As the year comes to a close, I am thinking about the year behind and the new year ahead.  Likewise, as many of us do, I am resolving to make changes in the New Year.  I have come up with a few very positive resolutions and because they are so good, I decided to share them (and they have nothing to do with diet and exercise)!

 #1. Appreciate the positive and think positively; as you go about your day, soak up all the positive brought your way.  We’ve all been there, ten great things happen in the day yet your focus is on the one negative.  Whether it’s a comment or something you forgot to do, that’s the focus.  However, in 2018, that’s changing and we will appreciate and live the positive!  Appreciating the positive and thinking positively also means that we recognize and share the positive with those around us.  Don’t hesitate to give a compliment or point out the positives in others — especially your children.  The more positives they hear, the more positive they’ll feel and be.

 #2. Make memories and keep the traditions going.  You’ve all heard the cliché “it goes by so fast,” well, it really does.  At times, the days can seem endless, but the years keep flying by.  It’s amazing: you bring home a newborn and before you know it, he’s walking, then talking, then starting school, then wanting to drive, then talking about college.  The best method to help cope: memories… make them and make them often.  Be there for your children; play with them, laugh with them, read with them, cook with them, share with them.  We are so lucky now with cell phones to have a photo and video camera right in the palm of our hands — use it.  Something else to do: share your favorite memory of the day and have your children do the same.  Then jot those memories down in a little book and keep them forever.

 #3. Take some time for yourself.  This will actually be my most challenging resolution.  As a pediatrician and mom, my days and nights are spent taking care of others.  But thanks to a wonderful friend, with her encouragement and teaching, I am learning that it’s okay to take a little time for “me.”  So don’t sneak, but schedule some “me” time into your week.  The results, I’m told, will make you a happier “me,” and a happier “me” makes a happier home!

 Now some quick ones:

• Be happy, it takes a lot less energy than being mad or upset.
• smile and see what it does for your day.
• Laugh a little, it just might be contagious.
• Enjoy life, we only get one chance at it.

Have a very happy, healthy, and positive New Year

Dr. Gina