Therapist-Approved New Year’s Resolutions
The end of the year is upon us. Many people use the transition into the new year as an opportunity for self-reflection and for committing to new avenues for personal growth. This impulse toward improving ourselves is a lovely one, but I find that it can also become a source of frustration, demoralization, and self-criticism if we don’t approach it thoughtfully.
A lot of the resolutions that we make are unrealistic or self-punitive in nature. Yet when we don’t live up to them, we tend to blame ourselves and see ourselves as failures rather than recognize that the resolution was problematic in the first place. To help you avoid this trap this new year and approach self-growth work in a truly self-caring way, I have compiled a list of therapist-approved New Year’s resolutions that are relatively doable and have demonstrated mental health benefits. Here they are for you to consider:
Get more sleep. Sleep is an essential component of good physical and mental health. According to the Sleep Foundation, our brains process emotional information during sleep which supports stable and positive mood states when we are awake. Research suggests that lack of sleep can bring about or worsen depressive episodes and can trigger anxiety in those who are prone to it, among other mental health consequences. If you are getting less that 7-8 hours of sleep on average per night, working on getting more good quality sleep would likely serve you well. If stress or anxiety are impacting your ability to sleep well, see here for some tips to get you back on track.
Be kind to yourself. Being kind to ourselves when we are struggling, a practice often referred to as self-compassion, has many advantages. Harvard Health notes that people who are kind and nurturing toward themselves experience lower levels of anxiety and depression. People who practice self-compassion also tend to be more resilient, rebound more quickly and effectively from failures, and learn more from mistakes, all of which facilitates success across various areas of our lives. It’s okay if you aren’t naturally self-compassionate (most of us aren’t). It is a skill that can be learned with consistent practice. If relating to yourself with kindness is new to you, see here for some information to help you get started.
Invest in your relationships. Having high-quality, supportive relationships is associated with greater life satisfaction and longevity, whereas social isolation is a risk factor for depression and early death. Experts are coming to the consensus that having strong social connections is as important for our health as eating well, getting enough sleep, and not smoking. Life gets busy and it can be easy to go long periods without connecting with your people. If this is a tendency you fall into, perhaps try to be intentional at maintaining regular contact with the people who are important to you and make you feel good about yourself.
Plan things to look forward to. As reported by the New York Times, research suggests that having things to look forward to or positively anticipate improves our mood, lowers our stress, and increases optimism and motivation in the present. The benefits apply whether you are looking forward to something big, like an international vacation, or to something small, like listening to the newest episode of your favorite podcast. Try planning for and regularly acknowledging upcoming experiences or occasions in your life that you are excited about to give yourself a boost and reinvigorate your enthusiasm for life.
Go to therapy! Obviously I’m a little biased here, but therapy can be a powerful tool for self-growth. Mental Health America reports that the benefits of therapy are many and include greater self-knowledge, ability to navigate life challenges more effectively, healthier habits and coping skills, and more positive mindsets toward life. If you’ve been looking for a therapist to work with, contact me today to see if we would be a good fit.
Whatever you choose to work on for yourself this coming year, give yourself time to make changes and patience and understanding when inevitably progress is not perfectly linear (see number 2!). We can always be learning and growing, so offer yourself permission to enjoy the process rather than focus on getting to a certain destination. You are already enough, and any work you do this new year will just allow you to become more fully and genuinely yourself.
