For years, our New Year’s resolutions have been themed around ‘I’m going to lose weight and get that perfect swimsuit body’, or ‘I’m going to write a bestseller and become rich’. It’s about time we calm down a bit, and make our resolutions not only more achievable, but also easier on us. Our goals should make us feel good when we manage them, not sad and ashamed when we mess them up.
One thing that’s absolutely worth committing to this year is YOURSELF – your wellbeing, your happiness, and your mental health. Not only is this resolution extremely helpful, it comes with zero chances of failure. If you’re dedicating some time improving and nurturing your mental health, you’re already doing something brilliant!
Here are a few resolutions that will help your mental health go a long way:
- Meditate
You’ll probably feel a bit silly at first, but meditation really can work wonders – even if it’s just for a few minutes, it can give you peace in it’s true essence. Meditation is also known to immensely improve your emotional quotient, as it gives you a better understanding and control of your emotions.
- Schedule in some quality alone time
‘Alone time’, more precisely, is about spending time with your subconscious self.
Spend some time alone doing something that makes you genuinely happy and relaxed – whatever that may be. Do it at least once a week, and make sure to actually schedule it for each week and follow it.
- Keep track of your moods
Start making a little note, each day, of how you’re feeling. Good or bad, excited or anxious, note it. Even if it’s just a smiley/sad face. This will help you keep track of when a bad day has become a bad month, and lets you analyze if there’s any damaging patterns emerging.
- Each day, write down something good that happened
It can be something tiny, like ‘Had scrumptious doughnut at office’ or big, like ‘finally got my dream job’. Putting a positive note on your day and reliving that moment will help you feel more positive overall. Plus, at the end of the year, you get to look back at 365 days of great things that have happened, which feels amazing.
- Open up to the people you care about
Show them you care, and let them care for you. They should know what’s going on, so they can step in and help when necessary. Plus, talking about whatever you’re going through helps you analyze the situation better and helps deal with it.
- Learn to be okay with saying ‘no’
Don’t storm your brain with ideas of people ‘disliking’ you if you say ‘no’ to them. People will understand if you’re not up for hanging out, taking on extra work, or doing them a time-consuming favour. Make it your resolution to be okay with saying no when you need to. Seriously, no one will hold it against you. You do not need to push yourself if you don’t want to.
- Take a break when you need it
It’s easy to get into a strange mindset of always needing to be at work because there’s so much stuff to do/it’s your job to be there. What you’re forgetting is that you have holiday time for a reason. You’re supposed to take time off to relax and recharge. Do it.
- Find a hobby you love
It doesn’t matter what it is. If it makes you happy, relaxed, and fulfilled, it’s worth doing. Make this the year you find your ‘thing’.
- Learn a few self-help techniques
Do some research into cognitive behavioural therapy and self-hypnosis. It is definitely not a substitute for professional help, but it’s incredibly helpful especially when you’re in the middle of a panic attack or depressive episode.
- Get more sleep
There is not a person in the world who’s at their best behaviour or performance on too little sleep. It’s NOT a waste of time to sleep. Your body needs it, and you need to stop depriving yourself of it. Invest in a good mattress, and catch up on some sleep whenever possible.