With the new year comes the inevitable new year resolutions, and the opportunity to improve your mental health.
With the first week of the new year coming to a close, it’s time to start thinking about ways to make the most of the new year. Time to turn over a new leaf! But when it comes to bettering ourselves, we often forget to include our mental health.
Our mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. It impacts the way in which we interact with others, feel, think and behave on a daily basis. In short, neglecting your mental health will eventually lead to a multitude of problems.
As we move from month to month, we’ll naturally go through a series of highs and lows. After all, no one can happy all the time. With this in mind, I’ve made a conscious effort to nurture and improve my mental health. I’ve attended therapy, taken medication, and listened to what my body needs. As a result, I’m better equipped to deal with the challenges life throws at me.
Maybe you find yourself stuck in a rut. Or maybe you’re looking for some fresh ideas to improve your mental health in 2023. Whatever your situation, here are ten ways to make this your best year yet!
10+ Tips to successfully improve your mental health and turn over a new leaf in 2023.
Set Goals.
Take time to sit down and outline your goals for the coming year. Whether it’s personal or professional, having clear objectives will help you focus your energy and stay motivated. But, remember, you want to improve your mental health, not ruin it completely. Your goals shouldn’t leave you feeling overwhelmed; instead, they should provide you with a clear outline of where you are and where you want to be.
Learn something new.
Over the last number of years, I’ve taken the time to learn various different skills. Learning new things is about broadening our horizons without the pressure to be the best. And, sometimes, you come across a diamond in the rough, something that becomes a true passion!
Think of all the things you’ve always wanted to try and write out a list. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try your hand at painting or game design. Get online and find a local or online course to help you on your journey!
Get Organised.
It can be hard to stay organised when there’s so much chaos and clutter around. But it’s essential if you want to stay on track for the year. So take some time to organise your space and develop a system that works for you. Keeping your life organised is one of the best ways to feel like you have everything under control and can help you make the most of every day.
Seek help.
Sometimes you will find that you just need a little help to get through whatever you might be going through. Whether that means that you just approach your friends and family, or whether you want to seek out more professional help in the form of a private psychiatric assessment and some further help of that kind, it’s up to you – but it’s something that you should certainly aim for if you want to improve your mental health.
Don’t be afraid to treat yourself.
As mentioned in a previous post of mine, I’ve always struggled with spending money on myself. Even when disposable income allows, I struggle to indulge in the non-essentials. But, let’s face it, life would be pretty boring if we didn’t treat ourselves. And it doesn’t have to be expensive and extravagant! Treating yourself can be as simple as taking a warm bath, or having a movie night with your significant other. It’s okay to spend both time and money on yourself, for yourself.
Replace Bad Habits With Healthier Alternatives.
If you’ve been stuck in a rut for some time, it’s likely that your routine is full of unhealthy habits. Try to identify what these habits are and then look for healthier alternatives that can help you break out of the rut. This could mean trying out a vape with IVG e-liquid instead of cigarettes or swapping out energy drinks and coffee for water or herbal drinks. Replacing bad habits with healthier alternatives is a great way to start the year off right and get yourself moving toward a healthier lifestyle.
Limit your time on social media.
There’s no doubt that social media has interconnected much of the world and can be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. However, with increasing use, social media has the potential to have a negative effect on mental health.
As a writer who uses social media to promote, pitch, and connect with others, it can be hard to take time away. While it’s certainly had its benefits, social media has also left me feeling flat and deflated. Going forward, I’m planning several social media breaks, specifically from Twitter.
Surround Yourself With Positive People.
Whether their old friends or new acquaintances, connecting with others can be a great way to improve your mental health! Specifically, those who have a more positive influence on our life. In fact, having positive people around you is essential. So, it’s important to make an effort to spend time with others who are upbeat, supportive, and encouraging. This will give you the motivation and confidence needed to take on those challenges that come your way. On the other hand, spending time with people who cause you to feel negative or overwhelmed should be avoided, as they could negatively impact your progress.
This year make an effort to discover your sweet spot in regard to connecting with your positive posey. Step outside your comfort zone and be the first to send a text, open up about something vulnerable in your life, or simply celebrate with them! It doesn’t always have to be in person! You can send a message, connect on social media, or even play video games together!
Treat yourself with love and compassion.
Everywhere I look, people are putting themselves down. Whether it’s downplaying their skillset, underselling their creative work, or shaming their appearance, self-deprecation is everywhere. And while as a millennial I enjoy a healthy, self-deprecating joke, I also know where to draw the line. Being overly self-critical has negative impacts on our resilience, self-esteem, and overall well-being. And while we absolutely should hold ourselves accountable in the name of self-growth, quite often our negative thoughts are unhelpful.
An easy way to take stock of your self-talk is to ask yourself, would I want that said to my child? Or my younger self?
Spend More Time Outdoors.
Nature has a way of providing clarity and peace that nothing else can. Spending time outdoors is a great way to reduce stress, clear your head and gain new perspectives on life. It’s also a great way to get in some exercise and connect with the world around you. So make sure to take advantage of Mother Nature this year and spend some time in the great outdoors. And remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices!
These are just a few of the many ways you can turn over a new leaf this year. The key is to focus on what matters most and stick with it even when things get tough. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to making 2023 your best year yet!
Discover what makes you happy.
Take time to think about the people, places, activities, and even things that make you happy. As you move forward through this year, try and include as many of these in your daily routine as possible.
