Are you making wellness a priority in the new year but don’t know where to start? Below is a list of practices to fill your wellness tool kit and build resiliency this year.
But first, let’s talk about what it means to be well and how you can achieve it.
What is wellness?
Wellness—feeling good in your mind and body—happens when your physical, mental, and emotional health runs optimally. You sleep better, have more energy, and experience meaningful relationships. Your thinking is clearer, you live longer, and are more resistant to stress and anxiety. Sounds like something to aim for, right?
The fuel that drives wellness is practice: Make a good choice over and over again and it becomes a habit.
Shakespeare understood that choice is the key to change: “Our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners,” he wrote in the tragedy of Othello.
In other words, willpower creates a force of habit (an automatic response).
When we practice wellness, we use willpower to reframe a negative thought impeding a positive behavior. The body will follow where the mind leads.
Wellness changes your brain
People who study the brain have long understood the mind and body connection.
In a 2018 Medium article, Dr. Lawrence Choy wrote, “We now have substantial scientific evidence that explains how wellness habits promote our brain to change and rewire itself through a lifelong process termed Neuroplasticity.”
This is an exciting revelation to those of us who struggle with negative self-talk, fear, anxiety, and are stuck in patterns of behavior that are not serving us. We just need to force a little brain rewiring through practice.
Start slow and build momentum
To figure out where to start your practice, focus on an area you need to strengthen. Or, try one suggestion for each category that sounds fun. Start slow and build up. Doing too much at once is overwhelming and a recipe for failure.
Remember that your garden needs continual attention to grow and thrive—wellness requires lifelong maintenance.
6 practices for better physical health
- Exercise daily for 30 minutes to an hour. Experiment until you find something you enjoy.
- Stretching or yoga for short periods (10 to 15 minutes) each morning increases energy and flexibility, reducing your risk of injury.
- Drinking enough water is vital to a healthy body. Schedule your water intake or get a motivational water bottle and plan to finish it each day.
- Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables and limits processed foods. Keep a daily log for accountability. Blu Haven’s nutritionist can create a strategy that works best for you and your body.
- Get adequate sleep on a regular schedule. Limit screen time before sleep.
- Get regular medical checkups.
8 practices for better mental health
- Seek support from a therapist. A therapist uncovers hidden feelings and thoughts and can guide you on your wellness journey.
- Meditate and become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.
- Start a wellness journal. Oprah’s website has a set of prompts to help you start.
- Practice positive self-talk by reframing negative thoughts. Turn “I can’t” into “I can, I am capable, and I will.”
- Learn a new skill. Being interested in something is an immediate mood lifter.
- Cultivate your creativity. Take an online class or check out your local community center.
- Plan tomorrow today. Schedule how you will spend your time. The old adage, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” is usually true.
- Organize your environment by making your bed in the morning and putting things away after using them. Organizing your environment can help you organize your mind.
6 practices for better emotional health
- Surround yourself with positive people who are emotionally mature and make you a better person.
- Maintain and strengthen friendships. Don’t wait to be asked; be an initiator and schedule activities or conversations.
- Connect to the world. Join a meetup in your area: look for a hiking or walking group or, if you want a more cerebral connection, find a writing or book group. Advocate for an issue you care about.
- Cultivate compassion by volunteering in your community.
- Practice listening to hone empathy and become a better communicator.
- Practice gratitude and acknowledge the good things in your life.
Practicing wellness is how to reach your full potential. And the truth is, you deserve to feel good.
What practice will you commit to in 2023 to feel better in your body and mind?
Support and guidance are a phone call away. Whether you need help building deeper relationships, understanding patterns of thoughts and behaviors, or creating a nutrition plan, we are here to help. Set up a discovery call today.