A new year of self-care, mindfulness and improved well-being made simple

With the dawning of a brand new year upon us, we often attempt to ‘begin again’ with our diet, our fitness plan or with a new set of goals.

All of these plans are wonderful and there is no doubt that viewing the new year with a fresh pair of eyes is valuable and indeed worthwhile. It can give us a real sense of purpose and can ignite a new passion within us that sets in motion new positive behaviours and habits.

However, the downside of this can be that we can set too many goals and despite the very best of intentions from the outset, we become ‘goal heavy’ in our minds and the more likely outcome of this mindset therefore is that we give up due to feeling overwhelmed. We cannot possibly fulfill all of the goals that we have set for ourselves and therefore we struggle, fail and give up! Sound familiar?!

We all know deep down that self-care is at the heart of a happy life. We may not want to admit this as we often term it to be ‘selfish’ but the fact is that looking after ourselves means we are not just improving our own health, increasing our self-worth and becoming more peaceful within ourselves, we are also improving life for those people around us who love us, who work with us and who we interact with every day. Why? Because if we are well, we can love, protect, work with and help others to the best of our ability and what’s not great about that?

So this new year for 2018, why not approach your goals in a more realistic and practical way? Keep it simple! Print out the following list and place it somewhere you are going to be able to see it every day like the inside of your wardrobe door, your mirror or your fridge and when you feel like it, add to it!

A NEW YEAR OF SELF-CARE AND SUCCEEDING WITH SIMPLE GOALS!

For each goal reached on each day, say ‘well done’ to yourself…. and no I am not kidding about that!

1. Want to practice mindfulness on a daily basis? Then simply pause right now. Breathe in and out slowly three times. Notice your breath going in and going out on those breaths. Now bring all of your attention to your feet. Well done! YOU HAVE JUST CHANGED HOW YOU WILL APPROACH YOUR NEXT TASK OR THE NEXT PERSON YOU SPEAK TO! Try doing this as many times throughout your day as you remember to. You will then have inserted mindfulness into your daily life. Yes it is that easy!
2. Change one of your unhealthy snacks today to a healthy snack. Well done! YOU HAVE JUST CHANGED PART OF YOUR DIET!
3. Drink two more glasses of water today than you would normally drink. Well done! YOU HAVE CHANGED ANOTHER PART OF YOUR DIET!
4. Go for a 10/15 minute walk on as many days of the week as you can. Well done! YOU HAVE JUST HELPED YOUR BODY TO STAY ACTIVE!
5. Say ‘thank you’ today for at least one thing you are grateful for in your life, even if it is a nice cup of tea. It does not need to be something huge and do this especially if you are in a bad mood! Well done! YOU HAVE JUST PRACTICED GRATITUDE; THIS CAN BRING PEACE.
6. Do at least one kind deed today, even if it is smiling at someone who you know is having a tough day. Well done! YOU HAVE JUST PRACTICED KINDNESS; THIS CAN BRING PEACE AND DEVELOPS COMPASSION WITHIN US.

Now add in your own goals to this list! Simply add them in without allowing the list to become ‘goal heavy.’

You may have more diet and fitness goals that you feel will challenge you and bring you the achievements you are seeking to improve your health and keep you active.

Simply add them to the list above and make sure to tick them off every day as you achieve them. This will solidify your goals and give you the motivation to keep going. Just remember, if you are even practicing the six points above, you ARE improving your well-being, along with practicing self-care!   You will eventually end up building on these goals and without even realising, they will have become part of your life. Best of luck and a very happy and peaceful new year to you.