Most people will be celebrating New Years Eve a bit differently this year – Pajamas instead of sequins, Netflix instead of a party – but your dreams and plans for 2021 might look differently too. We might think of the typical weight loss or getting buff at the gym, but it’s okay to go easy on yourself after the year we’ve had!

Be realistic and kind to yourself. Rather than trying to change everything in your life all on January 1st, experts instead suggest making simple lifestyle tweaks each day.

Simple steps like making a budget (try Dave Ramsey’s FREE app Every Dollar: https://www.everydollar.com/) will help you to keep track of every dollar, rather than your money taking over you!

Perhaps you want to eat out less and try some new recipes. Try one new recipe each week! There are plenty of recipes online, and there’s even a great site that will help you create menus based on what ingredients you already have in your kitchen: https://www.supercook.com/#/recipes. How awesome is that?

I love to read. I mean, I REALLY love to read. But I work so many hours and still have plenty of responsibilities at home with my family, so finding time to read is really hard to do. I used to try to read a book a week, and I found myself feeling guilty for not meeting my goal. I decided to be kind to myself and lower my goal to one book a month… and I found Audible, an Amazon feature. It’s about $17/month, but when I find too many books in my Audible library, I put my account on hold until I can catch up.

If you are wanting to slim the waistline, let’s face it, we all KNOW what we need to do. Eat less and exercise more. Easier said than done, right? Try instead to make simple changes. Focus on fresh vegetables. It’s the best “cleanse” you could ever need. Green veggies and water. Wah-lah! Sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Lettuce wrap instead of bread. More salads and less bacon (sorry bacon, I said it…. I still love you). Less processed foods and more natural options. Plus, you don’t need to run a marathon every day, just try taking the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a nice walk to enjoy the outdoors. Just get moving.

Don’t forget your mental health. You need time to breathe. Time to relax. Time to focus on YOU. There are hundreds of great options that offer opportunities to talk with counselors, or other people dealing with the same stress or addiction that you might be trying to handle by yourself. That walk around the block will be good for the soul, but you don’t need to walk through everything alone.

Regardless of what your goals are this year, don’t stress yourself out. Be kind. Set goals that are realistic and reachable. You will look back 365 days from now and hopefully, you will have been able to see success!