4 minute read
New Year, New You
Mental health matters
It's time to get real. Too often we make unrealistic New Year's Resolutions and then fail to stick to them. We start full of hope and good intentions, but before long we're back to our old ways. Now it's time to take stock of what's good in your life – and what isn't – and make plans to make this your best year yet – starting with your mental wellbeing. The plan
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Set aside at least a couple of hours to plan your best year yet. First though, it’s time to do some reflecting. Ask yourself the questions below and you’ll start to see patterns emerging – things that make you happy and learning lessons of the last 12 months. - What were both your biggest successes and biggest failures of last year? - What situations or people made you feel good? Who or what didn’t? - What left you disappointed? And did you ever feel like you let yourself down? Upon reflection of a particular event, do you wish you could rewind time and react differently to it? - What motivated you to do something new or different?
How did it make you feel? Allow yourself to reflect on these, think about what lessons they taught you – and then think about how you will carry these learning lessons forward. Know your triggers – what makes you angry, frustrated or sad? How are you going to avoid that happening in the future? Equally, think about what really makes you happy – how can you enjoy more of that this year? What steps can you put in place NOW to ensure more happiness is guaranteed? It's time to get rid of the negative – and make room for the positive.
The action
Think about what’s really important to you and the way that you live your life. What you strongly believe in (e.g. honesty, integrity, kindness, personal appearance etc...) will provide you with the greatest motivation to change how you live your life. If you feel it would help, make a list of the values that are the most important to you and stick these up on the fridge or a place where you can be reminded of them on a daily basis. In learning to look after our mental health, we first have to accept that it’s OK (and normal) to sometimes feel ‘down in the dumps’. But we’re aiming for more ‘highs’ in life and there are a number of ways you can achieve this: • Talk to others and see your family and friends regularly.
Connecting with others is crucial for your wellbeing. • Aim to learn a new skill. It will raise your self-esteem, boost you confidence and help you build a sense of purpose. Did you know that people who have a sense of purpose generally tend to live longer than those who don’t? Perhaps when we believe our life has meaning, we tend to take better care of ourselves. • Look to help others. Acts of kindness and giving can provide an enormous boost to your mental wellbeing by giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth, creating a sense of reward and helping you connect with people and impart your own knowledge and experience. Giving is receiving as they say. • Stay active! It’s not only important for your physical health, but it can also improve your mental wellbeing.
Once you start seeing results from physical activity (improved health, losing weight, feeling stronger etc) you’ll naturally begin to feel better about yourself.
3 WAYS TO DEAL WITH ‘BLUE MONDAY’
Blue Monday (the third Monday of January) is supposedly one of the most depressing days of the year. So rather than dwell on the negative, here are three ideas on seeking out those positive vibes… 1. Pick up the phone and call a friend. Have a good old chin wag, get a few things off your chest and arrange a date to catch up over a cuppa. It’s good to have something to look forward to. 2. Talking of having something to look forward to, plan your next getaway adventure! It could be a mini weekend getaway or a week in the sun this summer. A bit of research and planning will give you plenty to look forward to. 3. Spend time in nature – go for a walk, listen to the birds and just ‘be’.
A walk outdoors can greatly enhance your sense of wellbeing, boost your immunity and encourage you to be more mindful – something we all need.
