9 New Year’s Resolutions That Boost Mental Health
Many New Year’s resolutions focus on diet or exercise, but what kind of New Year’s resolutions will benefit your mental health? Experts across the country shared their tips with TIME Magazine.
1. Re-examine your use of social media
Are your online habits serving you? If you can’t stop scrolling long enough to honestly examine the question, says Nedra Glover Tawwab, a therapist and author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, chances are that the answer is “no.” Consider boundaries that would make you feel better: unfollowing someone, setting a time limit on scrolling, or challenging yourself not to log on to social media if you’re already feeling down. The start of the new year is a good time to form new habits.
2. Reconnect with an old friend
Many Americans are suffering from loneliness, which impacts both physical and mental health, while studies show that strong social bonds boost both. Guy Winch, a clinical psychologist, and author of Emotional First Aid, suggests reaching out to “one person you lost touch with who used to be dear to you.” If you don’t know what to say, try something like the following: “I was thinking about you. It’s been so long. How are you?” He suggests adding a smiley face, to ensure “I miss you” comes through.
3. Develop empathy for someone different from you
Social divisions are tearing at the fabric of American society, but there’s good news. Empathy is an antidote. According to Calvin Fitch, a clinical health psychologist with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, “The fortunate thing about empathy is that is can be trained. It can grow.”
To foster greater empathy, he suggests that you choose a person or group you have “moderate difficulty” understanding or relating to – whether due to cultural, political, or religious differences. Make it a project to walk in their shoes, asking yourself questions like these: “What makes this person happy? What makes them worried? What experiences or emotions have shaped their worldview? How are their thought patterns similar to mine?” People who cultivate high levels of empathy enjoy broader and richer social relationships than those who do not.
4. Turn ruminative thoughts into problem-solving ones
Many of us replay problems we encounter during the day in the evening. If you find yourself overwhelmed and spiraling about how much you have to do and how you’ll never get it all done, Winch suggests converting the ruminative thought into a problem-solving one. For example, “When do I have time to deal with the thing that’s bothering me?” Or how could I find time to address one piece of the problem? Rather than marinating in worries, adopting a framework to move forward helps you reclaim your peace of mind.
5. Engage in four activities a week
Fitch recommends filling our week with a variety of activities. Engaging in fun activities – doing things you genuinely enjoy – “decreases your reactivity to stress by helping you accumulate more positive events than negative ones,” he says. Tackling a “mastery activity,” like cleaning your room makes you feel better once it’s done. Finding ways to be social and to move are good for your body as well as your mind.
6. Make one small change to help the planet
Climate change is wreaking havoc on communities, with ever more severe weather events, and climate anxiety is real. “It’s overwhelming––I feel like I can’t get my arms around it,” Winch says. In response, his family decided to do one small thing to feel better about the state of the planet: eliminating plastic bags, walking to accomplish a nearby errand, etc. “Doing one small thing is a way of feeling like you’re upping your game.”
7. Write a thank you note
Gratitude unleashes a wide variety of benefits, including better mental health. Find a way to show gratitude that feels natural to you, Winch suggests. Once a year, he likes to write a letter to someone who did a small thing they may have no idea that had an outside impact on him. It reinforces kindness and boosts your connection with others.
8. Put ‘you time’ on your daily calendar
Perhaps twice a day for ten minutes, do something that restores and re-energizes you. Putting something on your calendar gives it weight:“It’s seen as just as productive as any other business appointment you have,” says Kelsey Latimer, a clinical psychologist in Florida.
9. Check in with a professional
You can make as many resolutions as you like and still benefit from talking to a therapist or other mental-health professional. Therapists are trained to help you foster your emotional wellbeing. Together, you can address the challenges you face in the new year.
Read the full article here.
Haupt, Angela. “9 Mental-Health Resolutions for 2024, According to Therapists.” TIME.com, 27 Dec 2023, https://time.com/6371479/mental-health-resolutions-2024/.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash