5 New Year's Resolutions for Your Mental Health
Are you tired of hearing about the same boring new year’s resolutions, year after year?
This year, set some goals that will actually make you feel better.
Here at KMA Therapy, we know how frustrating resolutions can be. We’ve gathered these five effective resolutions to help you create positive change and feel better in your life.
After reading this article, you’ll have five new ideas on how to set yourself up for success next year.
5 Resolutions to Boost Mental Health in the New Year
These five resolutions can help you boost your mental health in the new year.
1. Change how you speak to yourself
It’s easy to berate yourself every time you do something wrong - but this year, it’s time for that to change.
Speaking to yourself with compassion is related to lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Make a resolution to speak to yourself more kindly - when you make a mistake, give yourself the same compassion (and words of encouragement) you’d give to a close friend.
Self-compassion can boost feelings of happiness, connectedness, optimism, and even curiosity - so if you’re looking for any of those themes next year, it’s a great place to start.
2. Create a better sleep schedule
Was this year full of restless nights and doom-scrolling until 3am?
Make a resolution to improve your sleep schedule.
When creating your sleep resolution, consider these questions:
- What’s your ideal sleeping environment?
- What’s preventing you from getting enough sleep?
- What do you often do right before you go to sleep?
- How many hours of sleep do you need each night?
- Is your diet or your exercise routine impacting your sleep?
Sleep holds so many benefits for your physical and mental health - so this resolution is worth it.
3. Practice gratitude every day
What are you grateful for?
Gratitude is talked about so often because it’s a simple yet effective way to change your perspective and bolster your mental health.
Practising gratitude can:
- Lower your risk of major depression and anxiety
- Lower your risk of alcohol and drug use
- Improve your relationships
- Help you to sleep better
- Reduce your stress
To get a head start on this resolution, make a list of 23 things that happened this year that you’re grateful for.
4. Volunteer for a cause you care about
Volunteering can help lower stress, anger, and anxiety - and it just feels good to give back to your community.
Find a volunteer activity that sounds fun to you, and figure out a way to incorporate it into your monthly schedule.
5. Set better boundaries
Healthy relationships thrive on boundaries - so if you consider yourself a people-pleaser, setting boundaries can be a fantastic resolution for all areas of your life.
Boundaries can help you:
- Ease stress
- Avoid burnout
- Maintain your finances
- Build and maintain trust
- Improve your relationships
Next Steps to Start the Year Strong
After reading this article, you have five new resolutions to set you up for success next year.
Here at KMA Therapy, we know it can be helpful to have some extra support when reaching your goals - and getting started is as easy as filling out our registration form.
If you’re looking for more information, you can also download our Therapy 101 Guide.
If you’d prefer to keep reading, explore these articles to learn more:
