The new year is here and that likely means you’ve set some resolutions for yourself. A lot of us start off a new year with a new workout regime, diet, career goal, or financial plan. Many people are also interested in improving their mental health and looking to introduce some mindfulness into their lives.
The truth is, it’s hard to make large, drastic changes like these stick. That’s why the majority of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Instead, focusing on where you are now and what you need to feel healthy, happy, and whole will allow you to form habits and create practices that work for you. When you do, you’ll find they last far beyond the typical New Year’s resolution.
To get you thinking about how mindfulness and self-care can help you grow this year, here are some practices we love!
#1: Mindful Eating for Skin Health
Going on a diet is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. But changing your eating habits without examining why, or choosing unhealthy diets in the hopes of getting quick results, leads people to abandon their diets because they aren’t making lasting, sustainable choices.
Instead, being more mindful about your diet allows you to not only eat better, but feel more connected to your body and your skin because you’re paying attention to how you fuel it. When you approach meal time with a genuine curiosity about how the ingredients you’re using sustain you, nourishing yourself feels more like a gift than a chore.
Nourishing yourself is a gift, not a chore.
You might be surprised to find some incredible superfood ingredients right in your pantry or fridge. Foods like avocados, rich in healthy fats and antioxidants, or vibrant berries packed with skin-loving vitamins, are often hiding in plain sight. Even spices like turmeric, with its anti-inflammatory properties, can be a game-changer. When you research the benefits of the healthy ingredients you already like to eat and consciously include these goodies in your meals, you're not just feeding your body but also giving your skin a healthy boost from the inside out.
It’s not about restricting your portions, cutting out food groups, or cooking elaborate meals every day. Instead, it’s about paying attention to how your food nourishes you, and being willing to respond to how your body is feeling by adapting your diet to what it needs.
Not sure where to start? Check out this easy, adaptable, and sustainable recipe you can modify to suit you.
#2: Take Time for Movement
We as humans aren’t meant to sit still all day–our bodies and our brains crave being in motion! That’s why taking time every day to stop what you’re doing, even just for 5 minutes, and put your body into motion makes a huge difference.
Whether you’re choosing stretching, yoga, pilates, walks, or more meditative movement practices like tai chi or qigong, a low impact daily movement routine can help you tune into your body and relieve stress–which helps your complexion by getting your blood circulating and mitigating stress-related skin problems.
Do you lose track of time and find yourself sitting still for hours? Set a daily alarm on your phone for a time when you know you’re free most days. When it goes off, it’s time to get up and move! Once it becomes instinctual, you can tune into the needs of your body and take time for movement when you know you need it.
#3: Do a Mini Digital Detox
In this crazy, overly-connected world, we know it’s not possible for most people to completely disconnect from technology for long stretches of time. Most of us have family, friends, and work we have to stay connected with on a pretty frequent basis. A total digital detox just isn’t possible–but a mini break might be just what you need!
If you can carve out just an hour or two every day to turn all devices off, what would you do? You could catch up on a great book, put some time into that hobby you love to do, get out and experience nature, or meet up with a friend. Think about how much more time you’d have in your day if you spent less time scrolling social media or watching TV. Making time away from technology allows you to focus on the present moment and give yourself time to check in on how you’re doing.
Less screen time, more moments of self-reflection, growth, and mindfulness.
If the days just feel too busy for you to turn off your phone, try no screen time for an hour before bed. It’ll help with your sleep cycle, and it will allow you to discover new ways to wind down and relax before heading off to dreamland.
A digital detox is a wonderful way to make space for your mind to wander and your soul to rest!
#4: Start a Journal
A journal can be a great tool for both personal reflection and manifestation. It’s a private space where there are no rules, just pages you can fill with whatever you need. Whether you want to write about your day, keep a catalogue of how your skin feels, record successful recipes, write out affirmations and words of gratitude, or put into words all the things you want to cultivate for yourself, journaling can help you focus on what matters to you.
Instead of thinking of a journal as a daily task, use your journal as a place to store bits and pieces of you and your life when you experience a moment or thought you want to capture. Instead of setting rules of what can and can’t go in your journal, think of it as an extension of you, where your thoughts and emotions can run freely.
Taking the time to write things down forces you to slow down and consider your thoughts, which can be a powerful mindfulness practice. And when you go back and read entries from days, months, or even years ago, you might be surprised at what you find!
#5: Get Curious
One of the greatest things you can do for yourself is to be curious about the world around you. When you break from your status quo and see your surroundings in a new light, the world seems fresh, exciting, and full of wonder!
Try a new dish, deviate from your regular route on your commute to work, look a little closer at something you see every day but never really appreciated before. Google any question that pops into your mind that you don’t know the answer to. Seek out a new hobby, and don’t worry about being perfect at it.
Life is beautiful when you stay curious.
Experiment with your skincare, your meals, and your ways of practicing self-care. Don’t let yourself fall into a stale routine and instead embrace the joy (and sometimes discomfort!) of trying new things and discovering what makes you smile.
Life is beautiful when you stay curious. It turns even the most mundane days into adventures, and allows you to see the unknown as something exhilarating rather than scary.
Make 2024 A Year of Mindfulness and Self-Care!
Incorporating simple and enjoyable self-care and mindfulness practices into your life makes it easy to form lasting habits that enhance your overall wellness. Over time, you may find yourself stretching or powering down your phone before bed without even realizing it because you’ve ingrained these practices into your life!
Whatever your New Year’s resolution, we hope 2024 is a fantastic year for you ❤️
