Let’s review strategies that can benefit our physical and mental health and wellness so we can be off to a great new year in 2024!
Self-Care for the New Year
Here we are near the start of another new and exciting year! For many people New Year’s feels like the perfect time to make some changes in our lives or try new, exciting things such as the promise to take that trip to Europe, get that degree you’ve always wanted, skydive, run a marathon, get organized, or even maybe lose some weight.
It’s a time to say adios to our old unhelpful habits and problems and start fresh, with a clean slate. Like many, some of your New Year’s resolutions are probably a reenactment of the previous year (or two) resolutions that didn’t quite develop the way we would have hoped. But given the last few years have been tough for us all - we are ready for a positive change physically and mentally! As Oprah Winfrey said, “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right”.
To that end, let’s review strategies that can benefit our physical and mental health and wellness so we can be off to a great new year! A priority is practicing self-care which entails implementing habits that help you live well and can look different for each individual. Self-care helps control stress, decrease risk of illness, and boosts energy. Just implementing small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a huge influence.
Start with practicing just one until it becomes routine as one new healthy habit builds upon another.
Here are some examples:
- Getting regular exercise. Even if it’s just 15-30 minutes a day. The fresh air clears your mind and can be rejuvenating.
- Eating a healthy diet and staying hydrated enhances energy and focus
- Getting enough sleep! Easier said than done for most of us! 7-9 hours is recommended
- Meditation and journaling. Guided meditation and breathing exercises can remove the stream of chaotic thoughts that may be overcrowding your mind and causing stress. Spending 5-10 minutes a day journaling evokes mindfulness and helps you keep perspective, find inspiration, achieve goals and helps regulate emotions.
- Setting goals and ways to achieve them. Identify priorities, learn to say no if you feel you are taking on too much. In our last Tuesday Tips, Dr. Birdsall gave us successful strategies on how to implement and achieve our goals using SMART criteria.
- Practicing gratitude. This has been proven to greatly improve happiness by nurturing hope for the future, reducing stress, increasing resilience, and enhancing empathy towards others. It improves self-esteem and psychological strength.
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CHE Behavioral Health Services provides various mental health services to help individuals improve their mental and emotional well-being. With an experienced network of licensed professionals, CHE offers affordable, convenient, and personalized care. To learn more about our services and mental health professionals, please call 888-515-3834.
References
NIMH. (2021). Caring for Your Mental Health Retrieved from:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/healt...