Time constraints often make it difficult for us to visit the places and people we love on a regular basis. Sadly, they also make it hard for us to find the energy to take part in sports, or creative activities every day. But even including something small like a much-loved hot chocolate, or your favourite ‘self-care‘ activity can make a huge difference to your day. And, things like these take little to no effort or energy.
Find ways that work for you when it comes to finding and using your happiness. Discover small things for those low-energy hours after work, and save the bigger things for vacations or scheduled days off.
Yay! I’m doing all of these. Which means I’m doing something right, haha. I love having a slow morning it really sets my day up. I think the one that has helped the most is limiting my social media, i feel so much better about myself.
All these tips are useful. The tip that resonates with me is being organized. I am so scattered with so much anxiety. So I need to figure out a way to stay organized
These are all great tips to help you improve your mental health and add them to your daily to help you out! I think learning something new and treating yourself with love and compassion are what helped me more. Also spending time outside and meditation have been a game changer x
Animals can make such a difference in our mental health! I would be lost without Willow (and Sam, but sometimes she’s the cause of my breakdowns with her chaotic nature). I often use Willow’s fur to dry my own tears!
Oh my oh my – so many of these I have been overlooking! I actually did something and got myself a dog – it has made such a difference for my mental health I couldn’t believe it! The first few days were extremely difficult to cope with, but now (a good month and something after) we have got a routine we both love and he’s just such a good boy and knows already when I need him… also a professional at drying tears!
Love this! Limiting time spent on social media along with spending more time outdoors are super important for me!
Kathleen / http://www.madeinthe1990s.com
Great post! I appreciate the practical tips for improving mental health in the new year. It’s so important to prioritize self-care and these suggestions are very accessible for anyone looking to make positive changes in their life. Thanks for sharing!
These are such wonderful tips! I do like the suggestion of making a list of things you’ll want to try and do them. Surrounding yourself with positive people is a definite plus! Thanks for sharing!
Being outside more does help a lot to feel better. Love to go out more and spend some time. This year will do it even more.
Love these tips, I want to improve my mental health this year so these are really useful. Great post!
These are wonderful tips! I’m definitely working on limiting my time on social media because I used to spend hours on TikTok or scrolling through Twitter, but I’ve been doing better! Also, this is a good reminder to spend more time outdoors and I love the saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices”
Ah yes, this is the year for treating myself with more compassion and love! For a long time, I’ve been so hard on myself.
time outdoors is seriously underrated!!
Spending less time on social media is probably one of the BEST tips to help with mental health. Totally agree!
I’m definitely taking note of this for 2023 and continuing the work I put in last year; these tips and reminders are great — so useful!
These are some great advice for good mental health. Reduce social media usage and surrounding ourselves with fun positive people are definitely 2 that i will work on for 2023. Thanks for sharing.
Great mental health tips to start the new year. Thanks for sharing!
I love your tip about learning something new! That’s one of my goals for this new year! My goal is to complete my study in Spanish!
As you know I love to be organised and if I am not I feel pressured and stressed which isn’t good. Hoping to do more to help my overall health this year. These 10 tips are super helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren
These are great tips! I am actually limiting my time on social media and it is amazing. In fact, it gave me more time for my hobbies and I realized that too much time on FB can definitely have a negative effect on mental health.
Oooo these are all so good. Love the tip on time outdoors. Great list!
Mental health is very important and these are some useful tips. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
I love walking for my mental health! It’s a great way to decompress, especially after a hard day’s work or spending hours at the computer. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Mental health is so key in a healthy life. These are great tips, keeping the mind calm and resisting there to hurry!
Late last year, I started taking a stroll to the back every morning after dropping off my daughter at school. I will take a walk around the park for like 30 mins to an hour to clear my head and breathe in oxygen. It has really helped me with my mental health.
Surrounding yourself with positive people definitely helps. Though After reading your post I think setting goals would be a great help.
Thank you for sharing, we definitely can all benefit from these. I love them all.
I absolutely love this! Self-care is so important for your mental (and physical) health. Love all of your suggestions…thanks for sharing!
Treating yourself every now and then is a necessary indulgence. I also love the tip to surround yourself with positive people That does make a difference.
Definitely need to spend more time outdoors and limit time on social media, it’s a never-ending portal. Thanks for this!
I love all these tips and tricks to improve your mental health for 2023. Thanks so much for sharing them!
Love love love all of these and defo my top ten I’ll be following for 2023! xx
Really great tips! I find that learning and surrounding ourselves with positive people often works super well for me.
Thank you for reading Lucy! 😀
We really need to take care of our mental health.After covid we lost too many things but life goes on. thanks
I love these tips lovely, I need to improve my mental health in 2023 and these tips have helped me out a lot! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I really want to improve my mental health, so this is super helpful; thank you for sharing. Treating yourself with love and compassion hit hard, as I know I can be really tough on myself and thinking about whether or not I’d want it said to my child or younger self is really eye opening. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind now from now on xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Being someone who has a mental illness (cross contamination OCD), I support anything having to do with mental health support. Whether it’s promoting positive habits or self care exercises; anything that can help improving mental health is crucial to a better life. Thank you very much for sharing! I’ll definitely be doing some of these throughout the coming year!
These are all such great tips! I’m limiting my social media to only 1-2 hours a day for this year as I’ve found that aspect of my life affected my mental health the most.
Great post, Nyxie. It’s so important to take care of our mental health. These are some great suggestions – taking time to learn something new, being around positive people and limiting my time on Twitter every now and again has definitely helped. Thank you for sharing. Jade MumLifeAndMe
Love this post.
Its nice to know that I am already doing these things to keep my mind calm. But I know I can do alot more to calm it even more.
Thanks for this post.