Welcome to 2015: How to Have Fun in January
Author: bonprix team
Here at bonprix, we want to start the year in positive spirits, so we’ve asked some lovely bloggers and psychologists what they will be doing to make them smile in 2015 and have fun in January.
Lauren from Britton Loves shares her hopes and reveals her favourite recipe to bring you and your friends together.
I really want to make things special this year. From building upon the success of my blog and photography work, to living in new places, all of these come with meeting new people which can be daunting for some. If you're like me and want to reach out and make new friends or connections easily, find a common interest. Mine is food.
This year, don't run into Tesco and find the nearest bag of cookies, make it special so people remember you - it also helps if what you give them is either healthy or an indulgence, but why not make it both?! I've found my Sweet Potato Brownies go down a real treat with any brownie lover or health enthusiast, plus by expanding into making healthier bakes, you're picking up new skills for when you're cooking at home and learning about new ingredients - is that killing two birds with one stone or what?!
If chocolate or cooking is your thing, why not enrol in a class after work or school to not only build skills, but meet more like-minded friends who love food as much as you do? Don't let meeting or surrounding yourself with other people frighten you this year, embrace changes and you'll be taken places you couldn't even imagine!
Clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist Mary Burgess agrees that having new experiences is key to having a good year. She told us the best way to be realistic in 2015.
Meeting new people is good for all of us as it increases our social circles and introduces us to new interests and experiences. Signing up to do a class is good for you as it ensures you keep learning new skills which is good for your brain and keeps you active.
Travelling to new places means meeting new people and getting to experience their culture and seeing parts of the world you may not see otherwise.
To ensure you stick to new goals set at the beginning of the year, don’t overstretch yourself, find things you can do easily and that fit into your time schedule.
Don’t start things that you know you won’t really enjoy!
Sophy from Dizzy Miss Lizzy tells us why it’s so important to appreciate our friends and family.
January can be a bit of a difficult time. There is lots of pressure to start new projects and to make it a year to remember. I think it's important to keep yourself grounded and to focus on the important things like friends and family. I will be making an effort to surround myself with kind and positive people in 2015 and I will also be making as much time as I can for myself; me time is so important!
To anyone out there who might be feeling a bit down, just remember you have a whole year in front of you and you can make it yours. If you are unhappy in your job, now's your chance to look for something new! Do you have a friend who's bringing you down? Maybe now is a good time to take a step back. The New Year doesn't have to be a stressful time, it can be a time to make a change for the better.
Life Coach Jacqueline Hurst tells us how you can get in to the right frame of mind this New Year.
This time of year everyone decides to make resolutions that they are certain they’ll stick to. But how do you make these resolutions stick? The answer is to get your mind right. Once you have your mind right the rest will follow.
Getting the best result for yourself, whether it be dropping a few pounds or simply just becoming healthier has to start in your mind first. So here are a few tips to help you this year.
- Make sure your thoughts are generating the right feelings.
- Stick to resolutions that are to help yourself, not because you think you should. There is a big difference.
- Set realistic goals. Make sure that any goal you take on is manageable, doable and realistic.
- Make sure this year you’re kind to yourself and decide to get healthy rather than diet. I specialise in emotional eating and have helped thousands of people who learn how to eat. It’s very important to remember that diets don’t work (98% of people who go on a diet regain the weight and more).
- Exercise. It’s super important. It lifts spirits and helps you not only get physically stronger but mentally stronger too.
Safira from Miss Stylicious is planning a chia seeds-based diet for 2015.
2015 is here and it already feels different for me with a new positive outlook and hopes for the year. Instead of going for an unrealistic fad diet, I'm going to make small changes to my lifestyle for a long-term goal of losing weight, becoming more active and being healthier. The problem I personally have when making changes to my diet is feeling hungry and grabbing snacks on the go.
I am trying to counteract this by eating more superfoods to help me feel fuller for longer and when I do have snacks I am reaching for healthier versions. Instead of fizzy drinks I am going for flavoured water by putting in a slice of lemon, cucumber or strawberries. I've swapped snacking on crisps at work to a handful of nuts or houmous and carrot sticks, and I have rediscovered chia seeds, which I am using in smoothies, sprinkling over muesli or soaking in water and adding Greek yoghurt, berries and honey for a yummy pudding. Small changes, but I'm hoping they help me towards my goal weight!
