted throughout 2024.
Whether you’re thankful for little moments in your day, or you keep track of significant positive events, practicing gratitude can improve your mental health. Throughout 2024, maintain a list of things you’re grateful for, and you might find some more good in the world. Learn more about practicing gratitude here: https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/
Focus on Your Wellness
Wellness looks different for everyone, whether that is mental health, physical health, etc. Regardless of what aspect of wellness is important to you, it is integral to a meaningful New Year that you take care of yourself!
In 2024, make a point to focus on the things that make your mind, body, and social life happy. For a more indepth look at wellness, check out Ohio State University’s 9 Dimensions of Wellness: https://wellness.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2021/05/9%20Dimensions%20of%20Wellness%20Digital.pdf
Thank you for your support throughout 2023! We are excited for what 2024 has in store for Ohio Military Kids. We will see you in the new year.