2023 has officially kicked off and that means making resolutions. Most new year’s resolutions are about physical health—exercising more or eating healthier. These are no doubt great resolutions, but what about your mental health? We often overlook mental health as a priority, but it is just as important. This year to help you focus and improve your well-being, we offer 7 mental health resolutions.
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Why Focusing on Your Mental Health Resolutions is Important
Mental health does matter, it is connected to almost every aspect of our life. Mental health affects everything; relationships with loved ones, career, education, and long-term goals. It encompasses our emotional and psychological well-being and impacts our behaviors, decision-making, and interpersonal skills. Moreover, poor mental health diminishes our ability to be happy and productive.
7 New Year Mental Health Resolutions for 2023
1. Make Sleep a Priority
Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule helps ensure you are attaining enough sleep. According to the CDC, most teens need 8-10 hours of sleep each night and most adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep. A lack of sleep can be a contributing factor to initiating and worsening mental health problems. Maintaining strong cognitive skills like thinking, learning, attention, and memory is dependent on your sleep.
2. Mindful Exercises
Practicing mindfulness can include breathing methods, meditation, writing, yoga, and other practices to relax the body and mind to help reduce stress. Spending too much time planning, thinking negatively, focusing on random thoughts, problem-solving, or even daydreaming can be tiring and draining. This can potentially lead you to experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Practicing mindful exercises helps you engage with the world around you and direct your attention away from the stress of life.
3. Regular Exercise
Even when physical activity isn’t the focus of your resolution, engaging in physical exercise is important to improving your mental health. Exercise can boost your mood in multiple ways. It changes the balance of chemicals in your brain, releasing serotonin and endorphins, and makes you feel better. It can also help free you from negative thoughts. It provides a safe opportunity to release your frustrations in a healthy way. Exercise is a great way to improve your physical and mental health at the same time.
4. Eating Healthy
As the adage goes – garbage in, garbage out. The food that you eat fuels you and energizes your body. The types of nutrients you receive impact the function of your mind and body. Making sure you get a well-balanced nutritious diet can help you improve your mental health. Avoid sugar and caffeine. Instead, consume whole foods like fish, eggs, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt.
5. Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol addiction can be dangerous. Addiction can negatively impact your life and relationships with friends and family. When you become addicted to a substance, your brain’s chemical makeup is altered making you dependent on the substance. Alcohol consumption can trigger or worsen mental illness symptoms, causing a range of negative emotions. This is for better overall health, set some goals for reducing alcohol in your life.
6. Try Something New
Be spontaneous. Do something new that you might enjoy. Maybe try getting a massage or going to the spa. Enjoy some time at an unfamiliar waterpark or a beach. Go snowboarding or sledding. Try making pottery or playing a video game. These new experiences can give you a chance to explore something new, engaging your mind in new ways and helping to improve your mental health.
7. Ask for Help
Managing your mental health can be difficult sometimes. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others to receive the support you need. You are not alone in this. You can talk to your family and friends or join group or individual therapy.
Improve Your Well-being with Modern Psych
Mental health is important and should be a priority. It’s essential to personal well-being and interpersonal relationships. If you are suffering from a mental illness, you can seek help. Modern Psychiatry and Wellness is among the leading providers of mental health and addiction services in Ohio. Our team provides personalized support and treatments. Check out our services to learn more.
