The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on our mental wellbeing in the previous year, what we did well, and what we could improve on going forward. Now is a good time to make some goals for change or positive maintenance for the year ahead.
When we are mentally well, we have feelings we can manage, such as feeling in control of our stress. Think about how you are going to take it down a notch this year. Perhaps this year we can ask for more help, have more downtime, engage in more fun activities, and keep moving our bodies in ways that feel good.
Think about what things you did or didn’t do last year that either took away your energy (so you want to do less of) or gave you energy and joy (and so you want to do more of). Did doing some regular exercise help with your stress levels? Did always saying yes to others drain your energy? Did you do things you enjoyed and that gave you pleasure? How did you wind down? Think about what habits you want to continue because they enhance your life and which ones you want to stop because they are detrimental. Having more social media breaks is important for those trying to study, for example.
Before we all get busy going back to work or school and start getting stressed again, take some time to think about how you are going to care for yourself this year. Am I going to have more time to myself? Am I going to rest more or get more sleep? Am I going to feed my body better?
Once you’ve decided on some wellbeing goals, then work out a plan of how you are going to put them into action. When are you going to care for yourself? What time and day are you going to do your self-care?
Work out what is going to get in the way of you looking after yourself and have a backup plan. For example, if you’re going to try and do some relaxation such as reading a book, taking some breaths, or listening to some soothing music, when will you do this and how do you make sure nothing interferes with this?
Looking after ourselves is crucial if we are caring for others. It’s important to prioritise your self-care and downtime. If we are not mentally well, then it is much harder to care for others. So, prioritise yourself this year.
When we set goals we want to stick to, we have to make sure we can actually achieve them, so be clear on what your goal is and why you want to achieve it (get in touch with your values), how and when you’re going to do it, and what you’ll do if things get in the way of it.
By Dr Vivienne Lewis PhD, University of Canberra
