As we enter the New Year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your goals and make positive changes in your life. Whether you want to focus on improving your physical health, cutting back on social media, saving more money, or strengthening your relationships with loved ones, there are endless opportunities to set new intentions and improve yourself in the coming year.
Resolutions almost feel like a grand gesture to wipe away the previous year’s mistakes and omissions clean, only to fall into the same old, tired habits in a few weeks once the sparkle of the new year has passed.
Instead of looking for “surefire ways to stick to your New Year’s resolutions”, here are four ways to kickstart your New Year health resolutions the right way and make it your healthiest and happiest year.
Put your health first
You’ve heard this before: your physical and mental health is essential and should never be ignored. Last year was another stressful year for everyone, and you may struggle in ways that appear normal but are detrimental to you.
Rather than blanketing your health under bland resolutions like “stress less” or “eat healthily”, make time to assess your health mentally and physically. Schedule an appointment for a medical and normalise speaking to your mental health professional, even if you only need an unbiased third party to help you organise your thoughts and emotions or provide a different perspective.
Refresh your day
A healthy daily routine improves your productivity and mood throughout the day. It also helps to keep you focused and grounded. If you already have a daily routine, avoid just “making it through the day” by prioritising yourself. Evaluate what you need to do throughout the day and eliminate what doesn’t actively benefit you.
This also includes your surroundings. Physical clutter also affects your productivity, mood, and daily habits. Whether you Mari Kondo your space or not, adjusting it to fit your routine can boost your well-being by making it easier to move through the day.
Compliment yourself
Practising gratitude and mindfulness is about appreciating who you are, what you have, and the loved ones around you. It’s about being grounded in reality rather than getting lost in what-ifs. Celebrate the new year (and every day therein) by appreciating yourself.
Here’s a challenge: Stand in front of your mirror and compliment yourself. Compliment your body for being beautiful, even if it isn’t the “right shape”. Compliment your mind for helping you navigate through the past couple of years. Compliment yourself for being brave enough to stand in front of a mirror and say good things about yourself. Go ahead, try it. Try it every day for a week. And then more.
Give yourself permission to rest
It’s time to tone down the hustle culture and step away from the computer. The past two years have been anything but easy. Rest and relaxation are as crucial to your overall health as productivity and goal-setting.
Avoid overexerting yourself, or you might find yourself stretched too thin. Whether you hop right back in bed to get some much-needed sleep, or binge your favourite TV show or Netflix movie, give yourself time to decompress to focus on yourself. This downtime will help you be your best physically and, most importantly, mentally.
This article is brought to you by Naluri Mental Health Coaches. Naluri empowers you to develop healthy lifestyle habits, achieve meaningful health outcomes, and be healthier and happier through personalised coaching, structured programmes, self-guided lessons, and health tools and devices. Download the Naluri App today or contact hello@naluri.life for more information on utilising digital health coaching and therapy to become a happier, healthier you.