The New Year is Here – How Will You Feed Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and Be Your Best Self?

The new year is here. 2021 will soon be a distant memory (thank goodness) and 2022 will be the new reality. Has the voice inside been telling you that you need to start taking care of yourself? We’ve all heard the saying, New Year – New You. Honestly, I’m tired of hearing that, but, if you weren’t taking care of yourself last year you NEED to make a plan to take care of yourself this year. We spend lots of time looking after others. Can you honestly say that you are feeding your own mind, body, and spirit? It’s something that many of us are guilty of … putting everything and everyone ahead of ourselves … until we are running on empty.

Time flies. Before you know it, all of the years that you focused on everything else but you, will take their toll. Look at this new year as a fresh opportunity to do a bit of soul-searching. It’s time to look within yourself, and to be honest about what you see, whether it’s in your personal life or on the professional front. This isn’t about setting goals or making resolutions. This is about committing to taking care of yourself (self-care).

New Year, New You

You can get started with an online self-care test by Psychology Today. Before taking the test, commit yourself to answering honestly. This test won’t be graded. It’s between you and yourself. As you take the assessment, you will likely start to see where you are letting yourself down.

Self-care doesn’t look the same for everyone. For you, it could be spending time with friends, it might be exercising more or making healthy dietary choices. In fact, for you, it could be a massage and for your partner, it could be sitting down to deal with the finances. We are all different and only you know what self-care avenue will serve you best.

What do you do too much of? What don’t you do enough of? That’s an excellent place to start your journey. Self-care should be practicing things that make you feel better. If something that you currently do a lot doesn’t make you feel better, think about how you can limit that behavior or activity in your life.

If you prefer to make traditional new year’s resolutions, you can still do that. This will likely put a bit more pressure on you, though, and if you know that you struggle with your resolutions, perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself is skip it. For example, if you always set yourself up with an unattainable resolution, don’t do a resolution at all.

If you aren’t sure where to get started with your self-care habits, we can help. We have some ideas that might help you, no matter what area of your life you want to focus on.

Ways To Take Care of Yourself

Instead of focusing on past failures, shift your focus to new opportunities.
Plan a challenging step, whether career or otherwise, and don’t worry about the time or cost.
Spend time meditating and less time in the noise.
Practice more hobbies and activities that you enjoy.
Spend less time on activities that you’re expected to do.
Make time to sit down with a good book.
Spend time in nature and less time inside.
Schedule time for your partner, family, and friends.
Devote extra time to talking to your children about who you are.
When your mind focuses on the negative, shift your thoughts to more pleasant thoughts.

If you are in a negative work environment, watch our short video, Tips to Avoid Negativity on The Job

No one knows what the new year has in store for us, but it should not prevent you from taking care of yourself! Learning how to take care of yourself is what will help you navigate any obstacle the new year throws at you. How will you take care of yourself in the new year?

Here’s to a new year full of self-care victories and peace for you!

~Karen