New Year 2021

Let’s Say Goodbye to 2020 and Start Over This New Year!

Ladies, we are just days away from the New Year 2021! We can make it! 2020 has been a bust, but it has given us time to reflect, change, and prepared us for starting over. I can’t tell you how excited I am for this new year! I feel positive energy as we go into the year 2021.

Last year, I wrote about 5 things you can do to start your 2020 new year off on the right foot. Well, since I am sure things didn’t go as planned for all of you, let’s try again! 2021 is a new year and a fresh opportunity to improve! I know that the strike of midnight isn’t going to bring instant change. I feel though, that as we go through 2021 we will rise from the ashes to beautiful days to come!

Here are the same 5 things I encouraged you all to start in 2020, but hey, 2021 is the perfect year to welcome these positive habits into your life!

Start a gratitude journal

This is something I did start in 2020, but I did slack sometimes! All you need to do is to set aside 5 minutes out of your day to write down something you are grateful for. Treat yourself to a cute journal and before bed each night take a few minutes to reflect on your day and jot them down. It could be simply waking up in the morning, the sunshine, your loving significant other who helped you out on a low spoon day, anything. I’m looking forward to going through my journal at the end of the year and seeing all I was grateful for!

Embrace a new eating habit

A few years ago I used the new year as an opportunity to transition to a completely new eating lifestyle, but don’t let this intimidate you! I’m not saying to change your diet/lifestyle completely, but maybe you could incorporate a positive new eating habit into your arsenal that could potentially aid in healing properties! Heard of “Meatless Monday?” Make it a weekly habit! Or switch to “Meat Monday” and eat fully plant based the remainder of the week. You could cut back on your dairy consumption or processed food usage. Is there something you wanted to try but have been scared to commit to? Try it out! If you plan it out ahead of time you can really embrace what simple switches in your diet can do for your health, and our planet! Check out the Autoimmune Wellness Handbook for some inspiration!

Explore your autoimmunity

Sometimes when looking at our diseases we only see the negative aspects or we feel defeated, but there is so much to learn about our bodies! Are there new advances in the research for your autoimmune disease? Take the time to sit and read scientific articles that have recently been published. Or maybe there are new techniques or clinical trials happening that are intriguing. The autoimmune disease research is out there and you never know what you could learn that could help in healing your disease as much as possible or greatly relieving symptoms. You could even join a community (like this one!) to connect with others in your area and learn about/from people who have the same disease as you.

Try to add some meditation or reflection time into your day

Meditating is such a great way to ground yourself, release your body of tension, and ease anxiety. You don’t need to be “good” at it to start incorporating it into your daily routine. There are days I meditate and my mind races the whole time, it happens! But, there is no such thing as a bad meditation practice! All you need is a few minutes to sit and focus on breathing. You could even use this time to work on your gratitude journal! There are some fantastic apps out there which have free guided meditations of all lengths that can help start you up. I personally use and love Insight Timer, but there are so many more.

Pick up a book

This is another thing I embraced in 2020 and want to continue into 2021! Make it your goal to read a new book every month during this new year. That’s only 12 books! My reading list was getting super long and this was the perfect way to tackle it. Reading allows you to immerse yourself into a new place and forget what may be going on around you (hello all of 2020), which is just magical. With what we have to deal with on a day to day basis trying to thrive with our diseases, our bodies and minds deserve an escape from reality every once in a while. Kick back, put on cozy clothes and pick up the book (or kindle, or headphones for the audiobook!).

Ladies, let’s bring so much positivity into 2021. We’ve been through a rollercoaster the past 10 months and it’s not worth bringing the negativity with us. Yes, the reality of extreme change won’t disappear as the clock strikes 12 AM on January 1st. But, so many positive changes are falling into place now that will bring us out of the dark and into the light throughout the next year!

-XO, Kelsey