Resolutions

It's 2016 and the start of a new year. Maybe it's just me, but 2015 flew by so quickly that I only remember a few bits and pieces from the year. Unfortunately for me, in a lot of ways, it was an extremely rough year--one of the hardest I've ever had, which makes me want 2016 to be the best! How am I starting that off? Resolutions. But not just random ones, because I'll never keep up with those. I've picked myself out a few that I know I can and will keep up with this year--ones that will make me a better and happier person.

I thought it may be a good idea to list out my main goals of 2016 in hopes of helping you create a good year for yourself  as well!

1. Sleep less, but sleep better.

This may sound a bit weird but I love sleep. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess that you do too, am I right? The issue with that is, when I have nowhere to go, I'll sleep in until I can't sleep any more and then I'll hang out in bed with my iPad on Netflix or CrunchyRoll. My goal is to go to bed at a decent time or at least try to and not sleep in past 10 on any day. If I can get myself on a decent sleep schedule, I'll feel less tired throughout the day and the more awake I am, the less grumpy I am!

2. Take my failures and turn them into learning experiences.

Being negative isn't good for anyone and can easily make you depressed. When you're depressed, you lose faith in yourself and in life, which makes continuing to push yourself and grow even more difficult. The best thing you can do is take those negatives and make them positives. I plan to start doing that by taking any failures I have and seeing them for what they really are: a way to learn and grow. Some times, you need to take a situation and look at it from a different angle, and that's what I plan to try and do.

3. Be able to run 3 miles.

This is definitely something I can accomplish and it's an extension of last year's goal to be able to run a mile. I find that taking a goal you've already passed and pushing yourself harder is another way to stay motivated. You already did it once? Why shouldn't you be able to do it multiple times and even better? My goal is to be able to run 3 miles by the end of the year and if I could push myself to run one mile in less than 6 months, I think I can get to 3 this year!

4. Keep pushing myself to go out and do things alone

Being alone is probably the hardest thing for a person to experience. It's hard to find things to do constantly and, at least for me, getting out and going places alone is a form of torture. I suffer from anxiety, which is something a lot of people experience, and mine stems from being alone. Last year, I went from not being able to go hardly anywhere by myself to being able to go to certain grocery stores, different shops and can officially run more important errands by myself. My goal of 2016 is to go even farther. I have my first vacation where I'll be traveling alone in just a month and I'm hoping that will open a lot of doors for me to continue going out there. Freaking out any time you're alone outside of your house or work makes life almost impossible some days, and, when your anxiety controls you, you become a not-so-great version of yourself. You always want to try and be the best version, so I plan to take more steps this year to continue to be a better Hannah.

5. Exercise and eat healthy

I know everyone has this goal and it's pretty much a staple in everyone's resolutions, but it's one that I do try and go for every year. To be honest, I may not exercise as much as I used to, but I do love to run and I enjoy dancing. I plan to try and do both of those more this year, which shouldn't be too hard. I recently graduated from college and have a few extra hours a week I'm going to dedicate to cleaning my life up (literally--I have a lot of things I need to organize) and working out. As far as eating goes, I generally eat more on the healthy side. I eat a lot of salad, chicken and tend to rarely go overboard on junk food. Don't get me wrong--I absolutely love chips. I'm especially fond of the brand they carry at Aldi's and could eat them all day, but I typically sort of feel when I should stop downing the entire bag and I do. As usual, I plan to try and cook more now that I have a bit more free time, as well as continue eating as I do with mostly chicken and rice. If you're looking to start a new diet, I highly recommend (and have been recommended myself by health nuts) chicken and rice. It's delicious, easy to make and quite good for you.

Let's make 2016 a good year together and cheer each other on with our goals for the year. The best way to continue with resolutions is by having lots of support. I'll be here to support you through yours--let's do this thing! :)