5 New Year’s Resolutions for 2022

Getting ready to celebrate the New Year? Are you making any New Year’s resolutions this year? New Year’s Resolutions don’t have to be out-of-reach goals. In fact, New Year’s Resolutions are the perfect opportunity to create some mental health goals for the upcoming year.

New Year’s Resolutions that Support Mental Wellness

Here are a few more goal-oriented resolutions that support mental health:

1. Add More Physical Activity to Each Day

Exercise is good for your body and your mind. It helps you sleep better at night (which is also good for your mental health), but it also reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to recent studies.

Exercise — especially aerobic exercise — boosts your mood, reduces stress, reduces social withdrawal, and boosts your self-esteem. Examples of aerobic exercise include running, jogging, dancing, walking, hiking, swimming, and playing tennis.

Exercise-related goals don’t have to be intense workout regimens. You can sneak exercise into your day in many ways:

• Walking your dog an extra loop around the neighborhood
• Going to the local rec center and walking around the track while listening to podcasts
• Swimming with friends at a local YMCA

2. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene

It’s far too easy to stay up late watching another episode of your favorite show, but research shows that getting a reasonable amount of sleep each night can have many positive effects on your mental wellness.

Sleep hygiene tips include:

• Going to bed at the same time every night
• Avoid blue lights for 1-2 hours before bed (What’s a blue light? Find out here: Do Warm Lights Help You Sleep Better?)
• Sleep in a cool, dark room
• Spend some time in the sunshine each day as this helps reset your circadian rhythm

3. Pick Up a New Hobby

Hobbies — like knitting, reading, gardening, fishing — are good for your mental health, according to the Australian Government Health Department.  You don’t have to be a pro to reap the rewards of a hobby. Just participating in a hobby can boost your self-confidence, promote feelings of relaxation, reduce stress levels, and improve your overall happiness.

Need a few ideas? Here are some common hobbies:

• Sports and exercise
• Fishing
• Gardening (indoor plants count too!)
• Music
• Drawing and painting
• Crafting, including knitting and crocheting
• Baking
• Reading
• Journaling

4. Spend Time in the Great Outdoors

Spending time in nature can also support your mental health. Just 20 minutes spent outside can make a big difference, according to the experts at Harvard.

Looking for activities to do outside? Check out this article to get a few ideas.

5. Seek Help When You Need It

This is perhaps the best resolution of all! Even with all of these resolutions, you might need a little extra support this year, and that’s okay! The best thing you can do for your mental health is to ask for help if you need it. As a multidisciplinary practice, we can support a variety of mental health conditions with therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, coaching, and more here at NextStep2MentalHealth. Our team of psychiatrists and therapist are here to help adults, teens, and children.

We’re just a call or click away. Call 502-339-2442 or send us a message to request more information.