I’m privileged to work at an organization that shuts down at noon on Christmas Eve and doesn’t re-open until January 2nd. As a result, I get a nice long break at this time of year, and I don’t even have to use vacation days.

I always imagine that I’ll use the extra time to get caught up on all sorts of household chores; to read a good book; to work on some crafts; to spend time playing with the cat; or to get my life organized and ready for the New Year.

Instead, I usually end up eating far too much food (including several pounds of sugar), lying around watching TV and movies, playing video games on the computer, and wondering what day it is.

It’s great, for a day or two. But it gets old, fast. As I write this, it’s the evening of December 29th. I still have 6 days of nothingness ahead of me, before I have to go back to my normal routine on January 5th.

And I don’t feel well.

I’ve not got on the scale, but I’m sure I’ve gained at least 5 pounds in the last three weeks (yes, the over-eating starts before the holidays). I’ve been staying up until stupid o’clock in the morning, and even though I get to sleep in, I’m still only averaging about 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. I haven’t been getting outside for walks consistently (partly due to some nasty weather, but that’s really just an excuse, because a few years ago when I was a runner, I’d be out there no matter how cold, windy or snowy it was).

You would never know I’ve been a certified Health Coach. How embarrassing.

I feel like a big fat sloth. Except I don’t even have the upper body strength to hang from a branch.

I always look forward to these lazy last days of the year, but this evening, I’m just over it. I want my routine back. I’m craving healthy food. And a consistent 8 hours of sleep. And moving my body.

When I was a kid, and had a mother who fed me and put me to bed at a reasonable hour, and friends I could run around with all day outside until the street lights came on, I wanted the holidays to last forever. After 60 revolutions around the sun, I find myself wishing Mum was still around to tell me what to eat and when to call it a night.

I guess I’m just not that good at parenting myself, at least not when my usual routine gets disrupted.

Does any of this sound familiar? Can anyone relate?

I honestly thought by the time I hit my 60s I’d be a responsible adult. But I guess part of maturing is realizing that although we inevitably grow older, in some ways we never actually grow up.

You may have read my previous post about the One Small Thing project - adding one tiny move every day to my task list, to ensure consistent progress towards my goals. This is where it starts, for me - with my physical health.

I don’t want to feel like a bloated sloth. I want to wake up in the morning with energy. I want to put nourishing food into my body, cutting out the sugar, alcohol and empty carbs that make my blood sugar crash after the initial high. I want to move, even if it’s just 15 minutes per day of high-intensity exercise. I want to reprogram my brain so that I actually look forward to going to bed at 10 pm and getting up at 6 am, so I can ease gently into the day.

But that’s… a lot. Putting all these things on my list at once would be a recipe for inevitable failure. No, I’m starting with something simple.

Water.

In the past I’ve tried using a big 32 oz water bottle with every 8 oz marked on the side. The goal was to empty it twice a day - once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Didn’t work for me. I take very small sips when I drink from a straw, and that bottle just seemed to go on forever. I was lucky to get through it once, let alone twice.

So in 2026 I’m trying something different. I’ll have an 8 oz glass of water at my desk. I’ll set alarms on my phone to remind me to drink throughout the day, and as a bonus, each time I have to get up to refill the glass, I’ll be moving my body instead of just sitting at the computer for hours on end.

Emptying and refilling the glass multiple times a day will create a sense of accomplishment. I’m also hoping it will help to tamp down the cravings for sugary and starchy foods. I’m setting up an if/then rule - if I get the urge to eat bad carbs, I’ll take a few sips of water instead.

This is my first One Small Thing. It’s tiny. It’s easy. And it will result in many health benefits over time.

Can’t wait for January!

What’s your One Small Thing? Want to join me in this simple habit change project? Let me know by emailing me at liz.powell@momentouslife.net. Let’s encourage each other!

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I’m a Canadian, and our neighbour to the south is making me really nervous, careening more towards full-on fascism with each passing day and threatening us economically, if not physically (although sometimes, I wonder if that’s next).

The province of Alberta is threatening to secede from Canada, and right-wing extremism is creeping its way into our own politics north of the 49th.

The situation in Ukraine isn’t getting any better.

Gaza is a mess.

