new year theme for yourself in 2022

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2021 has passed and what a year it has been! After living through another year in a pandemic, there is a real need to take a compassionate look at self-development and your mental health in 2022

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2021 has passed and what a year it has been! After living through another year in a pandemic, there is a real need to take a compassionate look at self-development and your mental health in 2022. These are tips and tricks on ways to be a little kinder to yourself in the year ahead.

Take a read, reflect and set your theme…

⎙ With the New Year comes the temptation to hop on board the change train of ‘self-criticism’, head to carriage ‘unrealistic expectations,’ and ‘comparing to others’ and trundle on to destination ‘new and improved you’. Purchase a ticket for the change train and find… a more vibrant, healthy, driven, goal smashing, habit breaking, and new skills acquiring you by December 2022. With all these expectations you can arrive feeling overwhelmed and a little disappointed. ⎙

How can setting a theme help my wellbeing?
New Year self-improvement can be a positive thing with benefits for your mental and physical health.

This year when thinking of self-improvement, find things that work for you, irrespective of what others are doing. And remember to ask for support if you need it.

New Year's resolutions can be fuelled by unhelpful self-criticism. ‘A festival of finding ways in which we are not enough’. So, instead, you can try setting a theme:

This year I hope you can :
1. Accept who you are
2. Nourish your body
3. Bring intention into your actions
4. Take time for yourself

Questions to ask yourself before you dive into a new fitness hobby :
1. What do I want to get out of being active?
2. Would I prefer to be indoors or outdoors?
3. Would I like to be in a group or do an individual activity?
4. Would I like it to be integrated into daily life, such as doing housework, going on a walk or doing gardening etc. (these are physical activities too)

Try out 1-minute mindfulness activity to bring intent to you – mindfulness doesn’t need to take a lot of effort or time... to be precise it can take just one whole minute:

1. Breathing – become present with the physical activity of breathing
2. Body scan – check-in and bring awareness to the sensations in your body, head to toe
3. Mindful walking - bring awareness to the sensation of walking, how your feet feel when they connect with the ground, how the muscles in your legs feel when they move
4. Mindful listening – bring awareness to tuning in to your environment, listen to the sounds around you

Take time for yourself.
This year, when you start to feel overwhelmed or stressed, pause, be your friend and ask yourself:

1. Is this level of stress-causing me a problem?
2. Can I identify the causes?
3. What small changes can I make to my lifestyle?
4. Could I … eat healthier, exercise, take time out, be mindful, get some rest and sleep, and most of all be kind to myself.

Tips to help you care for yourself and alleviate stress :
1. Watch funny movies
2. Take a walk in nature
3. Set aside 10 minutes a day to relax and collect your thoughts
4. Paint, draw or doodle
5. Unplug the phone and journal
6. Express your feelings
7. Spend time with positive people
8. Get a hot cup of something
9. Cheer up someone who is feeling down

Questions to ask yourself before 2022 ends:
1. Did I make time for others for myself this year?
2. Did I work productively, while at the same time balancing work with leisure time?
3. Wat I at the moment more times than not?
4. How do I feel about my relationships with my loved ones?
Was I resilient more times than not in the face of hardship and change?

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