Creating Your 2022 Stop-Start Plan

Sometimes we need to shut down the computer for a time, just to clear out the clutter from our minds and make space for new input. Our circuits can become overloaded with information that has to be removed in order to receive new data. The New Year is the perfect time to take a sacred pause and reflect over what’s been working for us and what areas in our life need a tad of TLC as we set new patterns in motion.

We love Tana Amen’s fresh perspective on how she creates some reflective thinking to better create a stop-start plan for the New Year.

“I like to focus first on the positives and all the things that went well. And then I turn my attention to what I need to continue working on. This requires digging a little deeper to face the truth about any habits that are holding me back.

Doing this kind of review allows me to celebrate the good things I experienced as well as owning up to the not-so-good ones. I use this information to create my “Stop-Start Plan” for the year ahead which is like a road map that helps me release bad habits from my life and replace them with healthier ones.

All of us make mistakes, hit bumps in the road, and struggle with less-than-ideal habits that don’t serve us well. That’s why I think it’s so useful to identify the specific things we’re doing that are holding us back, so we know what course corrections are needed.

Take a look at this list and see which of these unhealthy behaviors and habits you’ve been doing—be honest with yourself:

• Always comparing yourself to others
• Avoiding your regular check-ups at the doctor and dentist
• Being overly self-critical
• Binge-watching TV and spending too much time on the couch
• Drinking too much booze, smoking, vaping, or using recreational drugs
• Ignoring your mental health issues
• Letting others treat you like a doormat
• Negative thinking and a tendency to focus on the bad and distressing things in life
• Not getting regular exercise
• Saying yes when you want to say no
• Staying in toxic relationships

While all of these are unhealthy habits and behaviors, it can be harder to recognize the ones that go on inside your head. However, they can be just as detrimental as the physical ones like too much partying and eating junk food.

Find 3 bad habits you have in the list above (or any other ones you have) and commit to switching them out for 3 healthier habits that will help you feel better, stronger, and more confident. Here are some I highly recommend:

• Exercise your brain by taking a class to learn something new.
• Fit workouts and physical activities into your weekly schedule, and don’t cancel them.
• Get out of any relationships that are unhealthy, draining, or unstable.
• Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
• Learn how to cook healthier meals.
• Make time for hobbies you love.
• Practice setting healthy boundaries with others.
• Schedule time for self-care every week—no, it’s not selfish!
• Spend at least 10 minutes each day doing some meditation, so you feel more grounded, relaxed, and clear.
• Start being kinder to yourself.
• Take your mental and physical health issues seriously. No one else can do this for you.
• Use a journal regularly to help you manage your thoughts, fears, and worries.

Sometimes it can feel daunting to even think about stopping the unhealthy habits that you’re used to, but when you start healthier ones to fill the void, it becomes so much easier. Yes, this requires practice and discipline, but when you commit to taking better care of yourself, it sends signals to your brain that help to reinforce the positive changes you’re making.

I encourage you to take the steps needed to help yourself feel healthier and happier in the year ahead. I believe you can do this because you’re stronger than you know!”