The U.S. economy, in which most Canadian retirement plans are heavily invested, is teetering on the brink of a massive collapse. The general wisdom is that the markets are highly over-valued, and markets don’t like the uncertainty that comes with a President suffering from full-on dementia combined with psychopathy. Many are worried about the long-term viability of their nest egg, and with good reason.

It’s all pretty bleak, isn’t it?

But it’s not hopeless.

I’ve become aware, in recent days, of how my social media feeds have become saturated with negativity. I’m being bombarded with this stuff on the daily, and it’s affecting my mood.

Certain popular influencers (Brendon Burchard, Tom Bilyeu, Jay Shetty, Tony Robbins, etc.) teach their followers not to pay attention to the news. In fact, they tell them to block it out entirely, because of its impact on mood and performance. The prevailing opinion in that bubble seems to be that things will just all work themselves out; that their followers have a ‘higher calling’ and they should just leave the work of dealing with all that crap to others.

That’s an extremely privileged approach, and one that I have a really hard time with. We can’t live under a rock and ignore the fact that democracy is crumbling around us. That’s how democracies fall, and it’s how fascism, racism and xenophobia take hold. Every citizen in a democracy has a responsibility to do their part in supporting and fighting for that democracy. We have a responsibility to be informed. We have a responsibility to advocate for truth and fairness, for freedom of speech, for unbiased journalism, and for the education of our population.

But, by the same token, if the mess, if the fight, is the only thing we are focused on, we will end up broken, depressed, and exhausted. If we don’t take care of our mental health, in the end we won’t be able to continue doing our part. Not only that, but every other aspect of our life will suffer as well.

So, what’s the answer?

I’m not a professional in the mental health space, but I have some ideas about how to navigate the mess in which we currently find ourselves. I offer here five suggestions I’m adopting myself, that I hope will make the coming year a little less dark.

1. Curate your feeds.
   Social media is not the best place to be getting your news. No shit, sherlock. Between AI deep-fakes and sensationalist posting designed to maximize clicks, you should know you’re not getting unbiased information on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, BlueSky, etc. And the algorithms are designed to give you more and more of whatever catches your eyeballs, meaning you get sucked into a black hole of negativity, fearmongering and left-right mutual hatred. Go through the list of pages and groups that you’re following, and get rid of most of them. It’s ok to pick one or two that seem to provide more balanced information, but you don’t need to be a member of 15 ‘progressive Canadians’ groups railing against the oligarchy.
   Instead, if you insist on spending time on socials, sign up for more positive pages and groups. There’s nothing wrong with following pages that remind you of the little joys in life, such as nature photography, cat videos, memes with affirmations, and self-care nuggets. Instead of doom-scrolling, let’s call it joy-scrolling.

2. Avoid all news sources first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.
   Influencers may spout a lot of B.S., but they are right about this - the way you start your day is critical in determining how the rest of it will play out. Picking up your phone or turning on the TV at breakfast to catch up on what horrors have occurred overnight is only going to throw a pall over your mood, raising your stress hormones and putting your body into ‘fight or flight’ mode before you’ve even clocked in. Feed your mind with positivity instead.
   Likewise, watching the news or scrolling right before bed is going to poison your brain and prevent a restful night of sleep. Not only does the blue light interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, but all you’re doing is giving yourself things to lie awake worrying about (and/or have nightmares about). Restful sleep is one of the most important gifts you can give to yourself. Those 8 hours of shut-eye are when your body heals itself physically, and your brain literally washes itself, too. Deprive yourself of that, and you’re risking your long-term physical and mental health.

3. Pick a specific time to catch up on current events, and stick to it.
   I’m planning to carve out a half-hour in my day - possibly at the end of the work day and before preparing dinner - to read the handful of reliable news sources I’ve chosen to follow. Thirty minutes, and no more.
   Just enough to stay aware of what’s going on, but not enough to plunge me into a state of despair and hopelessness. Having a time limit helps to make it a more objective exercise, and prevents you from going down a rabbit hole. If need be, set a timer.

4. Engage in daily, deliberate self-care.
   This is going to look different for everyone. I’m not necessarily talking about the stereotypical things like pedicures and massages.
   It could be making time in your day for a craft you love to work on. It could be curling up on the sofa with your cat and listening to music together or reading a good book. It could be a walk in nature with someone you care about. Or, how about feeding your body more nourishing food? Going to bed a half-hour earlier so you feel more rested the next morning? Breaking ties with that toxic ‘friend’ who is just using you to get what they want?
   Every day, make sure you build in one thing that affirms that you love yourself. Even if it’s just standing in front of the bathroom mirror and saying, “I like me”. (That might actually be the hardest, and most powerful, thing you can do).

