Five tips on how to start the new year stronger

Created: 12/28/2022, 7:30 am

Many people aim to leave the old year behind on New Year's Eve.

With these tips you can make your good resolutions come true and start the new year on a positive note.

Who does not know it?

On New Year's Eve, you make yourself promises about what will be different and, above all, better in the new year.

In the first week of January everyone runs like crazy to the gym, changes their entire nutrition plan, register for couples therapy or otherwise tries to put their good intentions into practice - by the beginning of February at the latest, the motivation is gone and everyday life has us again.

For many, “New Year” also means “new beginning”.

From a purely logical point of view, this makes no sense, because after all, nothing earth-shattering usually changes in the night from December 31st to January 1st, except that there is a little more sulfur and fine dust in the air from the fireworks.

Nevertheless, many people see the changed date in the calendar as a major turning point and an opportunity to change their lives.

Theoretically, you can start pursuing new resolutions every day of the year, but a new life or calendar year are usually exactly the events that are needed to find motivation for new goals in the first place.

But that also means leaving the old year behind and looking positively into the future.

With these tips, you can start the new year stronger and without emotional baggage from the previous year.

Mucking out and throwing away: Don't take unnecessary stuff with you into the new year

New Year - New Happiness © Martina Unbehauen / IMAGO

Cleaning out the closet is on many people's to-do lists, but it's regularly put off until next week and next month and "Oh, maybe I can do it next time I'm on vacation".

Do not wait any longer, but use the new year, or preferably the last days of the old year, to say goodbye to things.

Anyone who starts the new year with a more minimalist wardrobe will feel much more free.

You can also throw away items of clothing that you associate with negative memories from the past year and leave them behind.

In addition, you then have more space in the closet for new things, both symbolically and in terms of shopping.

Good cause: If you donate the clothes instead of throwing them away, you make someone else happy with them.

But not only the closet should be cleaned out, other storage areas in the house also benefit from a thorough cleaning.

This includes, for example, the refrigerator, kitchen cupboards or pantries, which sometimes accumulate food that has expired ages ago.

Pantries in particular can be treasure troves for all sorts of interesting and long-forgotten purchases, so be sure to check the last shelf.

Incidentally, the same applies to the storage room or the office.

Clear out the corners there and start the new year with a liberated feeling.

Clearing out technology: A lot can also accumulate digitally

It's no longer a new phenomenon for thousands of photos to accumulate on cell phones, where they remain until the next cell phone comes around.

The turn of the year is the perfect time to get things done on your smartphone.

Sort through the images from the past year and radically delete anything you don't want to keep.

That picture of your plate at the restaurant that you sent to your best friend is something you'll probably never need again.

Delete anything that isn't really a nice memory, then save the rest to a folder on your laptop, PC, or hard drive for when you want to keep it.

Or even better: print them out and make a small album with the best moments of the past year.

You can then delete the photos from the mobile phone,

to make room for new memories in the new year.

The same goes for the laptop or tablet.

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My space

But digital decluttering is not only good for mobile devices.

The radio and television can also benefit from this.

First of all, ask yourself the question: how many radio stations and television stations do I watch and which ones are they?

Set these stations as your favorites on the car radio or on the remote control and save time and nerves the next time you are looking for your favorite station or the news.

So endless skipping is history, according to the principle: What I don't need gets rid of.

Don't miss anything: You can find everything to do with careers in the regular careers newsletter from our partner Merkur.de.

Burn, ballast, burn!

Leave negative memories behind

The fireworks that are fired off on New Year's Eve today turn the New Year's change into a big party in many places.

Originally, however, it was a Germanic tradition to make as much noise as possible on New Year's Eve.

With noise and fire, the so-called "Hell Spectacle", they wanted to drive away the evil spirits of the past year.

We now celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks because we think it's nice and we don't usually think of evil spirits anymore.

But the personal spirits are a different story, because we usually only want to leave them behind in the old year.

In order not to take negative emotions and old ballast with you into the new year, you can carry out a small New Year's ritual.

Write down all the things you want to leave behind in the old year on a piece of paper.

It can be anything: from memories to negative habits to people you want to distance yourself from in the future.

The note is then burned on New Year's Eve and these negative things go up in flames with it.

For the new year you are freer and can look ahead.

Tip: If you don't want to light a note, it sometimes helps to repel the negative things by saying them.

If you like, you can tell in turn what you want to leave behind in the old year at the New Year's Eve banquet.

And if you prefer not to share your thoughts with others, you can also explain to the universe alone in the open air: "I leave these negative things behind in the old year and go into the new year free..."

Positive attitude: How to leave negative things behind

Thinking positively is easier said than done.

But when to start if not on New Year's Eve?

In order to start the new year with a more positive mind, you should first of all clear up yourself emotionally.

That means: Get rid of disputes that have spoiled your mood for the last year.

Apologize or distance yourself from people who aren't good for you.

But make sure that you only take people with you into the new year who you really want to have another year in your life.

Incidentally, this also includes getting in touch with friends and relatives with whom you have let the contact slide a bit.

The best friend from childhood now lives in another city, has a wife and children and you haven't spoken to each other for a long time?

The turn of the year is the perfect time to pick up the phone.

By the way, another trick for a positive attitude is positive wording.

As the New Year approaches, make it a point to say yes to adventures and out-of-the-ordinary things more often, and start the day with a positive attitude.

Don't say, "I don't feel like going to work." Instead, tell your reflection in the morning, "Good morning, you look good.

Thank you for waking up healthy again today.” Gratitude is the key to happiness and you will develop a much more positive attitude very soon.

And best of all, it's a good resolution that doesn't require a lot of work from you.

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A bit of superstition: lucky charms for the new year

Some may find it superstitious, others find it emotionally helpful.

The turn of the year is the time for lucky charms.

Four-leaf clovers, lucky pigs and chimney sweeps are simply part of the decoration this season.

But if you want special protection all year round, you can carry a lucky charm with you at midnight on New Year's Eve.

It doesn't matter whether it's a small stuffed animal, a bracelet, a keychain or anything else.

Take the lucky charm to the fireworks or your respective midnight ritual and simply hold it in your hand.

Think positively about the new year, tell yourself that you are looking forward to it and that only good things should happen to you.

Whenever you're feeling down during the year or feel like you need an extra dose of luck, pull out the lucky charm.

Manifestation and positive thinking are powerful things, so who knows...?

It certainly can't hurt.