Best Resolutions For Midlife Women
It’s the start of a new year, and for many, that means writing a list of New Year’s Resolutions. I prefer to think of resolutions as a fresh start—a time to reflect on your previous year’s victories and goals for the upcoming year. As we march forth year after year, we evolve, and so should our resolutions. I have compiled a list of the best resolutions for midlife women to explore.
Why Your Resolutions Might Be Different In Midlife
It is always worthwhile to set goals. Even if you don’t follow through on all of the promises that you made to yourself, starting the year with a to-do list is at least a push in the right direction. I have not met anyone that has made any significant progress thanks to merely making a New Year’s resolution. It is more reasons to say that you have taken time to reflect and realign with your goals. Then it would be best if you take consistent action.
The things you committed to in your younger years can look vastly different from what you’d like to accomplish today. We evolve with age, and our priorities and goals will shift as well. I am not looking to make massive changes or aspire to the death-defying resolutions of years past. Ditch the New Year’s resolutions from your youth for these choices to make 2023 the best year yet!
Time passes quickly, but you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish in twelve short months with a list and action plan in place. The key is to get started.
Best Resolutions For Midlife Women
Communication
Call Someone
Texting is very convenient for information or a quick check-in, but what about hearing the voice of those you enjoy? By dialing someone’s digits, you can have an actual conversation. You can collaborate better and hear the inflection in the other person’s voice when talking directly to someone. Get back to the timeless art of meaningful conversation next year.
Tell Stories
If you are fortunate enough to have your parents still alive, ask them to tell you stories about their lives. We are all getting older, and those stories will soon disappear if we don’t make an effort to listen to them and write them down. The family stories used to be passed down when it was more common to sit around the table and chat.
While you’re at it, share your own stories with your children. When was the last time you all sat together and talked about your life or the life lessons you would like to pass on to future generations? Share your legacy.
Stop Wasting Time
While we are on communication, why not commit to limiting your exposure to time-killing apps? Do you know how much time you spend on social media, email, or games on your devices? Think of the goals you could accomplish this year if you cut down on time spent scrolling.
Try setting a timer to limit when you scroll. Check your email two times a day instead of every time you hear a ping. Put your phone on silent. If the call is important, they will leave a message, and you can call them during your time slot to handle phone calls and emails.
Health
Schedule Regular Checkups
Schedule regular checkups with your doctor and dentist. When you were younger, you may not have needed to check in as much as our bodies were running like well-oiled machines. Sometimes we don’t even realize we aren’t feeling our best. Ailments creep up slowly, or you may push them aside.
Is a sore knee holding you back from doing the things you love? Check in with a doctor to get expert advice on feeling your best and achieving all you can. Chances are, once you follow your doctor or dentist’s advice, you may wonder why you didn’t go in sooner!
Exercise Outside
Do you hate going to the gym? Take a walk outside. Just 5 minutes of exercising in nature gets your blood flowing and has enormous benefits for your mental health and well-being.
You can switch it up throughout the seasons by choosing outdoor activities you love. You might want to try walking, paddle boarding, skiing, hiking, or biking. There is an abundance of activities that you can do outside. If you are doing something you enjoy and are having fun, it won’t feel like exercise.
Take The Stairs
It is the small choices that add up and make a significant impact on our general health. Choose to take the stairs when possible, park at the end of the parking lot, or walk to the mailbox. You get the picture. When you start doing some of these simple ways to add on steps, it becomes a habit, and you won’t even think about it anymore.
Stay Hydrated
Water plays a significant role in our general health. In an article from Harvard Health Publishing, it is shown that staying hydrated is essential for many functions in our bodies. Water is used to carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells, aids in digestion, flushes bacteria from your bladder, cushions joints, and regulates your body temperature, to name a few.
Come up with a plan to stay hydrated this new year and keep your system healthy.
Wear Sunscreen Daily
Gone are the days when we used baby oil and tin foil to get the deepest bronze we could. Thankfully, we have discovered the benefits of wearing sunscreen. It is not too late to protect your skin and prevent further sun damage and wrinkles.
