Ways to Access a Healthy Mindset and Habits in the New Year

The new year is almost here! When life is in this transition period from one year to another, we all start to think of new year resolutions and how to make the following year the best 12 months of our lives! Many times, we put so much pressure on “glowing up” and becoming the best version of ourselves. Can you relate to this idea? Have you already started planning for your 2022 glow up?

Let’s Talk About New Year Glow Ups 

As mentioned before, we all have heard the term “glow up.” How many times have you seen Youtube videos or Instagram posts detailing how to become “THAT girl” or to reach a “total glow-up”? If not, you may be wondering, “what does glowing up even mean?” When people talk about glowing up, they usually refer to perfecting parts of their lives that they’re not happy with. These areas can involve weight loss, dressing better, improving their makeup skills, getting their dream job, etc. 

Other glow ups can deal with more internal areas of your life. Some people consider a glow up to be reaching mental and spiritual maturity. People can use their glow ups to meditate more, cut off toxic people, and work towards accessing their highest self. 

Either version of glowing up can be beneficial in your life. As a society, we love to see people succeed and post the “before and after” posts in their journey of becoming happier/healthier. In light of it all, I only urge people to pace themselves with their glow up dreams. It is great to want to improve yourself, but the process of glowing up should be done in a healthy, gradual way. We also should remember that progress is not always linear. There will be times when you will feel on top of the world, but there will also be times where you feel like a failure or not enough. 

Just like happiness, the state of “glowing up” is not a destination you will finally reach. Getting your dream job and finally fitting into the clothes you want can bring happiness, but just because you have these things does not mean you will feel this way forever. We have to actively work on maintaining joy and inner peace each day of our lives. This process involves keeping healthy habits daily and ensuring we are putting our mental wellness first. This way, if we ever lose that dream job or gain some weight back, we will not self-sabotage and harm ourselves. Instead, we can turn to our healthy habits and daily rituals as a way of treating ourselves with the love and care we always deserve. 

How to Create Healthy Habits in Each Part of Your Life

Physical Health

I think that eliminating the word “diet” from your vocabulary should be the first thing to go in 2022. Diet culture tells people they are only worthy if they follow the XYZ diet plan and fit our society’s made-up beauty standards. Diet culture focuses more on people looking attractive (by society’s opinion) rather than if they are actually healthy or not. Diet culture makes people feel like their bodies are trends that go in and out of style. This is why people felt pressured by celebrity gossip magazines to be thin like all the front-cover celebrities in the early 2000s or, more recently, to get plastic surgery and BBLs. 

What matters most is that you are healthy and happy in your body. Diets and weight loss gimmicks do not have your best intentions at heart. You should not have to categorize different foods as “good” or “bad” and hate yourself if you fall off your diet. Eating healthy, nutritious food is the best way to care for your body. Overall, try focusing primarily on fueling your body and keeping yourself energized. Also, get active and move your body to feel good and get your endorphins up!

I am here to remind you that you and your body are ALWAYS ENOUGH! Society does not dictate who you are; YOU dictate who you are. You are worthy of accepting and celebrating your body. Each body is perfect in its own, unique way. In 2022, listen to your body and honor what it needs each day.

Healthy Habits for Physical Health in the New Year:

• Fueling your body with foods that taste good and make you feel happy/strong

• Drinking a lot of water each day

• Allowing yourself to look at food for what it is…just food. Stop beating yourself up if you eat something “bad” from time to time. Bad food does not exist!

• Speaking kindly to yourself with positive affirmations 

• I am enough, I am beautifully me, I am worthy of love and respect, I am in love with my body

• Practicing Body Neutrality

• This is the idea that you are thankful for all your body does for you and focus on appreciating each body part

• Example: I am thankful for my body for carrying me through life, I am grateful for my arms that allow me to hug my friend, etc.

• Finding exercises and activities that make you happy and you have fun doing 

• You can do anything from dancing to your favorite album or walking in the park each day with your mom

Mental Health

Your mental health is the most important thing you should focus on in the new year. You deserve to live a happy and healthy life! Putting your mental health first allows you to take care of yourself and put your wellness at the forefront of your life. Before you can excel in any other area of your life, you must take care of your mind and spirit – these things live at the center of who you are. 

Healthy Habits for Mental Health in the New Year:

• Expressing and embracing your emotions through journaling

• Stopping the negative self-talk and replacing it with positive affirmations/sayings 

• Focusing on gratitude by making gratitude lists or writing letters to people and telling them why you are thankful for all they do

• Allowing yourself to do things you love and focus on your passions 

• Putting your mental well-being first 

• This can mean saying “no” to a plan or choosing to stay home and relax rather than feel pressured to go out on a Friday night

• Practicing self-care and doing activities that calm you down or bring you peace

• Doing meditation or yoga to channel harmony and center yourself

• Starting therapy and talking to a mental health professional about any problems or issues you are facing

Social Life and Inner Circle

Try to promote a happy and healthy friend group or circle to surround yourself with in the new year. People who drained your emotions or stole your sense of safety in 2021 do not deserve to access your energy in 2022! If someone makes you unhappy or doesn’t respect you/your boundaries, consider distancing yourself from them. The people in your life should want to honor your comfort levels and help you feel supported and safe in life. 

It can be scary to cut out toxic people in our lives. The pain they bring you is hard to deal with, but the idea of being lonely or having no friends can be even more intimidating. Remember that being alone does not have to mean you are lonely. Practice enjoying your alone time and having fun with yourself! Try new hobbies, listen to fun music, watch movies, etc. The limits are endless for what you can do with yourself and all you can learn about who you are in the process!

Work-Life and Limits

The need to work remains consistent for all of us throughout each year. In 2022, make sure you establish healthy habits for your work and obligations. Of course, it is important to work hard and chase your dreams. However, amid all the work, don’t allow yourself to wither away and burnout. Burnout happens when people don’t allow for any work-life balance and neglect their mental health while working. It can also stem from unhappy work environments, toxic bosses, overflowing workload, etc. Try your best to take care of yourself and set up healthy work habits.

This can involve separating yourself from work over the weekend, having downtime when you get home from work, taking a break from your phone, calling a friend to vent, or anything that can help you feel happier during the work week!

Wishing You a Happy New Year in 2022

Overall, I am wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year! Please remember to take care of yourself and focus on establishing healthy habits in your life! You deserve to have a wonderful year full of self-love and appreciation. Never lose sight of how special and deserving you are.