{"id":260467,"date":"2025-12-31T20:48:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/260467\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T20:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:48:11","slug":"6-ways-to-better-yourself-this-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/260467\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to better yourself this New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year again, when things start to feel a bit like Groundhog Day. Everyone seems to be asking about New Year\u2019s resolutions, and the vast majority of the answers are, “exercising more or “eating healthily.”<\/p>\n

And frankly, we\u2019re just a bit bored of it all. If you are making positive changes, that\u2019s wonderful, but if you\u2019re making these pledges just because it\u2019s that time of year and you feel like you have to, then we don\u2019t really think it\u2019s worth your time.<\/p>\n

If you do want to make a resolution this year, why not go off the beaten track? These are a selection of our favourite ideas for bettering yourself in the new year.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t worry, there\u2019s not a gym membership or stick of celery in sight.<\/p>\n

1. Join a book club<\/b>
Sure, you could set yourself the target of reading a new book every month, but what are the chances of you sticking diligently to this as the year goes on?<\/p>\n

If you join a book club you\u2019ll be far more likely to keep up your resolution. Not only will you have the peer pressure of needing to read the book before the next get together, but it\u2019s addictive \u2013 you\u2019ll soon be hooked and desperate to give your thoughts on what you\u2019ve read.<\/p>\n

Nowadays book clubs aren\u2019t quite like the one your grandma is part of. You\u2019ll gossip about the world just as much as you\u2019ll indulge in stimulating conversation about what you\u2019ve read \u2013 it\u2019s the perfect combination of socialising and learning new things.<\/p>\n

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\nGetty Images<\/p>\n

2. Learn a language<\/b>
OK, OK, you might have set yourself this resolution a few years ago, but it never quite panned out, did it?<\/p>\n

But this year really is your time to shine, and it\u2019s all about making a plan. Download a language app like Duolingo <\/a>which calls for you to complete a quiz every day, making sure that you keep your learning ticking along.<\/p>\n

January needn\u2019t be all about detoxing and depriving yourself of the good stuff. Why not book yourself a trip to the country you\u2019re learning the language of? It\u2019ll be a fun treat, and a good incentive to brush up on your vocab before you get there.<\/p>\n

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\nGetty Images<\/p>\n

3. Recycle everything you can<\/b>
You\u2019re probably well aware of how important recycling is, but cast your mind back to the past year. How many times did you not bother to recycle something just because it was a bit too much effort?<\/p>\n

Probably more than once. Even if you consider yourself generally quite environmentally friendly, if it gets in the way of your daily routine it\u2019s probably left by the wayside.<\/p>\n

So make it your resolution for this to stop in the new year because, as you already know, it\u2019s what the planet desperately needs.<\/p>\n

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\nGetty Images<\/p>\n

4. Start sitting up straight<\/b>
As you\u2019re reading this, what\u2019s your posture like? Let us guess: your rounded shoulders are slouched over your desk or smartphone.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to be the cliched gym-going January person, one thing you can work on instead is your posture. Not only is this a sneaky hack for looking like you\u2019ve got your life together, but it will also take care of your joints, ligaments and muscles, and help prevent damage further down the line.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also more than just physical \u2013 good posture can change your frame of mind, making you feel more positive and confident in yourself. Set a reminder on your phone to sit up straight sporadically throughout the day, and soon it will become second nature.<\/p>\n

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\nGetty Images<\/p>\n

5. Play more board games<\/b>
What\u2019s this? A resolution that\u2019s actually fun? Yep, that\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

Playing board games is not only a great way to get your friends together and have a laugh, but there\u2019s a whole bunch of options that can test your brain in different ways, from logic to strategy and general knowledge.<\/p>\n

Luckily, board games are becoming somewhat of a craze with dedicated cafes popping up all over, so it\u2019s easier than ever to start playing more this year.<\/p>\n

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\nGetty Images<\/p>\n

6. Cut yourself some slack<\/b>
New Year’s resolutions are hard. They tend to be based around aesthetics, which can be tough to handle in our already hyper-superficial society.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we propose that if you are going to make resolutions, make one of them another clich\u00e9 (but a much more positive one) \u2013 being kinder to yourself.<\/p>\n

Next time you get upset with yourself about missing that gym class\/messing up at work\/forgetting your mum or dad\u2019s birthday, make an effort to not beat yourself up too much.<\/p>\n

And then maybe go and call your parents \u2013 the birthday thing is easily salvageable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s that time of year again, when things start to feel a bit like Groundhog Day. Everyone seems…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,13,14,6,11,12,15,16,5,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-260467","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-featured-news","11":"tag-featurednews","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-latest-news","14":"tag-latestnews","15":"tag-main-news","16":"tag-mainnews","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-top-stories","19":"tag-topstories","20":"tag-world","21":"tag-world-news","22":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115816150175542229","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}