5. Give back.
   When we focus on people and things outside of ourselves, it's proven to improve our happiness and our sense of self-worth. It’s especially important for members of a society to take care of each other. Looking for ways to help our fellow humans gives us a sense of control over our life, and takes our attention away from our own wants and needs for awhile. And the psychological boost we get when the recipient of our goodwill expresses joy or gratitude is great medicine for a troubled heart. This is how community is built, and community gives us strength and a sense of safety.
   Again, this may look different for each of us, depending upon our circumstances. If we’re younger and have fewer financial resources, we can give of our time to a cause we believe in, volunteering for a charity, school, or community group. Those in their middle years who have less free time due to work and family commitments but who have sufficient financial resources can make charitable donations. Seniors and those who are less mobile can still make themselves available by having others come to them for guidance and support, whether in person or online.
   
   This isn’t an exhaustive list, and if you personally have other approaches for fighting the darkness and preserving your mental peace in these difficult times, I would love it if you’d share with my readers by commenting below.
   
   In 2026 I’m returning to a mantra I first came up with some years ago, and that has always helped to motivate me and keep me centered:
   
   Take stock. Take Heart. Take ACTION!
   
   This Substack is one of the ways I am personally choosing to give back. If you find my ramblings meaningful or helpful, I’d be truly greful if you would subscribe (it’s free!) and spread the word. Thank you!
   

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Make the resolutions. Set the goals. Come January 1 (or maybe the 2nd if you’re giving yourself some grace after the New Year’s Eve partying), start down the path, full of excitement, enthusiasm, and determination.

And then watch as your hopes and dreams for a better future (a better self?) dissolve into nothingness a few weeks (or even days) later, when LIFE starts to happen.

The problem isn’t so much that we fail to stick to our plans - we already know that’s going to happen, because we’re human.

The problem is that when that inevitability arises, we simply give up, instead of saying to ourselves, ok, back on the horse tomorrow.

I’m as guilty of it as anyone.

I did have one very long streak a few years ago - I somehow managed to install several new, positive habits at the start of the New Year, and stuck with them for FOUR MONTHS. But then there was a big change in my household routine, imposed from without, and next thing I knew, all of those amazing new habits had disappeared into the ether.

There are two fundamental problems here:

1. We bite off more than we can chew.

2. We think it doesn’t count unless it’s perfect.

So in 2026, I’ve decided to tackle these problems, by taking a different approach.

I’m calling it One Small Thing.

To address Problem 1, I’m reducing the number of goals on my list. I’m listing the milestones that need to be achieved to reach each of those goals. I’m breaking those milestones down into tasks. And then into sub-tasks. And so on. As micro as I can get.

Then, each day, I will put one tiny task on my to-do list that will move the needle ever-so-slightly. Something that takes 15 minutes or less. Something that doesn’t generate major internal resistance. Just ONE. SMALL. THING.

I’m also building in a weekly, monthly, and quarterly review, so I can look back and see how far I’ve come. It’s amazing what daily small moves can accomplish over time, but if we never zoom out and take in the big picture, we feel like we’re standing still.

To address Problem 2, I will also give myself some grace if I happen not to get that one small thing done on a particular day. I’ll just move it to the next day, and tackle it then.

But if the same thing happens the next day, I’ll take a step back, and examine WHY it’s not getting done. Are there circumstances that are actually preventing me from doing the thing? Or am I resisting something about the task? If so, what, and why?

Once I have the answer to those questions, I can course-correct. I can change up my One Small Thing with a different task on the list. Or I can remove the internal or external barriers that are causing me to procrastinate and resist.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because I’d like to invite you to join me in this experiment. I think we’re much more likely to do what we say we’re going to do, if we have a supportive group of people cheering us on, rather than chastising us. (But a little gentle prod now and then never hurts.)

If you’re in, add a comment below, and give me a follow. I’ll be posting regular updates on my progress, and I’d love to hear about yours as well. Let’s make 2026 the year we actually move towards our goals. One small thing at a time.