2023 has brought joy, despair, and just about everything in between. As we embark on the rollercoaster that will be 2024, we must decide on what’s in and what’s out. That being said, here are my top five ins and outs of 2024.
- IN: Working Out
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All seems easier said than done, but I’m not talking about the hard core split we see these gym influencers do on TikTok or Instagram Reels. I am more so encouraging myself and you to take those hot girl walks with your girlfriends or take the pilates class that will burn even after two days. I have recently found that exercising does not have to be so boring as I made it out to be. With a great playlist and dedicated mind, a consistent hour workout—of any kind—a few times a week can transform your health both emotionally and physically. I recently took a spin class and although I was struggling to keep pace, I remember my instructor saying “your health is the one thing you can control and if you are here today you are bettering yourself from yesterday.” So with that being said, take care of yourself in 2024 and exercise.
- OUT: Excessive Social Consumption
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Every year I make a resolution to not be on my phone as much as I am used to, but this resolution usually forgets itself by the end of the first week of January. I have, however, come to notice that when I am not so indulged with who’s where, who’s doing what, and what the unnecessary drama is with all the socialites, I am more content. It can be so easy to pick up your phone and scroll through Instagram or check Snapchat every time you’re bored or wake up but it can be so addicting that 10 minutes can turn into an hour and maybe even longer. I never feel as though I really took advantage of my day to be productive when my screen time for the day is over 7 hours. The withdrawal will feel as though it’s impossible to be without but I encourage everyone to try it for a week and to really see how much not being so obsessed with the media can do for you.
- In: Travis Kelce
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Whether it’s an NFL Sunday or a recap of the Eras Tour, we have seen or have been made aware of the couple of the year that is Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Throughout all the relationships I have seen Taylor in, I have never seen a man more admired and inspired by her than Travis Kelce. One thing that I have learned from the countless Taylor songs is that it is important to love yourself first before you can love another. Make yourself a priority and realize that there is so much more to life than love from a man. That being said, I encourage everyone to never settle for less. It can be easy to go on a surface level date with someone, especially in college, but let’s all take a page from Taylor’s book and settle for nothing less than Travis Kelce as we journey through the dating scene.
- Out: Taking Life Too Seriously
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It can be so easy to deem your worth based on the test grade you got or compare yourself to the girl next door; but the truth is, life is way too short to worry about such silly things. Let this be an exclaimer that I do believe education is a great privilege and that everyone should genuinely be an avid learner but it should not determine your worth. It can be incredibly easy to focus on the one bad out of the numerous goods but one thing I have learned is that we ought to learn from the bad and genuinely move on and see how you can do better in the next similar situation. It’s important to recognize that as long as you put 100% effort into the ambitions you do and love, that that should be enough. As each year comes we get older and much more wise. It’s so important to not dwell so much on the bad but to encourage and live a life full of laughs and great memories.
- In: Journaling
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This was something that I thought I’d honestly never do. But I figured why not and tried it one day in June. I have never been without it since. Especially as I got to college, life got so overwhelming as there was something happening everywhere I turned. Keeping a journal and writing down the good or bad or even the silliest things has felt like weight lifted off my shoulders and a clean slate of a mind. With journaling, I have also invested into an agenda. With both journaling and an agenda I feel so much more put together, even when I feel otherwise. That being said journaling is in for the new year and even if you think it may not be for you, I encourage you to try it.