If you’ve not felt a bit unsettled or not like yourself over the last couple of years, please know that you’re not alone. The global pandemic has had a lasting impact on mental health, and has changed the way many people live their lives. Throw in the cost of living crisis, climate change and other global events and it becomes even clearer why many people haven’t returned to ‘normal’ by the end of this year.
There could also be personal issues affecting your health and wellbeing. From having children to dealing with illness, injury, or family/work issues – it can all take its toll. And while it’s not possible to predict what’s going to happen over the coming year, it is possible to try and get yourself back on track so that you can have a better year for yourself.
While many people start the new year with a ‘new year, new me’ mantra, this doesn’t have to be the approach you take. Simply finding ways to take better care of yourself and find the joy in life can help you get the new year off to a better start, and help you feel more like yourself again.
Make 2023 the year you get back on track with some of the following ideas to take better care of yourself.
Stop dwelling on the past
The past couple of years have been extremely difficult, but with events like the pandemic largely behind us, it’s time to shake off what has been and focus on the future instead. Dwelling on the past will stop you from moving forward, which can stop you from welcoming positive changes into your life.
Learn to stop dwelling on the past, so you can finally move on and start enjoying life again.
Make a list of positive things you’d like to achieve this year
It’s always good to start a new year with some goals. January feels like the time for a fresh start, which can give you the motivation to achieve different things. Writing goals doesn’t have to be a set of resolutions that will crumble within a few weeks, instead focus on some of the things you would like to achieve this year that you can work toward over time.
From getting a promotion to travel, note down some of the positive things you’d like to experience this year and work towards achieving them.
Focus on creating a routine that helps you make better use of your time
Getting yourself into a routine is a great way to move forward and make more time for the things that matter. If you’ve been feeling sluggish or lacking motivation lately, you’ll be surprised at the difference a new routine can make to your life.
Your daily routine should help you fit in the things you need to do, helping you become more organized at work and home, so that life becomes a little less stressful. Having a routine can help you feel like you’re on top of things, which is important when you’ve got a lot of life juggling to do.
With your routine in place, you should find that it takes you less time and energy to do certain tasks. This should free up some of your time so you can do more of the things you enjoy, while also taking time to take care of yourself.
Seek professional help where needed to deal with your issues
If you’ve been struggling with some personal issues, it can feel as though there’s no end to your problems. From becoming dependent on drinking to processing the death of a loved one – not all problems are easy to overcome by yourself.
Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step towards overcoming it. From there, you can seek inpatient alcohol rehab, therapy or other treatments from professionals to help you through your problems so you can move on with your future. It’s not easy to admit you need help, but if you’ve been struggling, it’s important to find support from those who can help you through it.
Make more time for the people who lift you up
After spending a lot of time at home in recent years, it’s normal to have created distance between friends or family you would have seen regularly before. Many people are still finding their feet and redeveloping their social lives, but the more you throw yourself into plans and see the people you care about, the more normal things will start to feel.
Friendships are important for health and wellbeing, and spending time with people who lift you can make a big difference to your mental health. Make time for people who you enjoy spending time with and make you feel good – that feeling can bring you a lot of happiness and make you feel more like yourself.
Set new career challenges for yourself
Your career can have a big impact on how you feel. If you feel as though your career has become stagnant, or you’re not enjoying your job as much as you used to, then it’s time to think about making a change.
Start the new year by setting some career challenges for yourself. Not only will this help give you some drive and determination, but it can help boost your motivation at work. Taking pride in what you do and finding a purpose can work wonders for your wellbeing, and can make work much more enjoyable too.
Spend more time offline
Most of us are guilty of spending too much time online. But if you find yourself spending more time on social media than connecting with people in the real world, it could be time to make a change.
Social media can have a big impact on mental health. And while you might like to use it to get some ideas and inspiration, it’s easy for it to become a place for comparison and feeling negative about your own life. Taking a step back and getting some perspective could help you realize what’s important in life, as well as getting to live it instead of existing through a screen.
Make a promise to yourself to bring your screen time down to see if there’s a difference in your mental health and wellbeing.
Make exercise something you enjoy and feels like some ‘you’ time
Exercise is important, and even if you hate it, it’s something you need to do to help you stay healthy. But just because you hate the general idea of exercise, it doesn’t mean you can’t get active in a way you enjoy.
There are a lot of different ways to get active, and if you’re someone who hates the gym, you can try other workout activities that will help you get active while having fun.
The key to staying active is to find an activity you can enjoy, that helps you take some time out of your day to yourself. The endorphins you get from being active will boost your mood, and you’ll notice changes in your strength and energy levels that will help you stay motivated.
Have a clear-out and get your home organized
A new year is a great excuse for a clear-out. It gives you the chance to get rid of the things that you no longer love and care for, as well as those that cause bad feelings and memories.
A clear-out can also help you make your home a lot easier to keep clean and organized. This will help you save time on housework, but it can also make your home feel like a more relaxing place to be in.
Eat healthier for better energy and to break routine
Many people turn to food when they’re stressed or feeling low – it’s called comfort food, after all. But eating too many of the wrong foods can exasperate some problems such as being overweight, lacking energy, and being susceptible to colds and viruses. Making some changes to your eating habits will make a big difference in how you feel about yourself, and help you look healthier on the outside too.
Make some small changes to your eating habits that will boost your energy and give you what you need to make it through the day.
Learn to treat yourself
It’s important to treat yourself now and then. A little treat can boost your mood, but it can also help reward you for working hard and making it through tricky periods.
Why not start the new year by giving yourself a makeover to help you shake off the past year and feel fresh and ready to embrace a new one?
Always be kind to yourself
Finally, one way to help you get back on track is to be kinder to yourself. Whether that’s banishing negative thoughts to making more time for the things you love, you need to start putting yourself first and celebrating how great you are. The world could always use some more kindness, so why not start by being kinder to yourself?