We’ve made it into 2020, and once again, we are engulfed in the repetitive “new year, new me” expression. So, what exactly does making it to a New Year mean to you? Are you the type who makes New Year resolutions and aggressively makes changes for yourself and your life? Or do you approach the New Year allowing any life changes to occur naturally? Whether you make New Year resolutions or not, one change we should approach with heavy intent is self-care. Self-care is paramount to our well-being, and nobody knows how to take care of ourselves the way we do. Here are some ways to amplify our self-care techniques this year.
Make an agenda and stick to it! Every day, we wake up with a daily agenda downloaded into our minds. Some of us jump right on it as soon as we get out of bed. Others only check off half the items on their “to-do” list, and the remaining folks procrastinate and put off their tasks until the next day, simply because they get a little anxious about doing them. Having a daily agenda, even if it’s our day off work, engages us in productivity. Productivity is a habit that leads us to success. There are things we’re required to do today that will make tomorrow greater. And when you don’t stick to your agenda, the goals you’re working on will be delayed. So make your agenda and stick to it!
Give an encouraging word to someone every day. What does encouraging someone do for you? Does it make you happy to see them uplifted? Does it make you feel good about yourself, because you just made a difference in someone’s day? This is an amazing self-care technique, because giving someone a positive word of encouragement is a mood booster and makes you feel uplifted the whole day. Another way to encourage someone is by speaking to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. This will refresh both of you in many ways, and surely your friend will be excited to hear from you.
Cook a healthy meal for yourself. Are you working on eating healthier? Cooking yourself a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner will give you not only a sense of accomplishment, but will make your mind and body feel at peace, too. Don’t just try this once, but try cooking a healthy meal once a day, a few times a week, or a few times a month, whichever works best for you. If you want, you can change it up by going vegan for a day, a week, or even a month!
Take a walk! Or engage in any kind of physical exercise! But taking a walk does wonders for our minds. It clears our minds and relaxes us, elevates our mood, and engages our neurons (brain cells), which helps with connectivity, making new thoughts and ideas possible. Thus, it’s an effective remedy for writers’ block, or if you need help brainstorming a project.
Keep a “Gratitude” journal. Be self-reflective this year, and keep a journal of your daily thoughts, revelations, ideas, and even scribble down your frustrations. Journaling is one of the best ways to discover ourselves and locate any faults within us that we need to perfect.
Listen to motivational speeches more frequently. Last year, you may have had the television or a playlist of the latest songs playing in the background as you drove, cleaned your home, or cooked dinner. Try replacing television and radio with motivational speeches or church sermons. Doing so will gradually feed your mind with more positivity. Remember: you are what your surroundings are feeding you, so make your surroundings uplifting!
Find a new hobby that interests you. Flex your brain and challenge your ways of thinking by picking up a new hobby, particularly one that brings you out of your element. If we don’t use our brain cells, we will end up losing them eventually. So keep your minds engaged this year!
There are additional ways to improve on our self-care: having our own spa day, volunteering in our local area, and reading for 30 minutes a day. A better year starts with a better you. Put yourself into the mindset to make things happen in 2020!
