This year, consider incorporating new habits that will reduce stress and increase happiness and overall life satisfaction. Here are some important steps you can take to be a happier, healthier, and more relaxed you in the new year. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts This year, you can gain significant benefits by striving for better quality and a greater quantity of sleep at night. Having a regular hobby can provide a necessary outlet for mental stimulation and stress relief, and help you maintain a balanced lifestyle. The right hobby can also provide you with a healthy dose of eustress, the positive type of stress that keeps you feeling vital and alive. This year, focus on strengthening your relationships. And don’t be afraid to let go of those relationships that drain you. Separating yourself from the drama and stress of those relationships opens you up to new people and new experiences. You can play some classical tunes while you get dressed in the morning, listen to your favorite song during your morning commute, or relax to a soul-filled ballad at the end of a long day. Regardless of what you choose, music can calm you down even during stressful times. This year, take some weight off of your shoulders and make a dedicated effort to get more organized. Whether it’s putting things into storage, reorganizing, or donating what you no longer need. It’s always beneficial to have a few quick stress relief strategies that can turn off your fight or flight response and trigger your relaxation response. Fortunately, your point of view can be changed with practice. How much happier, more productive, and less stressed could you be if you omitted some self-defeating thought patterns and replaced them with positive self talk? One of the best things you can do for yourself is to examine your work situation and see what changes you can make to your work life a little easier. This may include finding ways to increase your productivity, changing certain aspects of your job, adding to your life outside of work, or even examining whether you’re in the right field. Do you have a strong financial plan in place? Are you expressing yourself as fully as you’d like? Are you on the path to where you’d really like to be with your relationships and personal growth? While new year’s resolutions are about deciding what you want in the coming year, consider thinking about a 3-, 5-, or even a 10-year plan for your personal life, too. Your plan certainly doesn’t need to be set-in-stone blueprint, but rather an idea of where you’d like to be in the future so you can be growing in that direction.
