New Year, New You? Tips for looking after yourself in 2019
The beginning of a new year is typically a time of reflection and goal setting. Did you set any resolutions? Have you achieved any yet? Have you decided against any? During this time of reflection it may helpful to go back to basics and assess your level of self-care. Self-care strategies are essential to help maintain mental and physical wellbeing. With these essentials taken care of, you lay the foundations for achieving your goals, and you will then be set to take on 2019. This blog will share some important tips to managing your self-care, beginning with three key basics for wellbeing.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep quality is largely associated with mood. Maintaining a stable mood is likely to give you more resilience against stressors. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to maximise your sleep. A few tips to help with this include:
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. This may seem a bit rough on weekends! Absolutely - enjoy a few sleep-ins and the joys of not setting an alarm. However, if you are able to maintain some semblance of sleeping routine, your body clock will start to help you fall asleep and wake up naturally during the week. In doing this, your sleep quality will improve and you will be able to make the most of those days off.
Develop sleeping routines. Start developing some daily habits that you engage in before going to bed. This may include drinking a herbal tea (caffeine free is best), meditating, stretching your muscles, or listening to some relaxing music. Doing these same activities each night before bed will trigger your brain into winding down and getting ready for sleep.
Use your bed only for sleeping and sex. It is really common for people to use bed to watch movies or TV shows, read, scroll through social media, or Skype loved ones. Sometimes this can be unavoidable due to your living space. The problem is that the brain can then become confused when you then try to sleep in this same environment. If you can try to work, read, or watch TV in other areas of the house, or even on the floor, your sleep will be better for it.
Eat A Wide Range of Nutritious Foods
This is always a good thing to keep in mind because when we don’t eat good food, we don’t feel good either. Even making slight changes to your diet can have big impacts and help improve or stabilise your mood. It can also help your immune system, resilience, and energy levels and help you to think more clearly. Enjoy the treats that celebrations bring, but where you can, try the following:
Load up on leafy greens
Incorporate as many vegetables as you can into your diet
If you eat meat, stick to lean varieties such as fish or chicken
If you don’t eat meat, try eggs, tofu or legumes
Drink as much water as you can
Have healthy snacks on hand to prevent unhealthy binge eating later on
Exercise
In the same ways that sleep and a healthy diet can, keeping active has also been shown to have many benefits for mental and physical wellbeing. If you are experiencing low mood, moving your body may feel like the last thing you want to do, but is one of the best things you can do to improve how you feel. Exercise can also help boost your self-esteem; it can increase your energy levels, improve memory, help with relaxation, sleep quality and even improve your sex life. Staying active does not have to be a chore - incorporating any activity into your day can be helpful. If the gym isn’t for you, try dancing, bouncing on the trampoline, skipping, going for a bike ride or swimming at the beach.
Once you have these three staples of self-care taken care of you will be well set up. Rejuvenating your mind and body through self-care will help you to face challenges with more resilience, and achieve goals you have set for yourself.
Some other self-care tips ideas in addition to sleep, diet and exercise include:
Disconnect and unplug – turn off electronic devices and unwind
Relax – rejuvenate your body and mind with massage, meditation, visualisation or yoga
Be grateful – make a list of all the things that bring you joy
Clean and tidy up – organise your space for a clearer mind and gain a sense of achievement
Read – escape the daily grind and read a book or listen to an audio book on your commute to work
Take a hot shower or bath – embrace the time to yourself and notice the feeling of the warm water against your body
Adjust and commit to your plans – try not to over commit yourself to events purely because people invite you. Say yes to events that bring you joy, commit to them, and enjoy yourself
Breathe – practice deep breathing from your diaphragm to help calm your mind and even decrease physical symptoms of anxiety
Brush your teeth and floss – simple hygiene can sometimes make the difference in freshening your body and your mind
Call loved ones – spend time reconnecting with those important to you
Celebrate – no reason required
Clench fist or squeeze your hands, and then release them – notice the difference in the feeling between tense and relaxed
Create a timeline of your goals with stepping stones to achieve them
Drink a cup of tea
Eat a hearty breakfast
Use positive self talk – for example, “Today is going to be great”
Clear your inbox – declutter your online life in the same way you would declutter your environment
Learn and study something you’ve always wanted to – read, listen to podcasts, do research or an online course
Cook or bake yourself your favourite food or as a gift to someone else
Make your bed and notice how much clearer you feel in your mind
Write in a journal – make a note of your thoughts, feelings and observations
Observe your digital behaviour
Reconnect with friends that you have not seen or spoken to
Show compassion for other people or animals
Stretch your muscles
Write a to-do list – this can give you small goals to work towards and contribute to feelings of mastery and achievement
Observe the world around you
Pat or cuddle a dog
Smell something nice like a candle or incense
Take time out for yourself to recharge – you deserve it!
