Why do people choose the new year to make positive changes?
New Year’s resolutions go back to 2000 BC, in which the Babylonians would celebrate the New Year as the beginning of their new farming season and would make promises such as returning borrowed farm equipment, as Catherine Boeckmann explains.
Some thousands of years later, when the Romans began to celebrate New Year in January, they would make religious promises for good behaviour for the year ahead.
These traditions of making promises or deals to ourselves have continued to the current day.
However, many people criticise themselves when they fall short of these expectations – considering the New Year begins at the height of when most people are out of routine, on holiday, or recovering from the Christmas period, it can be a difficult time to uphold new rules we have set for ourselves. It’s important to go easy and start small – and remember that lifestyle changes are built over a matter of months or years, not overnight!
What is well-being?
well-being is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days as people attempt to prioritise their health in a world that seems to move at an exponentially rapid pace – between maintaining work, friendships, home duties, raising children, managing money, exercising hobbies and attempting to find downtime in amongst it all, people are consistently brainstorming ways to maintain a semblance of health and well-being during it all. However, well-being does not refer to the complete absence of illness, stress, or hardship. Rather, it encompasses an ability to be resilient to challenges, partake in work, relationships and life with mostly joy and ease, and recover from setbacks in a healthy way. You may be experiencing health or interpersonal challenges, but maintaining the enjoyment of life and overall ability to continue to partake in activities that make one happy is the ultimate through-line of wellness.
The link between physical health and mental well-being
Physical and mental health have historically been treated as separate issues, but the more we learn about the brain and body connection, the more we begin to treat the mind and body as one instead of separate. Mental well-being – that we see as being resilient, maintaining a mostly positive attitude, and being able to cope well with stress – has a positive impact on our physical health and lifespan. This is because people who mentally well tend to have more motivation to address physical and lifestyle changes that will impact their health positively, as well as make better lifestyle decisions that starve off disease. Furthermore, there is recent research that people who think “positively” or have good resilience skills actually recover more quickly from acute injury or illness. Our physical health has a more distinct impact on our mental health, too. Things like good sleep and consistent movement are absolutely imperative to maintaining a good mood and lower stress levels. In terms of ill health, having a physical health condition that is detrimental to one’s daily life, or experiencing somatic pain, can have a drastic effect on someone’s mood and level of happiness. This is why it’s important to consider either both aspects of health – the mind and the body – when one seems to be going awry. We have compiled a list of tangible New Years’ Resolutions to get your overall health and well-being back on track for 2023.
10 Resolutions to improve your well-being
1. Move your body more
You don’t have to set crazy exercise expectations like going to the gym five times a week to be healthier – you can start slow and easy, as any kind of movement you do is good for your body and brain! It can be as simple as committing to walking with a friend each week, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or trying a new exercise class you think maybe fun.
2. Dedicate time to rest
We forget about the importance of rest in this fast-moving world. And that doesn’t mean just quality sleep – it means periods of time you are awake but doing something restful for your body or brain. This can be as simple as watching some TV with a loved one, settling in with a book without distractions, or taking a long time to eat a delicious dinner without rushing it or being distracted at the same time. Rest allows us to process our day and reconnect with ourselves.
3. Less screen time
Screens are addictive! If you find yourself spending too much time in front of the TV or on your phone, when time seems to evaporate, commit to spending less time in front of the screen by replacing it with something else – maybe this means picking up a book instead of your phone at night, or replacing scrolling social media with a walk and chat to a friend on the phone.
4. Improve the quality of sleep
Sleep is an imperative part of our health and well-being. If you’re not hitting your 7-8 hours a night, or feeling lethargic in the morning, try improving the quality of your sleep. Try to reduce screen time and food intake for at least an hour before lights-out, and make sure your room is dark (you could invest in an eye mask), cool, and quiet. Start a soothing pre-bedtime ritual by using soft light and trying some gentle stretching and deep breathing before you try to sleep.
5. Talk about your feelings
Keeping feelings bottled up is a fast track to ill mental health. Talking to a trusted friend, partner, or family member if you’re feeling down is an important way to share the load of your emotions and get perspective on how you’re feeling. Feeling supported and heard is an important part of feelings of belonging – an imperative part of well-being. Speaking to a medical professional is also an invaluable way to build resilience and well-being.
