3 Self-Care Ideas to Start This New Year Right
fireworks during night time
Welcome to the beginning of a new decade!
The new year brings hope and a fresh start to many of us, as we begin 2020 with ideas to make the most of this new decade. You may have new year's resolutions, goals and dreams that you are ready to start achieving and fulfilling, so self-care is of the most importance as you begin to conquer what's ahead of you.
Here are three self-care ideas that can support you in making 2020 your best decade yet:
Build your ability to "bounce back" from adversity.
Let part of your self-care be focused on your ability to be resilient this year.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to be resilient means to be able to become strong, healthy or successful again when something bad, adverse or difficult happens.
Resiliency is often compared to a rubber-band, because of its "bounce back" qualities. When difficulty comes your way, try resiliency-focused practices like:
Accessing hope and opportunities that are important to you
Recognizing that adversity is temporary
Finding power in how you handle difficult situations
A few blogs on gmichelle.com that can help build your resiliency skills are:
Strengthen your support system.
The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on how you are receiving support for all that you want to accomplish.Take what I call, a "relational inventory" of who and what provides you with the support you need. Reflect on:
What support(s) will I need to carry out my goals this year?
Who and/or what keeps me accountable?
When times get hard for me, who and/or what do I lean on?
Who or what can I depend on when I need help?
group of people standing beside body of water
When reflecting on your relational inventory, consider adding new or different people, resources, groups or services into your self-care routine. It might be time to explore talking to a life coach, taking a nutrition class, setting up a consultation call with a therapist or looking up a local support group.Similarly, notice if you need to spend less time (and energy) in relationships and friendships that are not nurturing, supportive or helpful to you and your plans for the future.Take a look at these blogs to learn more about how to do this:
Engage in "guilt-free" self-care practices.
We explore this at length in the "Does Toxic Self-Care Exist?" blog, but check-in on your self-care routine to see that you are taking care of yourself in ways that do not cause you to feel guilty afterwards!Prioritize "guilt-free" self-care practices, that help you feel proud, satisfied, refreshed and recharged. Some of these practices could be:
Eating a nourishing snack
Prioritizing your mental health care
Taking a walk outside
We all enjoy luxurious ways to take care of ourselves very once in a while, but remember -- taking care of yourself involves not always indulging. Here are a few blogs that break this down further:
How are you starting your new year on the right track?
