After surviving the stressful year of 2020, we are all ready for 2021. Everyone needs to find ways to decompress from this anxiety-ridden year. What better way to start the new year than taking steps for a positive and healthy lifestyle? The beginning of the year is the best time to get rid of bad habits, add new steps to your routine, and prioritize your health and wellness. Continue reading for a few tips on how to jumpstart healthy living in 2021!
Meditation and Mindfulness
While meditation is new to some, it originates from 2nd century India and 3rd century China. Meditation is the practice of focusing your mind on a specific object, thought, or activity to improve your attention and awareness. Overall, the goal of mediation is to reach a clear mind, emotional calmness, and mentally stable state. The best way to start meditating is to get comfortable, begin sitting still, focus on your breathing, and continue for several minutes. You can begin practicing mindfulness by being very aware of your senses and feelings without hesitating and judging.
Prioritize Self Care
Self-care allows you to take time to improve
and help your own mental health. Many people put self-care to the side because
they are busy with other responsibilities. By setting aside a specific time to
take care of yourself, feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression can be
reduced. Some ways to practice self-care include going for a walk, cleaning and
organizing, reading, and journaling.
Start a Healthy Mindset
Having a healthy mindset is finding different
ways to grow beyond your thoughts and be more positive. You can start by
accepting you for YOU and having positive affirmations about yourself. Some of
these affirmations include "I am strong," "I am in charge of how I feel," and "I
will not compare myself." Another step towards a healthy mindset is expressing
your feelings to others and focusing on what you can control. A healthy mindset
can help you be happier and more successful in all aspects of your life.
Improve Your Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of healthy living and one of the easiest to change. Poor sleep can lead to negative effects on brain function, cause weight gain, and increase the risk of disease. One way to improve your sleep is to reduce blue light exposure two hours before you go to sleep. Blue light exposure includes smartphones, computers, and TV. Another way to help your sleep is to go to sleep and wake up at consistent times. Your body's circadian rhythm operates on a set schedule so setting times to go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day will improve sleep quality long term.
While "getting healthy" is on many people's
New Year Resolutions lists, it is easier to achieve if it is broken down into
specific goals and tasks. 2021 is the perfect time to jumpstart your health and
wellness journey. By adding these tips to your resolution list, you are setting
yourself up for wellness success.