January seems to be a tough time for many, after the excitement of Christmas and New year people tend to feel a bit down. But... it's just another month! If you can try and change the way you look at January it might make getting through this month a bit easier. Rather than seeing it as a 'dull' month when no one wants to go out and everyone is broke, see it as an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. Having a movie night in or cooking a meal with your loved ones can cost next to nothing and is a really enjoyable evening.
It's a great time to work on yourself. Read the books you've been wanting to read, start journalling and meditating like you say you want to, but never get round to it. Start a new hobby... Yoga is a great for your mental and physical health, it's also really easy to start up at home. Have a look on YouTube for some videos and get started! You won't regret it I promise you, yoga has changed my life.
I asked my sister, who is currently working with the charity Mind as a Wellbeing Practitioner, to put together some tips for wellbeing together for me. We hope you find these helpful!
Set Goals:
Goals provide us with direction and motivation. These objectives must be measurable and within our control, or we will simply set ourselves up for failure. You might want to write down a one-year goal and then break it down into smaller monthly goals to use as stepping stones. What steps can you take to reach your one-year goal? Making our goals too difficult may result in stress and procrastination, so it is crucial to break them down into manageable chunks. For example, if my new year's goal was to find a new job, it would be difficult for me to do so immediately; however, by the end of the month, I may want to set a goal to update my CV and send it out to employers. You could also categorise these goals as personal, social, and professional!
Healthy Habits:
Think of a new habit that you would like to form that will help you move closer to your overall goal. Establishing a habit takes 21 days, and it takes 66 days for it to become automatic. A good tip is to ensure the initial step takes less than ten minutes. For example, I am going to read ten pages of my book before bed, for the first ten days. By assigning a time stamp to these initial actions, you can establish a solid foundation without things feeling too overwhelming and like you ‘don’t have the time’. After 10 days, you might want to build on your habit and work your way up to 20 minutes; this might even come naturally. Mark a checkbox for every day in January on your calendar and monitor your habit to boost your motivation and sense of accomplishment. Connect your habits to the things you do without thinking. For instance, I am less likely to walk for ten minutes if I say I will do so "later" than if I say I will after I get home from work.
Exercise and Diet:
Consider how you feel after eating good food. Food and mood are heavily correlated here are some examples; magnesium is excellent for sleep, zinc is essential for improving cell signalling in the brain, and Ashwagandha is shown to ease moderate anxious responses in the body. You can add these into your diet by eating specific foods or taking supplements.
Excessive exercise will almost certainly make you ill and exhaust you. Consider how you feel after a leisurely walk or a good workout- we often feel a sense of achievement. As humans we live on autopilot, on your walk you may want to practice mindfulness; try picking a colour and on your walk find as many things that colour as you can. Mindfulness is a way of being in the present moment rather than internalising thoughts and worries. Think about ways to incorporate nutrition and health to not only aid your physical health but to nurture your mental health too.
So, implementing some of these tips may help you get through Jan and I think should be taken into consideration all throughout the year! Remember if you're feeling hopeless or down, everything is temporary and these feelings will pass. Talk to your loved ones, be open and honest. My inbox is always open too, Lots of Love
G x
Kommentare