We can’t wrap our heads around the fact that it’s almost the end of December already, can you? 2021 has been a whirlwind of a year, and everybody has experienced it differently. There’s no shame in saying you didn’t reach any of your goals in 2021, and there’s no shame in saying you took a few steps back. Who really knows what the new year will bring? If there’s one thing we’ve all learned this past year is that you almost never know what’s coming. You can’t control anything; in fact, you actually have very little control in this world. The only thing you can control really is you.

We’ve all endured a momentous amount of stress, change, and adaptation during the year that was supposed to be easier than the last, and with all that in mind, we believe it’s time to relax and reset. Read on for some prompts when it comes to setting your body and mind on a fresh new course for 2022…

Unfollow and unsubscribe

Start the year off right by taking better control over what you consume online. Get rid of excess baggage by decluttering your social media feeds and unsubscribing from uninspiring newsletters. You may see people who have thousands of friends on Facebook. Others follow hundreds or thousands of accounts on Twitter or Instagram. We often fail to realise that posts from pages or people we follow may affect our outlook on a specific day or hour.

Following the right people online means feeding your thoughts with the right content. Things that you want to connect yourself with. If seeing photos of food, or beautiful places, or gorgeous clothes light up your mood… then follow them as much as you want. But if you often see posts that trigger annoyance or jealousy, unfollow him or unfriend her. Then, take 20 minutes or so to go through your email account(s) and delete anything that you don’t need anymore. 

Take time to recharge your batteries

In order to get closer to making your big goals a reality, you need to make time to relax in the midst of the craziness. If you’re constantly pushing yourself to the point where you lose sleep and neglect your health, the outcome of your work will never truly be the best you can produce. Take a step back, stop rushing, and give yourself time to breathe and make plans as you head into the New Year. Perhaps start by setting an alarm that goes off at the same time every hour on a WFH day and use that time to refocus and recalibrate, or if you have a garden – head out and literally smell the flowers.

Ask yourself how you can be calmer

If you’ve been stressing out and wondering how you’ll ever manage to get everything done on your to-do list, it’s important to encourage yourself to calm down and take a breath. The never-ending to-do lists aren’t going away anytime soon, so you’re going to have to schedule frequent ‘calming down’ sessions. Try adding more mindfulness into your day, and the next time your anxiety starts to take you out of the present, regain control by sitting down and taking a few deep breaths. Simply stopping and breathing can help restore a sense of personal balance and bring you back to the present moment

Decide what to make time for

Which activities, commitments, and people do you want to make priorities in your life? Think about how you want to feel every day (calm, energised, fulfilled) and whether they will contribute to or deprive you of that feeling. Spend time doing what you love with the people you love, and allow yourself some time to just sit in your own feelings too. We all need to have a sense of belonging and connection to those around us to feel motivated and enthused. Without it, we can struggle with loneliness and what is known as anomie, a breakdown of social bonds. Keep company with those that lift you up, and are there in the down times too.

If appropriate, even take time to re-evaluate your career path – we spend a lot of our adult life at work, so think about whether what you do with your 9-5 resonates with your soul. If changing jobs isn’t an option, make sure you nourish yourself during your out-of-work time even more.

Move more

Wondering what the mental health benefits of exercise are? Well, the main side effects are good ones; mental, physical, and cognitive improvements. These benefits can often be underrated as we usually focus on the physical changes, but when exercise is taken regularly and with the right intensity it can be incredibly powerful for the mind too. 

Wherever you get your exercise on a court, on a hike or in the pool, when you do the right amount, it can have a brilliant impact on your psychological well-being. This can be as simple as taking a walk in the morning and evening or as challenging as creating a whole new exercise programme from the amazing offerings online at the moment. Many are free and local, and allow you to choose exactly how hard – or gentle – you want to go on yourself.