New Year Reflections

In the spirit of New Year’s traditions, we wanted to do our own spin on resolutions. Here at Style Approximately, we believe resolutions are difficult to follow through with as they are often too big to hold yourself accountable to for 365 days. We do however believe that this is a good time for reflection and self-examination. We like think of these “resolutions” as more like adjustments for ourselves: these are things that we have been doing that we want to do more of. Do you have any new years adjustments? Let us know in the comments!

Mary Ann:
It helps that my birthday is so close to the New Year; it provides a way for me to deeply reflect on the past year and also how I’m getting older. Honestly, 2017 was full of garbage and it exhausted me. I’m in need of a good cleansing both spiritually and physically. The overall theme I have for myself is self-care. I’ve been so focused on other people, other projects, and just other things, that I tend to lose myself in the mess. The beautiful thing about self-care is that it takes on a variety of forms and can be practiced every day and in a new way. I believe it can be a breathing activity to get your mind right for the day or something big like going on the trip you’ve been saving up for and really enjoying yourself. I talk about hygge a lot, and that’s what I’m really striving for in 2018: being present, slowing down, eating for the soul, taking care of myself, and making room for the things that really make me happy.

• To not let the past hold me down. I went through some trials this year and I’ve been able to learn a lot from them. But I also don’t want it to define me either. They were lessons I learned to become the person I am today, and I’m proud of how I’ve rallied from them.
• Take care of myself. I want to make more time for myself. I have this tendency to put stuff on the back burner because I have work and other obligations. But if you’re not taking care of yourself how can you take care of others? But also take the time for what’s important and show the people who are important to you by your actions.
• Cook more! This year I’ve really enjoyed cooking and trying new things, making healthier version of old favorites, and replicating things I’ve had at restaurants. I like knowing what is going into my food.
• Not limiting myself to new possibilities and opportunities. Oftentimes we tell ourselves “no” as a means of self-preservation. And while yes it can do that, it also prevents you from taking risks in life. If you don’t take the risks, you’ll never know if it’ll work out.