A new year and making New Year’s resolutions go hand-in-hand for a lot of us. After the hustle and bustle of the festive season is the perfect time to reflect on life, and what you would like out of your future. While this can sometimes lead to unrealistic goals or some unseen pressure, think of resolutions as new goals that prioritize your health and wellness to be on your terms. Once you see it as more of a reorganization than a daunting new undertaking, it might feel more possible to tackle.
As we roll into 2024, let’s look at some new routines and habits that will help you to feel good—no, great!—about yourself. Start small, and remember: It’s not necessary or possible to do everything all at once. Start with one thing and watch the snowball effect take place.
1. Disconnect. Doing a little social media detox is one of the best things you can do for yourself. According to “the Statistics Canada study “Canadians’ assessments of social media in their lives,” among all social media users aged 15 to 64, about one-fifth reported that in the previous 12 months, they had lost sleep (19%), done less physical activity (22%), or had trouble concentrating on tasks or activities (18%) as a result of their social media use. Around one in eight users (12% to 14%) reported feeling anxious or depressed, frustrated or angry, or envious of the lives of others.”
Solid sleep, a good exercise routine, and eliminating anxiety-inducing behaviours are at the top of our list for giving yourself some love mentally and physically. Getting off Instagram, Facebook, etc. is your first step towards those healthy habits that will help you feel better, which results in more energy and a positive attitude towards life in order to embrace what you have and make your life what you want it to be.
2. Practice mindfulness. And we mean practice, because being grateful for everything you have in the moment can be difficult sometimes. We let our past weigh on us and agonize over the future far too often. Doing one thing at a time helps with this. When we are fully engaged with the task at hand, we can even glean more enjoyment from it rather than being torn in five different directions and not accomplishing anything to our liking. Being right here, right now, will not only help you appreciate more but it’s a cyclical effect: the more you grateful for, the more you feel you have and less you’ll be looking for outward gratification and approval. And voilà, you’ll be feeling the best version of you in no time.
A few ways to practice mindfulness include:
· Give thanks daily whether through meditation, yoga or journaling! Find more tips on practicing daily gratitude for the benefit of health and wellbeing here.
· Journaling for perspective, to lower blood pressure, and boost your immunity.
· Make little routines for big impact. For example: Don’t hit snooze, try a morning gratitude session to start your day. Another good way to endcap the day is an evening routine that includes turning all screens off at least an hour before bedtime.
3. Routines we love for whole body wellness include:
· Streamlined skincare with fewer products, but ones that really replenish your skins moisture and specific needs. Don’t feel like you need to cover up; rather, accentuate what you’ve got with a carefully curated skincare collection!
· Prioritize sleep with a reasonable bed time, bedding that you can’t wait to crawl into, and proper support from your mattress and pillow.
· Declutter regular. When are space isn’t cluttered, our mind feels more open and receptive. Try it!
4. Read more books. Stop the doom scrolling right. Now; and that includes newspapers! Reading is reading you might say, but there’s a significant difference between the bite-sized blurbs on social media and constant influx of news that usually isn’t great, and a real book. Something truly engaging (read: distracting!) with the ability to transport you somewhere entirely different is powerful. Bonus points: make meaningful connections with likeminded souls by creating a book club!
5. Do something for you on the regular. Whether it’s joining a club or even starting your own! Exercizing your brain AND your body regularly, treating yourself to a spa service, coffee with a friend, honing a new skill—the list is endless! You know deep down what brings you joy. Make just 5 minutes a day for it and soon you’ll find that time can stretch a little, or at the very least, it’ll boost you through your To Dos.
Like your skincare that highlights your best features, finding what you love about your environment, relationships, and ultimately, about yourself, will help you find more joy in everything you do! You’ll feel better, and as they say, start ‘living your best life’.
