2022 is here! When we welcome the new year, we also welcome new year resolutions. But how many of us stick to following them? It’s better to make your New Year’s resolutions basic and achievable, according to experts. While having goals might provide a short high, failing to achieve them can make us feel like a failure. People’s anxiety and stress levels may rise as a result of this.
“While some resolutions seem motivating at first but they can put an individual under a lot of pressure later on and create feelings of anxiety and decreased self-esteem. It can be hard for many of us to stay motivated for a long time even when one has chosen a simpler, more realistic goal,” says Maitri Dhingra, Counseling Psychologist at Kaleidoscope- a unit of Dr. Bakshi’s Healthcare
Experts suggest that while physical health is the most common resolution, mental health should take precedence this year. Let us take mental health resolutions and promise to follow them forever.
Mental health resolutions for 2022
Fit, Food, Fabulous
Start your day in 2022 with regular exercise; it’s not about reducing weight; it’s about improving your mood and enhancing the good feelings that your brain produces when you exercise. Don’t forget to maintain a healthy diet while staying active. It is critical to consume healthful, well-balanced foods. You indeed are what you eat, which means that your mood is influenced by your dietary choices. It is really important to stay hydrated. I assure you if you are fit and have well-balanced food, nobody will stop you from being fabulous.
Sleep tight
Establish a regular sleeping schedule. Sleeping for 6-8 hours is ideal, but the quality of sleep is also important. To increase the quality of your sleep, avoid screen time two hours before bedtime and set aside 30-40 minutes for self-care, sometimes known as “me time.” This is your opportunity to indulge in self-care activities or calming and therapeutic hobbies. Some people like taking care of their hair and skin, while others choose to read a lighthearted book, listen to relaxing music, meditate, or write in a diary.
Self healing and mindfulness
Dr. Sonal Anand, Psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, advises that this year, one should prioritize self-healing and resilience to improve mental health.
“Mindfulness is something we should be focussing on this year. Another resolution could be self-forgiveness as a lot of things are not in our hands in the pandemic era and we can’t be responsible for everything, so letting go and forgiving yourself should be the motto this year,” says Dr. Anand.
“Self-healing as a resolution can be beneficial in several ways. One should also work on developing self-awareness in order to become a better person because when you are a better person, things are bound to become better around you,” says Dr. Anand.
Stay in the moment, take each day as it comes, and concentrate on the things you can control to manage uncertainty. Mindfulness and meditation can be quite beneficial. While we cannot control everything that happens to us, we can control how we respond to the circumstance and how we feel about it. We may strengthen ourselves by living in the present moment.
Learn new skills
Develop new skills and push your limits while still relaxing and enjoying your hobbies. Doing what you enjoy will minimize stress, discontent, and boost your mood, as well as benefit your overall mental health in the long run.
Slow down and enjoy
When necessary, take a break. Do things that make you joyful when you’re on vacation. Concentrate on your abilities rather than your limitations. (Alprazolam)
We all need to take some time to relax and unwind. It’s an important aspect of coping with stress and living a happy life. When we do not take the time to calm down, our stress levels might rise to the point where we are unable to function. It is easier to perceive issues and solutions clearly when we are relaxed. It is simpler to deal with tough emotions and to view the wider, brighter picture of things. It’s easier to concentrate on what’s going on right now rather than fretting about the past or the future. Yoga, meditation, and physical activity can help you attain this.
Avoid substances
People today are overworked and overburdened, and they frequently believe that a well-deserved vacation or reward is due. Drugs, on the other hand, make life more stressful in the long run, and many of us fail to perceive this at the moment. Find alternate ways to deal with stress and unwind instead of taking drugs as a reward. Get some exercise, read a good book, volunteer with the less fortunate, or make something. Anything good and calming diverts attention away from the use of medications to alleviate stress.
Pro Tip
We don’t have to think happy all of the time to be in good mental health. Things that are sad or disturbing are a part of life. Problems are unavoidable in life. Good mental health entails seeing things for what they are; it also entails practicing healthy thinking.
Finally, in the year 2022, let us normalize obtaining professional help from a mental health expert and eliminate mental health stigma so that mental health services are easily accessible to everybody.