6. Prioritise relationships
Prioritising time to be social and nurture relationships is important for our social and psychological well-being. Between work, perhaps physical health concerns, and maintaining a home, nurturing relationships and spending quality time with loved ones can fall down on the list of importance.
7. Find a hobby that brings joy
In a world where we value being good at everything we try – sometimes even being the best! – it can feel hard to find joy in things you may not be good at. However, trying and learning new skills should be about the joy it brings, rather than the end result. Try something new – maybe pottery, a dance class, gardening, cooking a new recipe, or a new exercise – and see what happens! As they say, some things build competence, and some things build character.
8. Eat more nutritious food
In terms of diet, rather than focusing on what you need to cut out, focus on what you can put in. Starting by adding colourful veggies and fruit to meals, choosing wholegrain over white carbohydrates, or adding nuts to your mid-morning snack is a great way to get more nutrients and feel better from the inside rather than focusing on what to eliminate or lose out on.
9. Get some sun!
Being outdoors and in nature has been shown to improve our mental health greatly. Considering how much of our lives are being spent indoors, we can forget to get some sun and fresh air on our faces. Try getting sun on your face in the first 30 minutes of the day to wake your body up and regulate your sleep cycle if you can get outdoors for some exercise – like walking, gardening, or hiking – do it!
10. Keep a journal
Journaling is a wonderful way to improve your feelings of well-being and gratitude. Try journalling just for ten minutes about your day, what went well and what didn’t, in order to process your feelings and also explore what makes you happy and grateful. This is a great way to build insight and self-awareness, too.
Tips for sticking to your resolutions
1. Using positive language
Language is powerful, so utilise this when setting your goals! Instead of writing things like “stop” or “quit”, try to replace them with something that has a positive context. This way you feel less like you are missing out on, or losing, something. Instead of “quit drinking”, try “replace alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks at social events”. Instead of “lose weight”, try “prioritise exercise 3 times a week and make healthier eating choices”. This will positively associate the goal with an exciting, healthy addition to your life.
2. Tying them in with your values
When setting resolutions or goals, it can be easy to set them in accordance with what you believe will make you happy instead of what will actually improve your overall well-being. One of the most popular goals of the New Year is to “lose weight”. However, weight loss in and of itself is not a positive thing, and many dieting or exercise plans that start with the best intentions can make someone more miserable – by choosing paths like undereating, cutting out food that is associated with joy, or choosing exercise that you simply don’t enjoy. It’s always a better idea to look at diet and exercise in terms of what makes you feel good – maybe what you’re missing is a movement that makes you feel joyful or eating foods that are full of nutrients and designed to make your brain feel happy.
Another one could be “save money.” Think about the undercurrent below this goal and what it means about your values – do you want to save money, or do you want to simply spend it more wisely? Think about what you may have to sacrifice if you want to save money and whether these sacrifices will make you feel more depleted in the long run. Maybe instead of spending money on clothes you don’t need – instead, you want to save half of that expenditure and spend the other portion on a joyful activity, like going for dinner with a loved one. Assessing the “why” behind your goals will make them more likely to stick.
3. Making them realistic
We all know the holiday period is a time when we are thrown out of whack with routine, indulging in food and drink, and taking a well-earned rest from the year. Trying to begin steadfast resolutions like “wake up earlier” or “exercise three times a week” might be difficult to implement on January 1st when you may be waking up late with a pounding headache! Start small and gradually build up your goals from there – maybe you start your resolutions with gentle tasks, like “intentionally move my body daily” or “wake up 15 minutes earlier”. This will make lifestyle changes easier to maintain.
How Homage can help
If you have a mental or physical health condition that you have access to professional care or support workers, utilise Homage’s plethora of supports available to help you achieve your goals. Support workers and professionals can help you achieve innumerable goals if you clue them in on how you want your year to go! They can assist with helping you access community events if you’d like to be more social, attending exercise groups or physical therapy with you, or helping you cook or meal prep in the home.
