Are you ready for a change? It does not have to be New Year’s to have a resolution! Along with a new year comes a flood of resolutions and a list of how people will make this year different and better than the past. A sure way to make this year better is to focus on your mental health! When you focus on your mental health, the rest of your life improves drastically. It is not a coincidence! Because of this, I have outlined five resolutions to better your mental health!
1 | Make Self-Care a Priority
Taking care of yourself is what allows you to take care of everything and anything else in life. Those moments in life when we tell ourselves, “I just do NOT have time to take care of myself right now” are when your body is screaming at you for some self-love. It is time to make self-care a priority in your life. There are many ways to practice self-care and to make it part of your daily routine: staying hydrated, exercising, using your gratitude journal, sleeping enough, and so on. Here is a PDF with 10 free and easy ways to practice if you need some suggestions! I also have a self-care kit that comes in handy for those times when you know you need self-care but have no idea what to do (I made a checklist here for you to create your own)! Remember, self-care is about listening to what you need.
“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” – Audre Lorde
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2 | Evaluate and Nourish Relationships
Evaluate your current relationships. Are you in a toxic relationship? Have you been practicing people-pleasing behavior? Are your personal rights being acknowledged? It is important to evaluate all areas of our lives to get a better sense of what is working and what is not. Relationships are no different. Reflect on how the person, and relationship, make you feel and impact your wellbeing.
After evaluating your relationships you are able to nurture your relationships. This includes being there for our loved ones, showing gratitude to them, checking in on them, and sending our love and motivation. Positive relationships in life help us thrive and grow, inspire us, and help us make our way through life with a little more ease and support.
3 | More Gratitude
Gratitude is vital to our mental health because we are recognizing what blessings we have in life and shining a light on them. There are so many beautiful reasons to be grateful in life. Not only that, but there are so many ways to practice gratitude! I even made this PDF filled with ways to practice gratitude and wrote an article about a short daily gratitude practice! Some days it is harder to find the gratitude than others, that is okay. More gratitude includes finding blessings in disguise and taking on an optimistic mindset! Gratitude also has benefits to our health! By adding more gratitude you will be finding more reasons to be grateful every day.
“Everyday may not be good, but there is good in every day.” Click To Tweet
4 | Talk About Mental Health
Talking about mental health will not only help you but help others as well. Mental health is something everyone has and mental illness is something 1 in 4 people experience. It is important to emphasize how important mental health is to our overall well-being. By normalizing the talk of mental health- whether it be talking about therapy, self-care methods, or our feelings- we are breaking the stigma mental health holds. Being able to talk about our experiences lets others know they are not alone and that mental health is important!
5 | Ask for Help
It is okay to not be okay. But, we need to be able to let others know we are not okay and ask for help. I have found that using a codeword with a support is a wonderful way to ask for help when you are having a hard time doing so! Here I list several resources for help that may be useful for you or a loved one including online support, call centers, support groups, and so on. I also wrote an article on taking off the “I’m fine” mask to really let your loved ones know what is going on. I am a huge fan of therapy and group therapy and you can even read my tips on how to get the most out of therapy. You should feel proud of yourself for asking for help and remember there is always help for you!
It is always the right time for resolutions with mental health! If you need help staying motivated for these wonderful resolutions read some motivation tips here! What helps you prioritize your mental health? Please comment and let me know what you think of my resolutions as well! ! If you know someone who could benefit from this article, please show you care and share the bear! Be sure to sign up for my emails and follow on social media to get the most of the positive world of Brightside Bear!
