Healthy Habits for the Whole Year, Not Just the New Year!
How Setting Appropriate Goals Will Keep Your Health On Track
It’s the middle of February and your New Year’s resolutions seem to be juuuust hanging on (or dare I say, done?!?). The darker evenings may be impacting your mood, your unwanted holiday weight could be continuing to hang on, and sleep seems to be impossible with your busy schedule. You hear that you should be walking 10,000 steps/day, eating balanced meals, getting 8+ hours of sleep, and etcetera etcetera…but how does one have the time and energy? In my therapy sessions with clients at Blue Skies Brain Health, we look at realistic options to optimize holistic health without creating a feeling of falling behind or discouragement because the goals are too big. I’ve outlined different areas of health below and ways that you can work on your health without having a to-do list longer than last month (January) felt!
Mental Health:
Mental health is the piece of holistic health that is often the reason behind beginning therapy. There are many mental health symptoms and disorders that are represented in people but with it being the winter months, anxiety and depression often see an uptick. If you already attend therapy or have researched mental health, you will often hear the words “coping mechanisms”. Coping mechanisms are strategies that you can use to help alleviate mental health symptoms, but, keep in mind that there can be both healthy and unhealthy options! Examples of mechanisms that lean more on the unhealthy side can include isolation, substance misuse, or avoidance of feelings. I encourage you as you work on your holistic health to consider options that would lean towards the healthy side. Healthy options also include benefits that tie in with other areas of health such as deep breathing, journaling, clean eating, and getting some vitamin D from the sun. Going to therapy is also a healthy coping mechanism!
Physical Health:
Exercising and eating clean has its health benefits as it releases endorphins, aids in quality sleep, helps with your brain health, and can reduce stress, but keeping up with our physical health can often feel the most daunting. It may seem that in order to be physically healthy, you have to go to the gym for 2 hours every morning and only eat vegetables and protein. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Yes those are healthy habits but that is a more extreme lifestyle change and could lead to burnout. What is one healthy way you can incorporate a new physical health practice in your everyday life? A few of my strategies include taking 15 minute walks outside for some steps and sunshine, choosing water instead of a second or third cup of coffee, and swimming once a week to help my joints and strength. I encourage you to choose something you enjoy so you can continue this habit throughout the year!
Emotional Health:
Emotional health is associated with how we feel about ourselves and how we accept feelings. Negative self-talk is one area of emotional health and is an incredibly hard area to
overcome, but it impacts our holistic health so extensively that it needs to be considered when working on ourselves. Social media has grown in the past years and with that comes comparison. It can be easy to think “they have their life together and they’re younger than me” or “why do they seem to have it all but I don’t?”. When these thoughts creep in, our emotional health suffers. A way to work on positive self talk is to use the Thought Stopping method. Thought stopping includes either internally or out loud saying the word “Stop!” when a negative thought occurs (you can say it as many times as you need), and replacing the thought with a more positive statement about yourself. Being kind to yourself will only help your health!
Social Health:
With busy work weeks, the kid’s crazy schedules, after work commitments, and just feeling exhausted, our social health is often pushed aside. Weekends can also easily turn into the days where we get our laundry and cleaning done or catch up on personal tasks and weeks turn into months where we haven’t spent time with anyone besides our coworkers and (maybe?) family. Social health is extremely important as that is a way for our cup to get filled, allowing for connection, laughter, and sharing. Even if you lean more introverted, this is still for you! Try finding opportunities with family or friends that allow you to not see this as one more thing on your to-do list. My personal recommendations are meeting up with friends to go for a walk, take a cooking class together, enjoy a picnic outside, or do a long distance book club if your friends don’t live close by! These activities can all be as long or short as you want, won’t deeply impact your finances, and allow you to relax while enjoying some good company.
Spiritual Health:
Spirituality looks different for everybody but relates to purpose. Symptoms of depression can creep in if our purpose and meaning are unknown. Activities such as meditation, mindfulness practices, prayer, spending time in nature, or participating in art are wonderful options to plug into our own spirituality. Engaging in these activities will also promote positive emotions which aid in achieving a more balanced health life.
Financial Health:
Financial health is often an area that is forgotten when thinking about one’s health but I would argue, it is one of the most important. Living costs money and with prices skyrocketing, it can be hard to pay for everything you need. Having a budget is essential when considering financial health and if you don’t have one already, this is an area that can be worked on in therapy. Setting aside even any small amount of money per paycheck for an emergency fund or paying off your debt will aid any feelings of overwhelm you may be experiencing and saving money for a trip or a new pair of shoes can make you feel accomplished.
Are there any other areas of health that you would like to explore? Myself or any other therapist at BSBH would thoroughly enjoy working with you to achieve your optimal health! Find the therapist right for you and schedule your free 15-minute consultation here: Book Now
Want to continue your learning? Learn more here about the 8 Dimensions of Wellness