Woman smiling to camera.
Who else feels like they are still trying to get a handle on 2019 re their goals? If you are then trust me – you’re not alone! With moving and so many new features & aspects to this year, I am just making solid goals, yes, in February. Speaking of new aspects, this is one of them. I’ve brought on my very first contributor to Jessica in the Kitchen! It’s kinda scary & very new, but feels so right and she is AMAZING. I had a sigh of “finally”.

Chloe is here to ensure that we can finally get out all of the content that you’ve been begging for, including lots of new & inspiring wellness content! I’m also reading all of these tips to ensure I’m not overwhelming myself either in this process. I hope you find Chloe’s words helpful (I know I do). Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!

P.S. you might notice something a little different – I cut my hair! Blog post (read: life update) on that coming next month! 

– Jessica 

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Happy 2019, everyone! Chloe here, Jessica’s new contributor. I write about life, food and wellness over on my blog, The Basics, but am beyond excited to contribute to Jessica in the Kitchen!

I want to kick off my first post by talking about all the goals and resolutions that come with starting a new year and how to keep them from overwhelming your life. Trust me when I say I’ve been the girl who writes out a million resolutions or massive goals and then gets so overwhelmed I throw in the towel almost immediately. Raise your hand if this has also been you. OK, good to know I’m not alone!

But in all seriousness, what’s the trick to not getting completely overwhelmed? I can’t say I’ve perfected it, but I have learned a few things the last couple of years, so here’s my best advice!

Think small victories over big picture goals

This has probably been one of the most helpful tips I’ve picked up over the years. I used to think the only meaningful things to accomplish had to be big. But now I know if I break down a big goal into several smaller steps, I’m much more likely to be successful.

 

For example, if you’ve been a meat and dairy eater your entire life and set a goal to “go vegan” in 2019, it suddenly might feel like a pretty daunting task. Instead of going cold turkey, start by making one change a month. Swap out your cow milk for a non-dairy variety, or go even smaller and swap out just the creamer for your coffee. Anything that has you working in the direction of your big goal counts!

 

Avoid getting too invested in trends

Last year, clean skincare and beauty started taking over the world (seriously, it’s everywhere and I love it!). So, although I didn’t even wash my face regularly, I suddenly decided that in 2018 I was going to become a skincare guru and buy tons of new, clean products. What actually happened is, I spent a ton of money on products that are collecting dust on my bathroom shelf. What I’m trying to say is, there are always lots of fun wellness trends around the first of the year but don’t get too swept up in them. This kind of goes back to those small victories versus big picture goals. Would I like to be a clean skincare/beauty guru? Of course! But maybe I should start by simply learning to wash my face every day first.

Woman laughing, in front of a bush.

Stay quiet about your goals/resolutions

I know it’s so tempting to share everything on social media. It’s the world we live in these days, but instead of making a post about all your goals and things you hope to do or improve upon in 2019, play your cards a little closer to the vest. When you put something out there for the whole world to see, it can inadvertently put pressure on you to make sure you follow through. And if you don’t, feelings of failure are inevitable, which sucks. Setting a private goal just for yourself gives you wiggle room to let it evolve as the year goes on. This way, there’s no need to feel like you have to justify slight changes in plans to anyone.

 

Think of your why

Whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed about anything, I always try to go back to my why. Why am I spending time, money or getting emotionally invested? Why do I care? Doing this usually calms me down and puts things in perspective pretty quickly. Conversely, it also can leave me feeling reinvigorated if my motivation is lacking.

 

And there you have it! Four easy tips that will hopefully help you beat that feeling of overwhelm that tends to creep in this time of year. Do you have anything specific you like to do to keep stress at bay this time of year? I’d love to hear about your experiences as well!