It’s a new year, and that means it’s time to take stock of your health—physical, mental, and emotional. Once you have set achievable goals for yourself, one of the best ways to follow through is to be mindful of your choices. Do they get you closer to your goal, or further away? Let’s look at how mindfulness can help make 2023 your healthiest year yet.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation. Meditation aims to increase awareness of the mind and concentration – and mindfulness increases the focus on being fully in the present moment.
But mindfulness doesn’t have to be done sitting still or in silence. You can integrate the practice into things you do every day, like walking or eating. You can also be mindful while interacting with others.
Studies suggest that focusing on the present can have a positive impact on health and well-being. When combined with these tips, following through with your healthy goals in 2023 will be a breeze!
Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. There’s also evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep. It may even help people cope with pain. Being mindful may also help you make healthier choices. Learn more about the health benefits of mindfulness here.
Tips for Success
Make small, achievable goals
Setting big, lofty goals is great but it’s also important to break them down into smaller, more achievable tasks. For example, if you want to lose 20 pounds by March, start by setting a goal of losing 5 pounds in January. Smaller goals are easier to keep track of and are more likely to result in success.
How Mindfulness helps:
Studies suggest that it can help reduce binge eating and emotional eating. Paying closer attention to your body can help you notice signals that you’re full and help you better enjoy your food.
Track your progress
One way to make sure that you’re staying on track with your New Year’s resolutions is to create a tracking system for yourself. Writing down what you plan to do each day or week can help motivate you and keep you accountable for accomplishing your goals.
How Mindfulness helps:
Taking time to write down your plan and keep track of progress helps you to stay focused and present on your behaviors and feelings around those behaviors every time you pick up your pen!
Find an accountability partner
Having someone else trying to reach a specific goal can be incredibly helpful in keeping you motivated and on track with your own objectives. Find someone who has similar interests or goals as yourself and check in with each other regularly so that both of you stay focused on achieving success together!
Take care of yourself
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and let physical health take a backseat but it’s important not to forget about taking care of yourself too! Make sure that you prioritize sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress management, etc., so that these aspects don’t fall off the wagon while trying to achieve other things throughout the year.
How Mindfulness helps:
Body awareness seems to be one part of how mindfulness helps people adopt healthier habits. If you’ve just eaten a jelly donut, you may be more likely to notice an unpleasant sugar crash, for example. This goes for positive feelings too. Just about everyone feels better after physical activity – and when we are mindful, we are aware of the impact on our mood and body.
Set realistic expectations
Don’t expect too much from yourself right away; set realistic expectations for yourself so that it doesn’t become too overwhelming or discouraging if things don’t go exactly as planned at first! Allow yourself some grace if something doesn’t go according to plan – this is especially important when embarking on a new endeavor or lifestyle change!
How Mindfulness helps:
When we focus on being more active or eating healthier, mindfulness helps keep our intentions focused on the goal – and to be more aware of ourselves. You can catch yourself quicker when slipping into old habits and reverse course to keep your healthy goals on track.
Putting Mindfulness to Practice
Just like with any new skill, mindfulness can take practice. Aim for a few minutes of mindfulness each day to start. Focus on how you feel and what is going on around you and in your mind. A helpful tip can be to practice a quick body scan meditation.
Quiet your mind, and connect with your body. This will help you become aware of how your body is feeling as you take a mental scan from head to toe. Close your eyes, take several deep breaths and then notice your feet. How do they feel? Move up to your shins or lower legs and focus on how they feel. Continue upward, taking several deep breaths and noticing how your body feels at each stage – legs, stomach, arms, hands, neck, and finally, head. Be careful not to try to change your feelings – just notice them. Doing a quick body scan meditation on a regular basis can increase mindfulness and give you another tool for successfully tackling your health and wellness goals this year!
By setting realistic goals, reducing stress levels, and prioritizing self-care activities like yoga or meditation, we can make 2023 our healthiest year! With commitment and dedication, we can all achieve our wellness goals this year.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation with Deija Harmony
Deija Harmony specializes in providing wellness retreats where mindfulness meditation is taught and performed, allowing you to engage in a path of self-care where you become the guardian and steward of your own health. Book a retreat with Deija Harmony at https://dejiaharmony.com/experience/retreats/.
