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As we head into the new year, it's a great time to reset and re-align ourselves with our goals and focus on the things that need to become a priority to us by January 1st. Try out these productive yet relaxing activities to get you in the right mindset to have an amazing 2022! 

Journal:

Journaling can be helpful for several different reasons. Sometimes it's nice to just brain dump random thoughts and feelings onto a page to stop them from constantly circling your mind! It can also be helpful to journal out in a more organized fashion if that feels better to you. You can journal about the past year, as well as plan for the coming year (both personally and professionally) and what you want it to look/feel like. You can then move on to journaling the steps you think you'll need to complete to get there. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be fun and relaxing, it shouldn't feel like you need to set unrealistic goals for yourself that you'll feel like are impossible to actually achieve. Creating realistic goals that feel good to you and then breaking them down into manageable steps is the goal here! Enjoy the process and journal in whatever way comes naturally to you...

Daily Movement:

We all know that movement is important for our minds and bodies. Depending on the person and their preferences, daily movement could be a gentle yoga class, a stroll outside, a few minutes of stretching a day, dancing to your favourite music or really whatever movement you enjoy! It doesn't matter how long or short, intense or gentle - just try and move your body a little bit each day to promote good mental and physical wellbeing.

Self-care check-in:

Take a moment to check in with yourself after the busy holiday season. How are you doing mentally? Have you taken some downtime to reset your mind? If not, can you do that sometime soon? How about physical health? Have you been drinking enough water, eating enough nourishing food and sleeping okay? With the busy rush of the past few months, neglecting our basic needs like food, water and sleep can become all too easy. Maybe making a concerted effort to simply make sure that your basic needs are taken care of would help out a lot! Or maybe a full self-care overhaul is more along the lines of what you need to feel great. Either way, try to ensure that you do something each day to boost your mental and physical health! 

Meditation:

Another great way to relax and reset yourself can come in the form of meditation. Meditation is great as it can be done in a variety of ways. You can do a more classic form of meditation by sitting in a comfortable position and trying to clear your mind by letting thoughts come in and pass through until you can clear your mind completely. Or, you can meditate in a bath or shower by closing your eyes and taking some deep breaths for as long or little as you'd like. You can also meditate by taking a walk outside and allowing your mind to rest and enjoy the beautiful sights around you. Or you could do an active meditation by doing an activity or hobby that you love while focusing on the calming or happy feeling that each step of the activity brings. Either way, the goal is to calm your mind and allow thoughts to pass through until you feel relaxed, present, aware and in control of your thoughts! 

Combining all of these practices together is sure to make you feel refreshed and recharged as you enter into 2022. We hope that you find some time to complete these activities over the next little while and have your best year yet. From the BarterPay Niagara team to you, we wish you all the best in the New Year! 

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