New Year New Mindset
Up Your Wellbeing Game This Year!
Why Being Selfish is Good for You
If you make one change this year, make it about kindness. And start with yourself. You can’t be fully present for others until you’re happy and healthy. It comes down to that idea of to put your oxygen mask on first. This is not selfish – it’s self-care!
Outside
External factors have a big impact on how we feel and on our comfort and happiness. Some external factors are easy to change, and others are a little bit tricky. Start with simple changes first and build on that. Does your external environment support your lifestyle? So, if you’re fed up climbing over stacks of clutter to get to your bed, or if your bookshelves are threatening to collapse under piles of books, start here. There’s hard evidence to back up the theory that your surroundings have a direct influence on your mood.
Are there updates you can make to your home to make it more comfortable or attractive? If the colors chosen by previous occupants give you a headache, change them. If you’re fed up of being too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, enlist the help of a specialist.
Your external environment extends beyond the home, though this is a good place to start. Much of your time is likely to be spent at work, and so it’s important that you feel happy and healthy in your job. This includes physical aspects such as ensuring you have an ergonomic workstation but it also includes how you feel about work life. Increasing numbers of people are reporting work stress, which in turn impacts on all areas of their lives including relationships, home life, etc. If you feel that you’re suffering from stress due to work, it’s time to take action.
The first step is to identify the triggers. Be clear on exactly what is causing these feelings. Only then can you take steps to resolve your stress. General steps you can take might include the following:
- Requesting additional training if you don’t feel confident in your role
- Tackling your boss about overly long working hours
- Taking regular breaks and time out
- Discussing your problems with a close friend or family member
- Seeing a therapist who specializes in this area
Inside
Establishing a healthy internal life is vital to our wellbeing. This means feeling safe, secure, comfortable, happy, loved, valued, inspired, etc. So being clear on how we want to feel is a good starting point. We have mentioned stress already, in relation to work. However, you may feel this in other areas of your life. Low mood, depression, and anxiety are other conditions that are on the increase and it’s important to take steps to prevent them.
There is no template for how you improve your internal life. You have to find things that are important to you and prioritize them. Common ways of feeling more fulfilled include:
- Making time to do the things you enjoy, whether that’s sports, photography, reading, or birdwatching
- Finding something you’re passionate about
- Spending time with the people who mean the most to you
- Getting enough uninterrupted sleep each night
- Laughing often
- Not letting things you can’t control, like the weather, get in the way of your happiness
- Cutting toxic people out of your life and not feeling guilty about it
You won’t find a magic formula or any free download ebooks full of tips on how to make the perfect sense of wellbeing. It’s something that comes with trial and error. But the place to start is through self-care and kindness.
It’s perfectly okay if you put your oxygen mask on first sometimes!
Klaudia xx
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