2024: The Next Chapter

LIFE
Written By Kayleigh

2024 is here, and it truly feels like the beginning of a new chapter in my great big book of life. Since graduating college during the pandemic, life for me has been all about the hustle and bustle — figuring out my career, weeding through unhealthy relationships, and really just learning who I am and what my goals are.

While I still have a ways to go with many of those goals, 2024 will be about living with intention, taking time to rest, and surrounding myself with people and things that bring me joy. There are so many precious moments that are easy to miss when you get mixed up in the grind, so for me, I plan to take things slow and enjoy life. In this chapter, I will continue to work on my goals, but I will mainly prioritize peace, happiness, and continued character development.

Here’s an overview of all the ways I plan to focus on my priorities this year:

Peace

2023 taught me the power of choosing peace. This year, I will continue to prioritize peace over chaos.

  • When feeling overwhelmed by my thoughts, I will hop in my car and take a drive to the beach to sit with the waves. This has always brought me so much calmness — soothing my anxious mind.

  • Wake up earlier to have a slow and peaceful start to my day instead of rushing out the door. This will help set a calm (less anxiety-inducing) baseline for my nervous system.

  • Be hypervigilant about maintaining peace by being aware of how those around me are contributing to my life. Are they respecting my boundaries? Do I feel insecure, uncomfortable, or stressed when I’m around them?

  • Take time to nest. Whether that’s cleaning the kitchen, reorganizing my closet, or putting out seasonal decor, having a calm and comfortable home is important for mental health.

  • Carve out moments to do simple, stress-free activities. For me, this means putting a crackling fireplace on YouTube and doing a puzzle, coloring, reading a book, or writing for LBK.

Health

I know myself and I know that it can be difficult at times for me to prioritize the healthy lifestyle I so badly want to have. I often get mixed up in the craziness of work or life in general simply gets in the way. Health to me doesn’t mean a fad diet or weightloss program, but rather maintaining a healthy lifestyle that focuses on both my body and mind.

  • Be consistent with my fitness routine. In 2023, I worked with a personal trainer for the first time. This was such a wonderful experience and taught me the importance of consistency. This year, I want to stick to a fitness routine and continue to push myself.

  • Get in the habit of cooking at home. When we’re busy, it feels so much easier to order DoorDash or drive up the road to a fast food restaurant, but I always feel horrible afterward. It’s not worth it. I want to get into the habit of meal-prepping lunches and preparing delicious and healthy meals at home.

  • Continue to get outside and MOVE MY BODY. I love the outdoors and as I mentioned before, I feel at peace by the water. I want to use this to my advantage this year and go for walks at the beach, hike new trails, and just get outside as much as I can.

  • Take supplements. My doctors have constantly been telling me that I need to be better about taking my supplements. I have a handful of deficiencies that can be resolved by staying consistent with my vitamins and supplements. This year, I will find a way to commit to the being consistent.

Friendship

I am so lucky to have an incredible group of people in my life. I want to be intentional about spending time with them and making memories.

  • Plan 1:1 dates with my friends. When you’re in a relationship, it’s easy to invite your partner to everything. You don’t want them to feel left out, but sometimes, you need alone time with your friends.

  • Make memories. Whether it’s planning a girls’ trip, having a High School Musical movie night, or throwing a NYE party, I want to make memories with my favorite people.

  • Take pictures. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I have very few pictures with most of my friends. On top of making memories, I want to capture them
    as well.

Rest

Along with peace, rest is mandatory for good mental health. It’s so easy to get caught up with work, or want to go out every weekend with friends, but lack of rest leads to burnout.

  • Schedule time to decompress. I am the type of person that has everything on a calendar. This is great when you have a million things on your plate, but it can also cause overwhelming feelings when you don’t leave space for rest. Building rest into my schedule will allow me to block off my calendar and take advantage of downtime.

  • Get a healthy amount of sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep every night is my goal.

  • Enjoy mind-numbing activities. Whether it’s doing a puzzle, reading a book, or coloring, spending time doing things that allow me to turn my brain off is a great form of rest. I am a natural worrier, so sometimes it can be challenging for me to disconnect, but finding mind-numbing activities definitely helps in combatting my anxious thoughts.

Living with Intention

2023 had some scary moments that reiterated the importance of being intentional in life, so I will not be taking anything for granted in 2024.

  • Create a bucket list. I’ve never really had a bucket list, but this year I plan to start checking one off. As a goal-driven person, I think a bucket list will put the fire under me to experience many things I’ve been wanting to. You can check out my 2024 Vision Board on Pinterest.

  • Volunteer for an organization. I work at a charity that operates thanks to our hundreds of volunteers. While I’ve not been in this position for too long, I’ve seen the true joy that our volunteers feel while giving back to their community. I’d love to find an organization where I’m excited and passionate about their mission to volunteer myself.

  • Just do it. (Sorry Nike) I don’t want to let my worries get in the way of me trying new things, accomplishing my goals, or simply living life. In 2024, I will push myself outside of my comfort zone and do it. (Whatever ‘it’ is.)

Happiness

This one is simple: spend time with people and do things that bring me joy… often.

  • Prioritize spending time with friends and family.

  • Do things that make me happy.

    • Blogging

    • Creating

    • Sitting by the water at the beach

    • Hanging out with my cats

    • Traveling

    • Going to theatre performances

    • Going for walks in a park

    • Coloring

    • Reading

    • Trying new things

    • Hosting

Myself

This is the year that I’m going to prioritize myself. As a people pleaser, I tend to put others before myself constantly. This is something that I will likely always do, as it’s at my core as a person. It’s something I genuinely love about myself and wouldn’t want to change. With that said, I need to prioritize myself as well. All of the goals listed above will help me to do this.

Something else that I am excited about finally doing for myself is this blog. I’ve tried blogging and YouTube in the past, but I’ve let other priorities take charge. I’m not sure what LBK will look like by this time next year, but 2024 is the year that I’m going to make it happen.

THANK YOU so much for joining me on this journey. I’m excited and hopeful about this year and can’t wait to share it all with you. Cheers to 2024!

Kayleigh
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