January 14th, 2021 by Sarah Miles

New Year is always a time for resolutions but 2020 may have got people thinking slightly differently about the things they want to achieve in 2021. In a year when everyone has had to change how they live and work and all the sacrifices that have come with that, we have all come to appreciate things like family, friends, and both physical and mental health, so much more than material things.

There has never been a better time, therefore, to focus on well-being and self-care. Here are 10 quick ideas you may want to incorporate into your resolutions this year:

1. Reduce clutter. Untidy environments are linked to stress and feelings of inadequacy. Focus on small areas at a time for just a short, fixed duration of 20 minutes. This way it’s less overwhelming but you feel like you’re doing something
2. Start walking. Walking is fantastic exercise: it’s free, it’s in the fresh air, it’s something all levels of fitness can do, it’s social – you will often see the same people out and about when you become a regular walker - and it gives you thinking time to process things. Just 15 minutes a day will make a difference
3. Get better sleep. Few things will make you feel better, both physically and mentally, than getting a better quality of sleep. Try to avoid overstimulation before bed - that means no screen time -  use an electric blanket, scent your room, and have a proper bedtime routine.
4. Take up singing. Singing is proven to improve mental health and increase endorphins. You don’t need to be good at it either. There are community choirs in every town that are focused on the desire to sing rather than the ability. Singing in a group encourages a feeling of community and can also improve your social life
5. Be thankful every day. We have all had to learn to look for positives in 2020. Continue this appreciation of small things into 2021 by making a note every day of one thing that you have appreciated, however insignificant it may seem
6. Make time for friends. Friendships are hugely important, but they can often be put on the back burner after family, kids, work, and other responsibilities. Take some time to reach out to friends and put the effort in. You will appreciate it when people do the same for you
7. Clean out your social media. Social media platforms can be amazing places to share things with friends and follow the latest trends but they can also become a source of stress and anxiety. Make your feeds positive places by removing anything that doesn’t bring you some kind of joy. This could mean a cull of people, brands, or news.
8. Bookend your day with screen-free time. We spend most of our days looking at some kind of screen so why not make the first hour on a morning and the last hour on an evening screen-free? This will help you focus on the day to come and help you wind down to sleep at night
9. Take naps. A quick, 20-minute power nap can actually refresh you for the rest of the day. With more of us working from home now, this should be something that most can incorporate into their day. Just remember to set an alarm: more than 20 minutes can leave you feeling sluggish and disoriented
10. Get more daylight. Daylight is important for boosting vitamin D levels and for generally making us feel happier. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can make many people feel quite depressed during the dark winter months. Daylight is in limited supply during the winter but take advantage of as much of it as you can: open all blinds and curtains as soon as it’s light and try to get out for some fresh air in the middle of the day when the sun is strongest. The good news is, after the winter solstice in December, the days will start getting a little longer again