6 Self-Care Tips For Your New Year’s Resolution

It’s January 1st, which means you’re probably planning your resolutions for 2024. Whether you’re looking to lose a little weight, carve out time in your schedule for new hobbies, or clean out your house, all the goals you’ll set relate to your mental and physical well-being. After all, now is the best time to start caring for your mind and body, so don’t let it down. Here are six simple yet effective self-care tips to include in your New Year’s resolutions.

Prioritize Sleep

One of the first steps to improving your health is establishing a sleep schedule, aiming to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Anything less than seven hours increases your risk of mood swings, a slower reaction time, and getting sick. In the long term, getting enough sleep helps decrease your risk of developing chronic health conditions like heart disease or diabetes. You can start prioritizing sleep by practicing good sleep hygiene, including habits like having a glass of tea before bed and not using your phone when you get in bed.

Establish a Routine

Structure is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. While it’s not always possible to stick to the same daily routine, having an outline to follow is useful as you work to improve your health. Not only does a routine help you manage stress more effectively, but it also makes it easier to allocate your time for exercise, healthy eating, and a work-life balance. Routines are especially beneficial for people with conditions like anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Use a paper or digital planner, or write down your day in a central location in your home to start getting used to your routine.

Set Realistic Health Goals

When making New Year’s resolutions or setting any type of goals in general, you need to make them realistic. Having unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration and disappointment, so it’s important to celebrate your accomplishments – no matter how small they may seem. Try using the SMART formula as you begin to write down your goals:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Stay Connected

Humans thrive when we have social connections with family and friends – or even a stranger at a grocery store. That’s why making an effort to nurture your relationships is so essential. Engaging with others boosts your mood, gives a sense of belonging, and improves your body’s ability to recover from illnesses or mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. It also allows you to create a better social support system. The more people you connect to and trust, the more people you have to assist you when in need. Since COVID-19, our world has acclimated to a rise in virtual connection rather than only relating to others in person. Although staying in touch with the people you love via Facebook or Instagram is more convenient than meeting for dinner, having a healthy balance between the two is important.

Get Active

What’s one of the best things you can do to boost your energy, mood, and overall health? Getting active. Physical activity fuels all the other lifestyle changes we’ve talked about so far, but especially reducing your risk of a stroke, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, arthritis, and mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. However, while any exercise is better than none, not everyone’s body can do the same thing. Find workouts that are feasible for your body, schedule, and level of motivation, and aim to participate in them at least moderately for 30 minutes a day.

Schedule Your Annual Checkup

It’s easy to fall behind on regular doctor’s appointments, especially when life gets busy. However, scheduling your annual checkup with all your healthcare providers. These appointments act as preventative care because they are the perfect opportunity to catch potential health issues before they escalate. With mental health care, meeting regularly with a psychiatric nurse practitioner is a necessary part of medication management.

Don’t have a provider? Call us! At Balance Psychiatric Services, we have an entire team of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners who are ready to help.