Three hundred sixty-five days have once again passed. The coming of a new year is a signal for us to start anew rewriting old mistakes, taking new chances, and completing unfinished business. During this time of reflection and evaluation, we must clean house to say goodbye to the old in 2017 and say hello to the new in 2018. Houston Style Magazine wants you to present your best’s self in 2018 and gives you some pointers to get things started.

*Say Goodbye to Stress and Hello to Peace

Stress is your body’s response to life’s challenges. Your body, of course, will respond differently depending upon if the stress is acute or chronic and the source of the stress. Believe it or not a little stress in life can be good. It is when stress is prolonged that it becomes dangerous.

Learning to manage stress is vital. Like with any other health concern, changing your diet, exercising, and getting adequate sleep is always helpful. Oftentimes we get stressed because we become overwhelmed with too many tasks. Prevent this by managing your time wisely and only take on projects that you can reasonably do without feeling overwhelmed. Be prepared to handle those tasks by being organized and not waiting until the last minute to do objectives. Just putting some of these tips into practice will decrease your stress level and increase the peace in your life.

*Say Goodbye to Debt and Hello to Financial Security

We may all be in this category after the holidays. America’s spending troubles trickle from the top on down. Living and spending beyond our means is what causes most Americans to be in debt. Add on student loans, health challenges and other unplanned events and the debt keeps rising. Not to mention charge cards with high interest rates and the debt is never ending.

Curbing debt takes discipline, budgeting, saving, and cutting back. Take a look at your monthly income and subtract your necessary expenses (i.e. household, gas, tithes, etc.) Anything that is left after that should be divided to where you can save some and have an allowance for any incidentals. Saving and cutting back is crucial for getting out of debt. Adopt habits of cooking at home instead of going out, and shopping your closet instead of buying new clothes are a few ways to decrease your spending. Cut up your credit cards and pay with cash or debit card to void credit card debt. In no time, you’ll see your debt decrease and the road to financial security will be clear.

*Say Goodbye to Doubt and Hello to Confidence

Self-doubt can put a chokehold on your dreams, stop you from taking risks and lead you down a depressing road. Constantly hearing negativity from others or even from yourself limits the depths in which you can go.

Combat self-doubt with positive thinking. Instead of thinking of all the ways something won’t work, think of all the reasons it could work. When you find yourself speaking negativity stop then and put a positive spend on your words. Create daily affirmations confirming your value and giving credit that your ideas are great. If anyone steps to you with negativity, stop them before they even speak that over you. Building self-confidence starts with taking small chances to have small successes. Then taking bigger leaps for greater achievements. Keep excelling and your confidence will grow and grow.

Make 2018 the year of no fear. The year where you let go of whatever is holding you back and to allow all your rich fortunes to pour in. Say goodbye to the old and leave in 2017 and say hello to the new and welcome it in 2018. Here’s to a great year for all of us!