Amy from What She Does Now tells us how positive thinking can help you achieve your goals in 2015.
In 2015 I’m going to keep a scrapbook of everything good that happens to me throughout the year. I think it will be really fun and on the days I’m feeling down it will remind me of the good times!
I’m also really into the power of positive thinking so I’m going to make a list every week of my goals to remind myself where I want to go and what I want to achieve. January can be a really blue month for a lot of people so I’m going to try and book a holiday for the summer so I have something to look forward to.
For anyone who’s feeling down, making a list of things to be happy about, no matter how small always helps. Having things to look forward to and strive towards is so important so make a list of your goals and the things you’re working towards to get you excited and motivated!
Ruby from The Fashion Antlers thinks surrounding yourself with positivity is the best way to beat the January blues.
I’ve been trying to write down a positive thought in my diary every day and every week. I’m trying to write down what I’ve accomplished so I end the week on a high. Even if the week itself hasn’t been great I want to try getting as much positivity as possible from it.
For me it’s all about positive mentality this year, if I surround myself with positive people and positive thoughts it’s going to be pretty hard not to be positive!
As part of my positive thinking I’m also trying to give my friends and those around me more compliments, just a simple ‘you look great today’ can really make the difference to someone’s day.
Holly from Hollys Beauty Box has decided to give herself small, weekly challenges for 2015.
This year, I've decided to set myself small weekly challenges. Setting goals with shorter deadlines are easier to stick to and keep track of rather than long-term resolutions where you are more likely to lose your motivation, thus leading to failure.
I'm not planning anything huge, just walk to the shops rather than drive, cut out chocolate and similar habits to stay healthy. Each consecutive week will have a different goal to encourage exciting change and not end up in a mundane routine.
I might choose to continue throughout some goals throughout the year but there's no pressure - which as someone who is a commitment-phobe makes it so much more enjoyable and achievable.
After each successful week, I will put £2 in a jar and at the end of the year I'll have £104! Self-achievement AND a shopping spree, this will do me nicely for 2015!"
Alice finds January a difficult month to cope with so she made a list of the top ten things which are making her smile this January!
- Dancing round the kitchen with uptown funk on full blast (I apologise to my neighbours)
- M&S Teriyaki Beef salad bites because these make trying to be healthy a whole lot easier
- The thought that new season stuff will be hitting the shops soon
- Booking a weekend trip to visit my best friend
- A romantic getaway to Iceland with the boyfriend
- Finally attempting to make wedges (I realise this is easy) and my flat mate telling me they were better than Nandos
- Planning my summer holiday. This is a must!
- Mr Selfridge starts again this month, so excited as its definitely my favourite TV programme
- My new gin and tonic lip balm is really helping the whole cracked lips thing that comes with winter
- I have found some really cute new pilates/gym clothes; the shops have some great pieces just now.
If none of the above works I find that the best way to cheer someone or yourself up is a mini bottle of wine and a mini cupcake. It may be January and diets are in full swing but a little treat won’t hurt!
Helena Gomez from Beaut Chic told us how appreciating the little things in life can improve your attitude and that’s how she’s going to make sure her 2015 is a good one.
2015 is my year for all-round happiness. I love fresh starts and what could be better than a new year? From the day I began exploring the world of kicking out the negative and nurturing the positive I have genuinely never felt so clean, fresh and motivated to make my life the best it can be.
I find surrounding myself with people I love and doing the things that bring me satisfaction really keep me on track whether my day is good or bad. Remembering you can find something good in everyday has really kept me on track.
To help with this, at the beginning of every year, I create a vision board. This consists of images and words that inspire me, these may be things I want to achieve, change or learn. Creating a board that is visible to see on a day-to-day basis really will keep that spark alive. I like to keep a picture of mine on my wall, phone and computer so that I can visualise my goals as often as possible.
If you’re feeling down this January hopefully this has given you some tips on how to stay positive!