September always has a new beginnings feel to it to me. It’s back to school for the kids, in a new school year, and back to work for me after the summer.
This one’s hitting a bit different as for the first time in years, I don’t have school runs to do. Honestly, I thought it’d feel more strange than it does, but I’ve adjusted quickly!
With new beginnings, comes new possibilities, new opportunities and new ‘normals’ to get into.
I am one of those people that likes new things. I don’t mean actual possessions (although if books are on the table, then yes, I mean possessions), I mean new hobbies, new foods, new experiences, new habits, new routines. You get the idea.
I like to always think that I’m not done yet. Something new could pop up just round the corner and present itself and a whole new path can open up. It might just be some new concept that holds my interest for a month and makes me happy, or it could be something that slowly becomes a part of my every day life.
This means that I’ve been working on new routines for my week, involving work, exercise and house stuff, and then I’ve also been looking to add in a little bit of ‘new’ to keep things fun for me.
Which is why I’m writing this post, to remind you to do the same, to share a few suggestions you could try, to tempt you towards the joy that is trying something new.
New invigorates, it refreshes us, it keeps us on our toes, and it’s just got to be good for our souls, hasn’t it? That feeling of finding something new that lifts our mood? It’s got to be good for us.
So, some ideas, big and small:
Enrol for a free online course in something you’ve always been interested in. Floristry, nutrition, animal care, anything! The OU have loads of free online courses, or search for the specific course you’re interested in.
Play music every morning when you get up to lift your mood.
Get yourself the DuoLingo app (it’s free) and learn a new language. It takes just a few minutes a day.
If you’re not much of a reader, commit to one book a month, and enjoy building up a little To Be Read pile to do this.
Move your body. There are so many ways to do this, and you’ll feel better after every one of them. I shared these ideas that you can easily get going with.
Teach yourself to play an instrument. Always wanted to play the guitar? Go for it! YouTube has so many tutorials, it makes learning easy to access.
Go for a walk, every day. It could be ten minutes, it could be two hours, any walking in the fresh air’s going to be good for you. If you need an extra boost, sign up for a Conqueror Challenge.
Get yourself a pen pal. You knew I’d mention this! Join our Bring Back Paper Facebook group and take it from there.
Throw yourself into the season. Get yourself some new cosy decor and have fun rearranging your home.
Change up your own style. This can be a little thing like new make up, one or two new accessories, or a complete wardrobe overhaul. It needn’t be costly, try charity shops or Vinted if you want to do this.
Find a new recipe to try. If it goes well, go from there, maybe one new recipe a week?
Arrange to meet up with a friend regularly. This one’s definitely going to lift your mood and you’ll have lifted theirs too!
Has this given you some ideas? Even if not one of these, has it sparked another train of thought?
Try it.
Just one or two things. Ease yourself into it, don’t throw too much ‘new’ at yourself all at once, it’s hard to keep on top of that!
Build one or two things in, and see how it makes you feel. Then you can stick with them and move onto more, or discard them and try something fresh.
Have fun!