This year, rather than repeat that promise to diet or plan to pay off your credit card for the umpteenth time, why not turn your thoughts to a deeper commitment?
The Christmas holidays are not always happy. For every white Christmas, a blue one corresponds. For all the sentiments of goodwill expressed, ill-will still bubbles up within families, and anxiety attends our traditional, seasonal over-spending and over-eating. Whether the New Year rings or rumbles in, many of us feel ready to pledge some form of abstinence; resolutions are designed to undo the excesses of the past month.
But rather than the usual diet and exercise promises, let's get down to the basics for truly nourishing, achievable New Year resolutions now. Take a 9-step approach to adding more love in your life and your family.
- Bring on the laughs
Put more humour into your life. Rent a comedy film once a week, and giggle family-style. If you have a child within the ages of 10 to 15, watch her sense of humour emerge now. - Schedule a weekly dinner
Even if you have to add it onto the kitchen wall calendar, plan a family meal. Aim for participation. Let different family members decide the menus each week. Alternate cooking, or cook together. This kind of a meal delivers emotional nourishment - a commodity we all need, but teens especially. - Commit as a family to volunteer within your community
This can be as simple as cleaning out your wardrobes regularly to donate clothes and toys to a local charity shop or shelter. - Make race an issue
In our first book, The Roller-Coaster Years, we note: 'The world is becoming a smaller place and in order for our children to live and work in the next century, they have to develop an appreciation and tolerance for people who are different'. Mostly we all avoid the issue of race. Why not discuss it instead? - Document your family history
Gather all those scattered photographs into an album. Draw a family tree. Take a genealogy course, even if it means just searching the Internet. Teens need a sense of belonging, and this is a way to create the extended family that so many of us have lost in our daily lives. - Look after yourself
Discover a ritual that makes you feel good - a hot bath every night, fancy flavoured tea, a manicure, or an evening out with your best friend. As the stress of daily life intensifies, we have to be good to ourselves and pass on this coping mechanism and concept of self-love to our children. - Swap a hug for a yell
Next time you are ready to let rip at your child - even if you have a good reason - hug her instead. Take a few deep breaths. Then offer a calm reprimand. You'll be teaching anger management as well as giving love when she needs it most. - Perfom one kind gesture a day
Be courteous when you're driving. Say hello and smile at a stranger. Pick up some litter. Tell your child about your good deed. Vie to see who can do more random acts of kindness. Show your family that 'It's cool to be kind'. - Get in touch with the natural world
It is the best antidote for our fast, materialistic world. Look up at the sky: watch the sunrise or the sunset. Walk outside in the snow, wind or rain. Buy a plant, and watch it grow. Visit the parks and outdoor spaces in your area.You don't have to make all of these New Year's resolutions, but even one will make you feel good.