It’s a new year, and many have high aspirations and expectations for 2024. We have reflected on 2023 and are hopeful about what another trip around the sun will afford us in the coming year. While some are diligently and thoughtfully choosing their “word” for 2024, for others, making an audacious year-long commitment that can withstand the unexpected is not only lofty but also paralyzing.
Don’t get me wrong, if you are a tried-and-true goal-setter extraordinaire, you keep rocking it. But if you are dipping your toe in the goal-setting, resolution-making pond, I’m glad you have found this little gem.
Just because you are overwhelmed or do not have the capacity for a full-blown resolution, like reading a book a month or a considerable career or financial resolution, does not mean you should skip out altogether.
Instead, I hope you will embark on a journey over the next year of trying something more from the curated list below. Each item is chosen purposefully to be attainable.
- Write More. Take weekly or monthly time to write a handwritten note to a friend or family member. The art of writing is becoming lost in our tech-centric world. But the joy that an unexpected handwritten note provides the recipient can change the trajectory of their day, week, or month. This could also look like journaling. Gratitude journals have a calming effect on the brain, help improve mindfulness, and are a great starting point for someone new to the craft.
- Move more. This is a different take on the all-too-popular exercise and weight loss goal. By moving more, I mean doing it your way. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from the door at Costco or Target than you usually would. Take a friend and try a group exercise class. Stretch your body. I have recently added this one; for real, it is a game-changer.
- Routine More. Do you have a morning routine that you live by, but your nighttime routine needs to be more consistent? Try adding an evening tea and dimming the lights 30 minutes before bedtime. If you want to quiet your body and mind, my favorite is restorative yoga about an hour before bed. Do you have a solid and set bedtime but fly by the seat of your pants in the morning? Try setting your alarm just 5 minutes earlier for a week, then move it to 10 minutes the next week. Adding in just 3-5 minutes of stretching first thing wakes your body and can energize your brain.
- Unplug More. You might have seen this one coming. Choose one day a week to unplug from all technology, completely. Get off the phone, the computer, the television, and the iPad. You can plan a family adventure day, hike, or read the stack of books on your nightstand. Sometimes, the best medicine is fresh air!
- Connect More. There are so many different examples of how we can connect more. In a world that fosters independence, with a 24-hour news cycle, overscheduling, and barely any time to breathe, connection is critical to our well-being. Invite a different couple (or a couple of friends) every month to dinner. The best one – hug more! Did you know that, as human beings, science tells us we need four hugs a day to survive? We need eight hugs a day for maintenance, and if we want to grow, we need twelve hugs a day. Y’all connection, both physical and emotional, is legit biological!
- Play More. I always hear that we don’t have time to play as adults. And the thing is, we need it. Play does not require us to be silly or out of character, and we should not feel judged for playing. The most common reason I hear from adults is, “Play is for kids.” Play is engagement in something that brings enjoyment. Is that a sport, going to a concert, wrestling with your kids, having a silly dance party, or building Legos? When we play, we grow, our brain relaxes, and in the long run, we are more productive and happy people.
These opportunities to do more were crafted to make each of us more intentional in 2024. I hope you will use my list as a stepping stone to finding MORE ways to add richness to your life without being bogged down in the grandiosity of resolutions to do less. Write more, move more, routine more, unplug more, connect more, and play more.
Catherine Vandament is a seasoned military spouse, mom of two, adoption advocate, public speaker, and infertility warrior. She graduated with her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Central Florida in 2023 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Kansas State University. Catherine’s dedication to creating compassionate spaces that foster vulnerability in the military community makes her a two-time Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year, representing Scott Air Force Base (2019) and Fairchild Air Force Base (2018).