Wear sunscreen daily! Don’t neglect your neck and the back of your hands. These areas are exposed every day and are often forgotten.
If you are wondering how to take care of your skin after 50, jump to Skincare Routine Over 50 to learn what you may need to adjust your skincare routine.
Self Care
Proceed With Intention
Wake each morning and set your intention for the day. Consider the top three things you must do for the day and how you will proceed throughout the day.
When you are organized and determined to live your day with confidence and a positive attitude, you will find that you will be much happier. You will also get more done!
Meditate
Meditating has many benefits. It is shown to help reduce stress and be more present and mindful of your actions. By meditating for ten minutes each morning, you will feel more balanced in general.
If you don’t know where to begin, search for guided meditation online. Several videos and audio meditations will pop up to try.
Self Care Routine
We frequently neglect ourselves when we get caught up in our day-to-day living. I urge you to schedule the things that make you feel good about yourself. Get your hair done, polish your nails, and schedule a massage.
You can also do a DIY spa day at home or take a bubble bath. Develop a weekly self-care routine and schedule it into your planner.
Pop over to the makeup counter the next time you are shopping and try the new products.
Be Adventurous
Learn Something New
Tantalize your brain and learn something new. This could be picking up a new hobby or trying something you have wanted to know. Perhaps there is a new recipe you’ve wanted to experiment with. You want to learn to paddleboard or set up your website.
It is gratifying to learn new things, and there is so much the world has to offer.
Go Somewhere New
Seeing new places is invigorating. Where would you like to explore? It could be a lifetime adventure or someplace down the street from you. Be a tourist in your own town.
Sit down and make a list of the places you want to investigate or new restaurants to try in the coming year. Then be sure to put it on the calendar to ensure you experience your wishes.
Get It Together
Write Your Will
Did you know that 57% of American adults don’t have a will in place? Your wishes may go unanswered if you don’t have a will when you pass, either in old age or an unanticipated accident. Having a will doesn’t have anything to do with your net worth but with taking care of the people you love and avoiding problems amongst loved ones.
This is one of those things that seems to get pushed to the back burner year after year. If you don’t have a will in place, make this year the one to check this off of your list. If you aren’t sure how to begin, read How To Write Your Will in 10 Easy Steps to jumpstart the process.
Gather Your Documents
While you are getting your will in order, why not gather all your documents in one place? This is important for your family members at the end of your time. You will also be thankful you have all this information in one place in case of a family emergency or natural disaster. You may want to check out our Just in Case…Family Emergency Binder to complete this task.
Food For The Soul
Do Unto Others
Pledge to be kinder overall and live by the phrase, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Be a good citizen just because it’s the right thing to do. Being kind positively impacts your health and helps you handle stressful situations. For ideas on getting started today, read How To Be A Caring Person |A Core Value.
Work on being less argumentative. Commit to listening more than arguing, as getting into petty arguments with people wastes time. Listening enables you to see things from another’s point of view, even if you disagree.
Be Kind To Yourself
Give yourself some grace. We have all made mistakes in our lives. The important thing is that we learn from those mistakes, move forward, and be mindful of how we would like to proceed. Resolve to look forward to what is coming and try not to dwell too much in the past. Reduce the self-talk of “I used to” and “I remember when” to a minimum.
Stop beating yourself up! Attempt to minimize the feelings of guilt about things you did or didn’t do while raising your kids. Seriously, you can’t take back those moments of a quick temper or bad choices. Those occasional fast food meals didn’t mean you were a poor parent. They turned out okay, and you did the best you could.
Remember
Lastly, Reflect daily to realize how fortunate you are in so many ways. Remember this when you start to resent getting older, looking older, or feeling blue. Remember that getting older is a gift.
Final Thoughts About Best Resolutions For Midlife Women
If you have large aspirations, break them down into sizable chunks. Schedule those tasks or milestones on your calendar, and your big goal will be accomplished before you know it. Instead of feeling your ambitions are out of reach, take inventory of what you achieve each week towards your goal.
This past year was just a warm-up for what you will actualize this year. Remember that progress starts with a beginning. Let that beginning start today.
