Settling in to 2016
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Settling in to 2016

Unlike most people, I hate New Years. I loathe having to start the whole cycle of the 12 months over again. So January usually has me stuck in a rut, not knowing quite where to go or what to do. This year in particular is a toughie, as I’ve just finished my final year of university, and I’m not sure where I’m going next.

This is why I thought it might be helpful to create a small list of things that we can all do to help settle us in to the new year, or into any new stage of your life.

Organise, organise, organise.

This one isn’t as inspiring as it is cleansing, but there is nothing that makes me feel more grounded than cleaning my room and organising everything that is in it. I find that after December, everything is in shambles and a total mess, so taking the time to tidy and organise really does help settle my mind. I have always felt that if everything around me is tidy and organised, I can apply those feelings in my everyday life.

Predict the future.

For three years, I have kept a jar on my shelf, filled with predictions made the year before. On the 1st of January every year I open the jar which has been untouched for a full 12 months and read the predictions I made, to see if any of them came true.

More often than not, most of these predictions are wishes, and it’s always so nice to reminisce on the year just passed to see which of those wishes came true.

When I’m done, I toss those predictions in the bin, and write new ones for the year ahead so that I can repeat my tradition next year.

Cleanse your wardrobe.

There isn’t really anything that makes me feel happier than a good old-fashioned wardrobe clean out. I do these in January yearly, so I can let go of all the clutter, to make room for new things (which is always fun).

The rule is, if I wore an item less than three times in the appropriate season, it goes in to my ‘friends and family donations’ pile, to be re-homed. Whatever isn’t re-homed in a week goes to the Salvation Army.

Once I’ve cleared everything out, I go through my wardrobe and make a list of things that are missing from my wardrobe, and then I go out and buy them.

New clothes make me excited and have me feeling confident, which is exactly what I need this time of year.

All-in-all, I suppose New Years isn’t so bad (particularly if I get a new wardrobe out of it). Change isn’t the worst thing in the world, and hopefully these few tips can help us all ease in to the changes, challenges and adventures that lie waiting in the year ahead. Happy New Year!

Written by Jessica Alves
@jessicazalves