Nurturing Positive Habits for the New Year

 

The New Year is a wonderful opportunity to create meaningful and impactful changes and resolutions so the best version of you can shine. New Year resolutions usually involve health and well-being goals.

 

To help anchor a habit, try tapping into the emotions that emerge once a task or activity has been accomplished. Acknowledge the emotion and sense of achievement. You can use this as a form of motivation to carry on the activity in the future. You may have chosen a challenging 2023 resolution or habit, but before completing the task, you may find that your drive is dwindling, feel unmotivated or want two things at once. 

 

For example, you could challenge yourself to do 30 minutes of yoga after you wake up in the morning, but it seems too tough, and at that moment would prefer to have an extra 30 minutes of snoozing. However, remembering the emotions and feelings you felt when last achieving the task would help you work through your challenge once again. You can help decide what to do based on what is more beneficial and important to you. So let’s dive into some healthy and beneficial 2023 habits you can incorporate into your new schedule.

 

 

Be Active

 

Joining a gym is a popular new year addition; however, many attend in high spirits for the first few weeks but do not notice physical changes straight away, resulting in a loss of motivation or cancelling a gym subscription. 

 

To avoid this, you could find an emotional or physical cause to stay consistent. Create a workout schedule. Play with how frequently you work out, some weeks, you may want to be more active than others which is acceptable. It is important to listen to your feelings. It is key to remember your emotions during and after exercising. Shortly after you exercise, natural chemicals known as endorphins are released in your body, naturally inducing happiness and potentially influencing you to work out more often.

 

 

Healthy Eating

 

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be constant; instead, aim for it to be consistent. There are plenty of quick and healthy recipes online, in cookbooks and in magazines that can inspire and engage you into enjoying preparing and eating healthily. Two of my very helpful friends are Google and YouTube, where you can find any health plans and delicious, easy and nutritious meals. Search for inspirational wellness cooking.

 

Supermarkets can support you on your health journey, there are plenty of alternatives on the shelves today. For example, I often crave sweet foods but to remain consistent and prepare sugar-free desserts using fruit. They taste just as good as a factory-prepared sugar-laden dessert but aren’t full of unnecessary sugar.

 

The Ayurvedic lifestyle aims to holistically promote better health for your body as well as your mind. The diet encourages you to consume whole foods, avoiding processed foods, whilst aiming to eat at similar times every day. I aim to lead an Ayurvedic lifestyle, since then, I have experienced higher energy levels and feel happy about what I am consuming, which has had a knock-on effect towards my general wellness and well-being. This lifestyle also encourages you to pay close attention to the present moment. When I prepare my fruit and vegetables, for example, citrus fruits, I am fascinated by the texture of each segment and the sweet, tangy aroma that is released. 

 

Try to minimise intakes of sugar and flour, be kind to yourself when you consume them and don’t judge yourself. Adrenal glands release cortisol directly related to cravings, especially salty ones. Notice when you have cravings and what has happened just before that moment. Cravings always try to tell us something, and before the desire, there is a thought. More than that, we can introduce deliberate decisions between thought and desire.

 

 

Daily Meditation

 

Meditation in the morning can feel like a challenge as you would probably rather stay in bed and get up slowly, but the benefits of meditation and yoga in the morning are better than an extra couple of minutes in bed. You will feel more vitality for the day ahead and ready to face the day with a calmer mindset. 

 

Meditation in the evening is also favourable as it is a great way to wind down, you may feel you want to wind down by scrolling through social media, which we are all guilty of however, the small bursts of satisfaction do not benefit you in the long run. Meditation will slowly bring your mind and body to the same level of relaxation and peace. 

 

One of my favourite yoga poses is Viparita Karani, where you lie flat on your back and rest your legs in the air or against the wall. You could use a yoga block under your pelvis if it makes it more comfortable. This pose is known to reboot the blood flow, improve digestion, and restore tired ankles and legs. If this pose feels comfortable, aim to keep your legs up for 20 minutes, breathing in and out deeply to alleviate tension and anxiety to ensure a great night’s sleep.

 

 

Journal

 

Write down both negative and positive feelings and emotions that you are experiencing. When you feel stressed or overwhelmed about something, writing it down can make the situation seem smaller and take a weight off your shoulders. Writing your experiences and emotions down can help you learn what makes you happy, replacing the negative emotions with healing and understanding.

 

Journaling can also lead you towards visualising your life and using emotions and feelings as pillars of motivation to improve your life. Personal challenges lead to growth and improving self-confidence. 

 

 

Smile More

 

When you smile, your brain thinks that you are happy, which lifts your mood. It is great for the facial muscles, and people love it. We warm to those who smile more than someone who doesn’t smile as often. Also, start winking at yourself in the mirror every time you celebrate a success if you have learned something or even to empower yourself. A simple wink can provide encouragement, you are the first person to encourage before anyone else.

 

Aim to make 2023 the best year for you, developing these simple but transformational habits in your life will benefit your health and well-being. You will soon notice that your well-being is your priority and that nurturing it will make your lifestyle one you truly love. 

 

Are you ready to begin your wellness journey? Visit my treatment menu to immerse yourself in the world of Flair Life.