The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to assess the priorities in your life and put yourself first. It is all too easy to hit the ground running when you return to work after winter holiday celebrations. You can quickly find yourself in same burn-out mode that you experienced before your vacation. Implementing some new (or old) practices may help you to achieve a new balance to get your year off on the right foot.
If your New Year’s resolution is to relieve stress in 2019 and improve your mindfulness, there are many unique ways to do so. Putting your personal well-being at the core of your priority list will ensure less stress, more happiness and a higher quality of life.
Set Aside Some Space
Setting aside some space and time for yourself will help you to escape the chaos of the demands of everyday life. Over time, we develop different emotional connotations with different areas. For instance, the kitchen and seating areas of your home represent gathering places for you and your family. Reserving an area within your home, or somewhere accessible and nearby, that you can call your own is important in giving yourself space. Man caves and lady caves can be great self-care destinations to relax and unwind.
Having a space where you seek refuge doesn’t mean that it cannot be accessed by others, but simply that it offers you a reprieve from the happenings around you. It can be as simple as a dark corner of your favorite coffee shop or your preferred yoga studio. Sometimes, just the thought of your place of solitude is enough to get your mind back on track knowing that you will be able to access it soon enough.
Natural Healing
If getting yourself into a mental state that is free of stress and anxiety is more of a chore than anything else, additional help may be needed. Getting to the source of our stress and anxiety can help us to understand how to treat it so that we can return to a place of serenity and peace. This may include seeing a therapist, a hypnotist or a naturopath to seek out the answers that you need.
There are many different forms of therapy, including hypnotherapy, but finding the right type to best serve you make take some time. Keep in mind, that you want to leave whatever baggage you have accumulated in the past year behind you when leaping into the new year. Seeing a naturopath can help you to understand if the use of homeopathic remedies may help you to feel more stable and comfortable within your own body. Homeopathy is a great technique to relieve stress and pain and can be utilized to treat a number of different ailments that may be contributing to a less than desirable mindset.
Practice Mindfulness
If you do not already have a mindfulness practice to turn to in times of stress, there is no time like the present. Breathing exercises are a useful tool that can aid in calming your mind, as well as lowering your blood pressure. Practicing yoga is also a way to stay in the present moment and offer your brain a break from the daily pressures of work, friends and family. Yoga connects your breath with movement, giving you the all the benefits of meditation while also getting some light exercise.
If you already have an established mindfulness practice, perhaps 2019 is the year to take it one step further by attending a mindfulness-based stress management course. This particular course is an eight-week one that teaches you how to implement mindfulness into your everyday — the recommended amount of time being 45 minutes per day, six days per week. It implements an educational study, rather than a therapeutic one, that is flexible and adjustable to all personalities types and handicaps.
Self-Care Practices
There are many ways to be more present and become more self aware in 2019. The following are some practices that can help you to design the new you that you hope to see thrive in the new year:
- Start journaling. It can help you to work through problems while thinking them out on paper.
- Worry about one thing at a time. If you can’t fix it right then, move on.
- Don’t skip the gym. Life gets hectic, and this is always the one thing that we feel we can push aside. Make a commitment to put your health first.
- Reflect on your day while brushing your teeth before bed. In that small amount of time, find something to be grateful for before laying down.
- Eat greens. Our eating habits can directly affect our mental health, our sleep cycles and our overall physical health.
No one knows yourself as well as you do. As you enter a new year, bring all the good parts that make you “you” along for the the ride and leave unhealthy baggage behind. Exercise your ability to treat yourself well, even if it is only for 10 minutes a day. Those 10 minutes in a busy life schedule could be all that stand between you and a stressful day.
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