We can all be a little overambitious when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions and, while there is nothing wrong with being hopeful about what you can achieve, failing them can mean that we end up feeling even worse about ourselves than when we started.
Yu Tsai for Harper’s Bazaar
Instead, why not make small, more attainable tweaks to your life that might actually make all the difference?
We spoke to five experts who suggested resolutions that can do just this.
1. Sustainability
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“Just a simple one: stop consuming obsessively and treating fashion as disposable. Buy only things you know you will wear for years and that you will take care of. Within this, find a local seamstress to alter old clothes for you. You would be surprised how many people dispose of old clothes with the smallest of holes (I find socks the worst culprit!) when they can be fixed within your local community. This is how you build a sustainable wardrobe full of things you love (and full of memories too).”
Livia Firth, founder and creative director of Eco Age
2. Nutrition
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“I think it’s great to make a New Year’s resolution which you know is easily achievable but will also have a big impact. I’d suggest trying to add in a new vegetable to a dish every week. This will allow you to build a larger diversity of plant-based foods. Diversity is absolutely key for gut health!”
Sarah-Ann Macklin, nutritionist
3. Your beauty routine
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“This year, I suggest streamlining your skincare regime. If you’ve got caught up in an overly sophisticated routine which incorporates acids and essences in addition to serums, sunscreens and more, now is the time to streamline with harder-working hybrid products.
“Adopt the Korean’s approach for ‘skip-care’, a new trend that takes a more minimalist approach to beauty. Choose what works for you, but for a trusty formula use the essentials proven to work: vitamin C in the day followed by sunscreen, and vitamin A (retinol) at night followed by moisturiser.”
Bridget March, digital beauty director of Harper’s Bazaar
4. Your Home
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“The presence of what is in your home can either help you to feel more relaxed or make you stressed out. Do the latter by considering what you bring into it – something as simple as water in a glass vase on a side table will help to create a calm atmosphere.
“Spherical and circular shapes are also proven to create a sense of balance, so if you add some into your decor, it will help you to feel at ease – ball pendant lights, for example, would work well.
“And finally, deep blue is scientifically proven to lower blood pressure and aid logical thinking so it is a great colour to use in the bedroom as this is the space in our homes where we reflect on the events of our day and aim to de-stress.”
Amy Brandhorst, interior designer at Topology Interiors
5. Fitness
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“Everyone knows that getting up early for a workout is not easy, but this year, your resolution should be to think about what you do before you go to bed. If you master your nighttime routine, getting to that class will be far easier.
“Aim to be in bed by 11pm so you can catch a decent seven hours sleep. At around 10pm make a calming herbal tea, run a bath with magnesium salts to unwind, set your alarm and limit phone use in the evening. Then pack your bag and lay out your workout kit. Once you wake it’s a simple system of hydrate, refresh, dress, eat and go.
“Keep your bedroom cool and dark so you can enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Using a soothing lavender oil spray will help you nod off so you rest, repair and wake up energised the next morning without needing to hit the snooze button. If you’re not an early bird you could also invest in a wake-up light. Scents of citrus and eucalyptus help boost your mood and senses, as does upbeat music and a great cup of Joe.”
Louisa Drake, founder and creator of The Louisa Drake method
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
