As the new year has just started, it is time for those good old resolutions. It is also the time to sit back and reflect on the kind of year you had, what you achieved, what you lost, and most importantly, what did you learn from this year?
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Should you be setting goals for the new year?
Every year, we make big plans, set goals, and develop expectations from ourselves that we’ll meet them, however, we somehow lose the motivation to meet those goals and expectations, and that’s normal. Amidst all the plans and goals, we fail to realise that we need happiness the most. If we’re up to big things in life and we are not happy and contented, it’s not worth it. Buydiazepamuk provides multiple treatment options for mental health if you are facing problems.
Having ambitions and setting goals is extremely important for you to pave your way to success in life and also to give you a substantial reason for your struggle. It is a habit of successful people to journal everything, plan things, set goals for themselves, and learn new things. Hence, you should not give up on setting goals for yourself even if you fail to meet them.
Here are some of the ways we can try to stay happy in the upcoming year, 2023.
1. Self-love
Self-love is the number 1 thing that should be on your priority list for the new year. We all need to show ourselves extra love, care, and kindness. Being humans, we all have shortcomings and flaws. However, that should not stop us from considering ourselves worthy of good things in life, affection, and love. We must learn to love ourselves first because if we do not love ourselves, how will we ever be capable of loving others? Forgiving yourself for all the mistakes and the times you were unkind to yourself is the key to better mental health and valuing yourself enough not to let people ruin your peace.
2. Practising Gratitude
We cannot stress enough how important it is to show gratitude in life. It is a very simple quality of just being thankful, showing appreciation, and acknowledging. It is the quality that requires you to be mindful of yourself and your surroundings because when you are aware of what you have and realise it on a deeper level, you understand how fortunate you are. Being thankful to be alive, to have food on the table, to have family and friends, to have a roof over your head, and so on.
3. Be your competition
Too often, we find ourselves in a race with others around us as to what they are doing, what they are wearing, how much they are earning, and so on. Even if that competition is not conspicuous, deep down, you know that you’re always trying to keep up with that person by constantly lurking about what’s going on in their life. It’s time to give that focus and energy to yourself and be your biggest competition. You must compete with your previous self, give up on bad habits, and outgrow people that are no longer good for you and do not add value to your life.
4. Focus on being healthy
One of the biggest goals everybody sets for the new year is weight loss, and then doing all sorts of things to meet that goal. However, we forget that we must value physical and mental health. When you focus on being ‘healthy’ and not on being skinny, you are actually in it for the right reasons, and it becomes easier for you to stay focused on your goal. Eating healthy meals, working out, and doing things well for your mental and physical health will ultimately lead you to your desired weight.
5. Try to live life offline
Another goal that must be on your priority list is to be present during moments. Our thumbs have crossed more miles than we’ll ever be able to cover physically. Being on your social media 24/7 makes you oblivious to your environment, causing you not to be present in life and be there for people who need your company. Try to minimise your smartphone usage, especially when you’re with friends and family.
6. Have no space for negativity
It’s time now that you should learn who adds value to your life and brings out the best in you. Cut off people who make you feel bad about yourself and are focused too much on what other people are up to in their lives. There should be absolutely no space for negativity in your life. Instead, focus on people who encourage and uplift you, are there for you when you need them, and add value to your life.
7. Connect with nature
Good mental health does not always equal success. Sometimes, our inner human being yearns for the simplest pleasures in life, like connecting with nature, enjoying the sunshine or the rain, going to a beach, or going on a hike. Connecting with nature brings a lot of happiness and positivity to your life. It also serves as a reset to your concrete jungle life that we have chosen for ourselves.
8. If your body tells you to take rest, take it
We often think that having a perfectly designed routine is the secret to happiness, but little do we know that sometimes having the same routine can cause us to burn ourselves out without even knowing. When your body tells you to take rest, take it. Productivity does not mean we must be working all the time; every action must be aligned with our definition of success. Therefore, taking rest when required is also productive.
9. Pick a new hobby
Apart from your day-to-day activities, pick a new activity or skill and practice it often. Even if it means learning from scratch, do it. Whether learning how to cook, paint, solve jigsaw puzzles, knit, or roller-skate, do it. The effort required to learn it from scratch converts to pure joy when you start getting better at it.
10. Enjoying simple pleasures
When you learn to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, life becomes sweet. Sometimes, it’s not about the big things like how much money you have in your bank account, which job you landed, which car you bought, or so. Instead, allowing yourself to immerse in moments as simple as enjoying ice cream, taking a walk in the rain, building a snowman with your family, or sipping on hot coffee while reading a book in a café, is all you need to get going. Rooting for big things in life, sometimes we fail to realise that so much of our happiness is stored in simple moments.
