NOLA New Year's
Find inspiration in New Orleans for enjoyable twists on New Year's resolutions and aspirations. The new year is not about changing yourself but adding to the positive qualities that make up your unique self.While technically just a change on the calendar, a new year can bring in stress about perfection and strict resolutions. Instead, use this season to lean into an aspiration mindset. Knowing that it can be about the small habits that lead to substantial change, give yourself grace and find what works best for you. Take away dreadful pressures and don't forget the fun.
A new year can be a time to honor a different custom. The Southern tradition of black-eyed peas and collards isn't going anywhere, so cook up a batch of black-eyed pea gumbo or gumbo z'herbes. Not just for during the season of Lent, these warming recipes are said to bring additional good fortunes of new friends per green used. To find ingredient inspiration, combine this with a trip to the Crescent City Farmers Market, which is open year round and offers three locations and times throughout the week for unexpected winter finds.
Dream House Lounge is an in-town retreat from the chaos of everyday life while focusing on the intersection of community, mental, and holistic health. They help to break stigmas through their many events including Dry January happy hours, Wellness Wednesdays, and Therapeutic Thursdays, which are partnerships with NOLA Black Mental Health Matters and Brightside Therapy Collective. Using these and grounding practices, they focus on incorporating wellness into everyday life.
New Orleans is a city full of adventurous and ethereal energy. As such, in comes a fourth generation owned tea and psychic shop, open since 1929, called Bottom of the Cup Tea Room. While the history of this shop is inviting enough, their offerings for tarot cards, tea leaves, and palm readings can bring affirmation for the year ahead. Business owner Jeanne Powers advises those who may be new to such readings to be fully present and that the more you give to the reading, the more you will receive. Their sister company, the New Orleans Tea Company, has a vast selection of tea to use to create soothing rituals.
With a motto that everybody is welcome and made to move, as well as tapping into the celebratory nature of the city, Move Ya Brass brings excitement to exercise. As a community and lifestyle fitness group, many of their classes and events are free, as supported by the New Orleans Recreation and Culture Fund. They also honor the New Orleans New Year for those who may need a reboot before Mardi Gras celebrations.
Focusing on skincare is a small but powerful way to build self care into your routines. This is a way to take time for mindfulness and relaxation and is especially necessary during the colder months, which are rough on skin. Utilizing natural and local ingredients such as "sun kissed satsumas," Essentially NOLA provides artisan soaps, bath bombs, skincare, candles, and gift set bundles, as well as New Orleans-inspired products to leave skin feeling nourished.
The new year can be a helpful time to pursue decreasing substance consumption, and Dry January has grown more and more each year. Greater findings about the benefits of reduced alcohol consumption include better quality sleep and increased cognitive functions. The founders behind Mockly saw a need for this and have taken inspiration from how New Orleans knows how to have a good time and the decadent flavors of the cuisine here. They have elevated and complex options, creating the perfect opportunity for you to try an indulgent mocktail.
In such a heavy screen based environment, books are a great way to incorporate in your own digital detox. For a curated selection, look to Baldwin & Co. Coffee and Bookstore. Their owner, DJ Johnson, shared that starting with a reading goal of just 10 minutes a day adds up quickly. The shop offers specific book lists for varied topics, author talks, and events all as part of their mission to help readers achieve a growth mindset and to reach new endeavors. They also house a nonprofit, which provides free foods, books, and community service outreach. With a goal to empower and inform as a way to fight for justice, know you are supporting a great cause while searching for a new find there.
There are many findings on the benefits of having plants. Not only do they bring a cheerful and vibrant ambiance to your interior decor and particularly during winter, but being reminded to care for a plant can be a subtle reminder to care for yourself. The Plant Gallery is a lively stop for a vast variety of plants and garden supplies. Visit their boutique for garden and home decor and accessories for further inspiration.
Located on Prytania Street in the former Scandinavian Jazz Church, the Spyre Center invites all, and their setting brings an instant sense of ease and healing. Founded by sisters Diana Fisher, Deborah Peters, and Kendall Winingder, their group of on-site and independently-run licensed professionals offer increased mental wellness and classes for physical health, including many styles of yoga, HIIT classes, movement dance, and aqua aerobics.
Eating healthier is consistently one of the top New Year's resolutions each year, yet can feel like an uphill battle knowing where to begin. Luckily, locally and family-owned Green Fork comes in as a saving grace, providing healthy, dietary specific, and flavorsome creations, along with plenty of items that can make meal planning a breeze. Their full kitchen includes an organic blend bar, salads and bowls, breakfasts, and desserts. No one said health had to be boring.
