Nyr’e Jones, Staff Writer

Between college, work, and social life, it becomes extremely hard to prioritize self care and personal growth. The idea of self care and wellness ends up as another task on the to-do list, and of course it seldom gets done, until you’re reminded of all the ways you’d like to better yourself by aesthetic pictures on Pinterest or daily vlogs on TikTok.

This year, as I am newly nineteen, I decided I want to be more intentional about my wellness and self-growth. My idea of wellness ranges from a plethora of different goals I’d like to accomplish. These goals range from everyday wellness to other wellness goals that’ll take more discipline. Either way, I made a promise to myself to take control of my future. Take charge of who I want to be. So, I put together a list of eight of my top wellness priorities for the year.

1. Giving My Skincare Routine a Glow Up

One of the first places I decided to start my wellness journey is with something I do every day yet still struggle with: taking care of my skin. Skincare can be complicated because it must cater to your skin type and be fit for your everyday life. This has been my issue for years, when I struggled intensively with finding the right products to fit my skin. Therefore, my goal is to create a skincare routine that provides hydration, isn’t too heavy, and is sensitive to my acne. I’ve curated a few items that will be great help to my dry skin. Products like Tir Tir do a great job at hydration, Ponds is old-fashioned but provide great moisture, and Centella does a great job at providing protection from the sun but still light on the skin. Loving and taking good care of my skin is the first step in true self care.

2. Consistency in the Gym

Building muscle has been one of my goals for a while, so this year I’m finally holding myself accountable. I plan to go to the gym 3-5 days out of the week and focus primarily on growing my glutes and strengthening my arms and legs. Not only will me being consistent show results, it’ll also be another factor into building my discipline. Having a set few days to go to the gym will be time that I’ll be working on myself, but also alone time so that I can have time to myself to reflect and think.

3. Meal Planning

Because I’m focusing on gaining more weight and building muscles, I want to up my protein intake. To meet my protein goal, I’m using meal planning as a technique. Meal planning is to make 3 meals for a day (protein meal, in my case) and have it ready to grab for the week. Meal planning plus the gym is promised success to see some changes.

4. Yoga Vibe 

I already love participating in yoga so much, which is a key reason as to why I’d like to do it more. This year, I’m focusing on wellness and prioritizing my self care, so what’s a better self care regime than doing things that make you feel good about yourself? Yoga challenges your body to stretch and push itself to build flexibility. Most importantly, it’s calming and fun. Once I leave a good yoga session, I feel rejuvenated, challenged and productive. Yoga is such a good way to start your day off or end it. That’s how I’d like to feel before I take on the day. 

5. Spiritual Wellness

I am a firm believer that just how a person can be physically healthy, they can be spiritually healthy. As a Christian, the key to being spiritually healthy is by reading and reflecting on the word of God. Spending time with Him and learning what he says about life is how I’ll live a better life. Because I can get so busy with school and work, it can be easy to put God on the back burner. This year, I’m holding myself accountable and I’m valuing my relationship with God before everything. Every time I take that small amount of my day to pray or meditate over scripture, I feel refreshed and capable of handling anything to come. 

At the end of the day, wellness is about more than skincare, going to the gym, eating better, or doing yoga. It’s about becoming the best version of myself—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I know I won’t become that person overnight; honestly, I don’t think I’m supposed to. Becoming her is a process, and every small habit, every intentional decision, and every day that I choose myself brings me one step closer. This year, I’m giving myself the space to grow, learn, and become the woman I want to be—one day at a time.