If there’s one thing we can all unanimously agree on, it is that 2020 was rough. From the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns worldwide and economic turmoil, it took a toll on our mental health. We’re hoping 2021 will be a lot better. If you are working towards making this year a positive one and protect your mental health, here’s what you can do.
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1. Give gratitude
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“You could start a gratitude journal or end the day by giving gratitude to everyone you interacted with during the day,” says Kavyal Sedani, founder and counsellor at Rise Above.
2. Set goals for yourself
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Sedani adds, “Setting realistic goals that will help you grow, and overcome your fears is something that you should focus on.”
3. Give intent
“Make an intent to make at least the lives of 12 people better this year. It could be one person per month.. by giving your time or attention or money or whatever would be easy for you. Be of service to someone unconditionally,” she adds.
4. Sleep
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“If there is one thing you can do to improve your quality of life – that is sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep ensures your mind and body will function at its best. Healing, learning, memory, social skills, ageing, immunity and almost every function is related to sleep. Did you know that even a single night’s sleep deprivation can increase anxiety by 30%,” says Nuthan Manohar, Mental Wellbeing Expert, Sarva Yoga.
5. Start small
Come January we’re all about making resolutions, Nuthan has the solution to making them stick. “New Year brings new resolutions, most of them will fail. The ones who will persist and find success are the ones who develop small, simple habits and stick to it. After all if you improve 1% a day, which would mean 10 minutes of effort in a day, in 72 days you are twice better off than today.”
6. Prioritise health and immunity over everything else
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2020 gave us the shakeup we needed when it comes to our health. Change that by eating healthier meals and adding some sort of workout in the day.
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