By Claire Leibowitz, Lifestyle EIC
Finding peace in life’s stress is difficult. It feels impossible to be fully in the moment when being grateful can also lead to stressing out over everything all at once.
It’s time to change the perception of gratitude. Being thankful for materialistic things is great, but it’s also nice to appreciate the little things, like the sun shining, the concept of friendship, smiling, and more.
If your New Year’s resolutions line up with feeling happier, more fulfilled, and present in the moment, work on loving the little things. It’s hard, but taking everything moment by moment helps to build a habit.
- Compliment someone everyday
It could be about shoes; it could be hair, a bag, a water bottle, or a scarf. It could be about a joke. But it has to be something. Maybe it’s someone you know. Maybe you compliment someone you see on the street or a friend of a friend.
Whatever or whoever it is does not matter. What matters is that you’re going out of your way to make someone feel special. Just make sure the compliment is genuine and can make someone feel good. We never know what everyone’s going through, and a quick sentence can change an entire mood.
- Aim to perfect your café order – at home
Sitting in a café doing work, reading, or chatting with friends is lovely – but expensive once you add it up. Take 2023 to experiment with what you can do. Work on buying good ingredients and products to build up your at-home drink arsenal and enjoy your favorite drinks at a cheaper price from the comfort of your own bed. The feeling you get first sipping something great made by an experienced barista is even better when you realize you did it yourself.
- Jar it
My roommate, Nora Weiss, took a jar in 2022 and little scraps of loose leaf. Every time she experiences a moment where she feels unconditional happiness, joy, comfort, or positivity, she writes it down, crumples it up, and tosses it in the jar. She’s ecstatic to look at it at the end of this year so she can be reminded of all of the moments – big or small – that made a huge impact on her day.
- Walk in circles
Walking is a great way to relieve stress. In 2023, find your perfect walking route. Make sure it has scenery you like, whether it be monuments, townhouses, or storefronts. You can even make it a game, where each time you try to hit different neighborhoods around The District. Once you find something you like, make it formulaic – know how long it takes you to loop around. On days when you’re stressed but still want to move, shorten it down to what you need. On days where it’s exactly what you want, take it how you usually do. On days where you would love to meander around, take it slow, loop around, and do what makes you feel good. A perfect walking route is simple but can stretch out for the whole year.
- See more sunrises
The sun rises, no matter what, 365 days every year. Not enough people experience watching the process happen. There’s something more beautiful about sunrises than sunsets – the world still feels sleepy and quiet. Wake up early, either alone or with friends, and sit and watch life restart for the next day to come. Although it’s early, it’s an incredibly pleasant way to start a morning off on the right foot. No matter how grumpy and groggy you are when you first wake up, you’ll forget all about it when you’re staring at the deepest color orange you’ve ever seen.
- Write more love notes
Become known as the written-words friend – sneak notes into their notebooks, rooms, or pockets when they aren’t looking. Let them know that you’re thinking about them, whether it be with a stupid joke, a fun doodle, or a few words. Also, mail cards to long distance friends. Becoming pen pals can be a great way to reconnect with someone and relearn about the most important parts of their day-to-day lives. Always write birthday and holiday cards. Buy your own in-store or hand-decorate a piece of paper.
No matter what you do, you will be appreciated. Words are more powerful than you think.
- Turn off your phone
Phones are terrible. Tech neck is scary, screen-time is too much of a reality check, and social media is unrealistic. It’s tempting to watch notifications pop up, so when you’re taking walks, writing people notes, staring at the sunrise, and being with the people you love, turn your phone off.
Going off the grid connects you back to the world and gets you out of your head. Work on reducing your screen time. You can even do a social media cleanse and delete or log out of some apps. It’s refreshing to ground yourself back into what’s important.
- Actually prioritize your mental health
If you can’t do it, don’t punish yourself. It’s stressful to commit to everyday tasks like work, class, clubs, plans with friends and other activities when feeling burnt out. Stop the feeling before it gets worse and take an entire day slowly. Cancel everything, call in sick, ghost everyone, it doesn’t matter. Just make it about yourself. Think about your favorite things that make you smile and prioritize them.
If life is too busy – like during finals season – work to schedule self-time into your schedule. Self-care is more than just going through the steps; it’s about feeling your body and doing what it needs. Easy ways to practice self-love are important to truly appreciate yourself. During busy times, add in small steps. For example, a longer skin care routine, taking a walk, cooking a great meal, making a new music playlist, or calling an old friend and catching up.
2023 does not have to be the year of massive personality changes. Instead, make it into a year of kindness, warmth, and self-care, and add as many simple pleasures to each day as possible.
