The new year is here, and while plenty of people have already set their intentions, goals, and resolutions, there is an aspect of self-care that is important as well. Think beyond bubble baths and golfing trips, true self-care helps you stay focused, intentional, and even emotionally healthy. Here’s what you can do for self-care that will make a difference in 2023.
1. Prioritize Some of Your Wants
It’s important to prioritize some of your wants. While you shouldn’t become completely selfish, it’s okay to prioritize getting your favorite Japanese snacks, enjoying fair trade coffee, or spending time out with your friends regularly.
Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or you’re a parent, it’s okay to give yourself some of the things you want as long as you’re not neglecting your responsibilities. It is okay to prioritize some desires over others in order for yourself and your loved ones to thrive.
2. Cultivate a Morning Ritual
Morning rituals have power. Doing the same thing when you wake up in the morning can help you feel your best and have the best possible day. You should wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays. It’s important for your body and mental health to keep these routines and rituals. Get up without hitting the snooze. Take your shower, and enjoy your morning coffee, tea, or water similarly as part of your morning ritual.
Including vitamins in your morning ritual will help you feel energized throughout the day. Taking various vitamins and supplements is possible, but nothing will work best unless the supplements are customized to your specific needs. You can talk to your healthcare professional or check more from Robinson Med to ask for advice and find the right type of supplement for you based on your specific health needs and lifestyle.
3. Deal With Negative Thinking and Self-Talk
If you’re feeling low, it’s likely that negative self-talk is playing a part in your experience. The good news is that this is normal, and there are ways to improve it. Identify your negative thoughts first. The things that say, “I’m not good enough,” “I’ll never be successful,” or “I’m going to fail” are destructive and unhelpful to your success.
It’s important in 2023 and going forward to identify these ideas, find their roots, and then replace them with truthful thoughts instead. Things like “I am competent,” “I can succeed,” or “If I fail, I’ll learn from it and try again,” can be powerful for your mental health and self-care.
4. Have a Friend Time Budget
The first step to setting up a friend time budget is to determine the number of hours you want to allocate toward making plans with your friends. This will depend on your own personal goals and needs, but experts recommend that people should spend at least one hour per week engaging in activities with their friends.
Next, create a schedule for your friend-time budget so that you can plan ahead for when you’ll see each friend. It also helps if you know what types of activities each person enjoys doing together so you can plan ahead for them.
5. Upgrade Your Sleep Routine
Sleep is one of the most important things we do for ourselves, and yet it’s so often ignored. If you’re not sleeping well, you run the risk of developing serious mental and physical health issues down the road. If you want to improve your sleep quality, you can start by putting your smart devices and technology down an hour before bed, keeping your room as dark as possible, and going to sleep at the same time each night.
6. Give Yourself Permission to Say No
Allow yourself to say no when you feel like it, even if you know that other people don’t want to hear it or may be offended by it. If someone asks you for something, ask yourself if you have the bandwidth and if you want to do it. When the answer to either of those questions is no, you can give yourself permission to say no. And you don’t need to give excuses anymore.
7. Learn Mindfulness
Increase mindfulness by listening to music that makes you happy and paying attention to the things that make you come alive. There are numerous mindfulness techniques you can employ in your life that help you stay focused and in the present. These techniques help you manage anxious thoughts, focus on tasks, and so much more. It’s a great self-care approach that you can do in 2023 that works.
Conclusion
Doing self-care is about learning to set boundaries, finding what fills you up, and giving yourself permission to do the things you love and spend time with your friends. What will you do in 2023 to be kind to yourself?
