Well hello to you my reader chums! I've spent a lot of time this past year working on myself, cutting out negative energy and learning to love all of me - and I've also learnt a lot of healthy tips, mentally and physically to do in order to improve myself and live a happier life.
The new year can be about change and trying new things and if you're looking to live a healthier lifestyle, here are 10 tips for a better you.
Spend time focusing on you and your goals
Focusing on you and your goals isn't selfish. For the longest time, I spent my time helping other people, socialising and trying to keep busy with others, rather than focusing on my own goals and working on myself. I thought by being around others, I could distract myself from the things I've been avoiding and that scared me, and it would make me happy and it did, but it also meant I swayed away from what I really wanted to achieve.
A habit I've put into play the past few months is learning to love my own time and making sure I have that time to focus on me, my healing, and working on my goals. Learning to be alone is really important as you can't always rely on someone else to boost you up and offer advice, you need to be your own hype girl.
Cut out people who don't bring you joy
Anyone who brings toxic or negative energy into your life isn't worth your time. You don't need to surround yourself with unecessary drama or unecessary pain caused by toxic people. If people close to you are acting this way, slowly cut yourself away from them or limit contact and surround yourself more with those who radiate love and support - they're the ones who will boost you up and help you out. It's not about the number of people around you, it's about the quality and knowing they've always got your best interests at heart.
Try and get out and about more
Exercise and fresh air are so important for your physical and mental state. I'm not saying to go run a marathon but getting out and about every day for a short walk can really help in so many ways. Try and implement it as much as you can into your routine.
Take active breaks from your phone
I'll happily admit I have a huge phone addiction but I am at my happiest when I'm not scrolling or on my phone unnecessarily. Being away from your phone and technology is so important for your mental wellbeing, especially if you spend the most amount of time on social media. Try and take active breaks away from your phone - put it on do not disturb, switch it off when socialising and take allocated breaks, it can really help.
Actively be kind to everyone around you
Kindess is the most important trait anyone can have and it costs nothing to be kind. Not only is it important to spread love wherever you go, it can benefit people more than you realise - and it can also benefit you too. Doing good for others can make you feel good. But even though it's important to be kind to everyone, don't leave yourself out. Be kind to yourself as much as you would your family and friends - speak to yourself like you would your best pal.
Practice affirmations each morning
I've fallen in love with affirmations this past year as they really set my day out on a good foot. They can be the same affirmation or a series of a few that you repeat several times. It'll give you something to focus on first thing in the morning but also a sense of assurance too.
Thinking about how you eat
The diet industry is something that I really don't like as it teaches people that losing weight and counting calories is the healthiest way to go about things - and that's not right, and can cause a negative relationship with food. Good nutrition is what should be valued when you choose what you eat and how you eat. It's not about cutting things out, it's about listening intuitvely to your body to what you want to eat and not restricting yourself. Food is such a beautiful part of life and as long as predominately of the time you make better choices on how you eat then you can still enjoy treats, and eat healthily.
Set boundaries
I could talk about boundaries all day. Boundaries are so important to set in every different instance in your life, including relationships, friendships, career, and even your day to day life. You need to learn to say yes to what feels right and no if it's not for you. Taking control will give you back the power into your life.
Take mental health days
I would never be one to do this and in turn that made my mental health worse and I'd feel unwell for longer. However, this past year, I began listening to my body more and on the days I didn't feel great with my mental health, I would take the time to actually relax and do nothing - rather than force myself to do something. Mental health is incredibly important and if you're not feeling well, take the time off work, spend longer in bed, and do what works for you to feel better.
Stop people-pleasing so much
I think a lot of us a people pleasers as we want to make everyone around us happy. However, as soon as pleasing people is starting to make you unhappy, that's when you need to make the decision to stop trying to please those people - and focus on what makes you truly happy.
I hope you enjoyed this post. What tips do you have?
Thank you for reading <3