New year, new joy!
Congratulations - you've made it through another year! We know it wasn't easy - but you did it. And you deserve SO MUCH CREDIT for that! Seriously.
We are not here to tell you that you need to set any big resolutions for yourself. In fact, we want you to put as little pressure on yourself as possible! The goal of any resolution is to feel BETTER over the course of the year, not worse, right? So if thinking about goals, or resolutions, or intentions - or whatever you want to call them - is stressing you out and making you feel worse, you are allowed to stop at any time!
Instead, let's talk about how we're going to find more JOY in 2023. What's something you're going to do this year to create more joy in your life? (Leave a comment below if you'd like - we'd love to hear your ideas!)
To kick off the new year, we wanted to share some of our favorite (simple! And not expensive either...!) ways to help our brains feel better, that you can try out for your brain, if you'd like.
We're calling it, #NewYearNewJoy 😊
So here are 5 ways you can help your brain out in 2023:
Get more fresh air and sunlight
Did you know... We need 30 minutes a day of natural daylight/sunlight and fresh air to fuel our bodies? Making sure we get that each day is a simple way to improve our mood.
How to make this happen:
❆ Take a light aerobic walk outside in the daylight
❆ Sit in front of a medical-grade light box for at least 30 minutes
2. Regulate your circadian rhythm
Did you know... Your circadian rhythm can affect your mental health?
An irregular circadian rhythm can negatively impact our mood, which can lead to depression, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, and more.
Here are a few ways you can help regulate your circadian rhythm:
❆ Get between 6-9 hours a night
❆ Sleep and eat on a regular schedule
❆ Turn off the TV /computer/phone 30 minutes before bed to avoid the blue light exposure (there are also blue light filter apps that you can download if you REALLY need to keep using your devices...)
3. Find more social support
Did you know... Having social support around you can benefit your mental health?
It makes sense, right? When we are feeling depressed or anxious, we might feel lonely and isolated. And when you're struggling, it can be really hard to find the words and the energy to connect with someone. But sometimes, that's exactly what we need.
Here are a few ways you can find social support:
❆ Join a NAMI support group! They're free, and led by people with lived experience, which means they've been there too (view the full support group schedule here)
❆ Open up to a friend or family member about how you're doing
❆ Talk to one of our Peer Support Specialists - either in-person, on the phone, or on Zoom
4. Get more serotonin - through your gut
Did you know... 95% of your serotonin is made in your gut?! Yeah... We just learned that one too 🤯
Serotonin works to control and regulate your mood. Low serotonin levels have been associated with depression.
So that means, if we want to take care of our mental health, we need to take care of our gut too?? Yes.
Researchers have found that a high-quality diet can improve our mood, and therefore lead to less anxiety, depression, and other mental health struggles.
Here are a few things you can try adding to your diet to help out your gut (don't worry, we aren't telling you not to eat that brownie you've been looking forward to for dessert...!):
❆ Omega-3 - try grinding flaxseed and then consuming it in water or yogurt (grinding it oxidizes and activates the nutrients our body needs)
❆ Probiotics - try a yogurt for breakfast, or a kombucha as your afternoon drink
❆ Fiber - try snacking on some berries, nuts or popcorn!
5. Be nice to yourself
Do you ever hear a little voice pop up in your head saying mean things about you? Like, "I should be better at this, I'm such a failure, I am not good enough..." That's called negative self-talk.
Did you know... This can actually lead to more stress, less motivation, and even symptoms of depression?! The more we talk negatively to ourselves, the more it builds and buries our brains in more and more negative thoughts, making it harder for the positive thoughts to come through.
So how do we change that mean little voice?
❆ Talk to yourself like you would to a friend, someone you love - you wouldn't say mean things to them, right? You would encourage them!
❆ Catch yourself when the voice pops up, and see if you can flip the negative thought into a positive one (for example, if your brain is telling you, "you messed up and are a bad person," what if you instead tell yourself, "you did the best you could in the moment, you are a good person, and you are doing a good job."
❆ Try a loving kindness meditation (which sends loving kindness to yourself and others)
We talked about this one in a mental health new years resolutions segment on KOIN News!
Most importantly, when it comes to setting any kind of resolutions, or trying to better yourself in any way, make sure to BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF. You can’t change everything overnight - and you don’t need to. You don't have to make changes in your life to make yourself a person worthy of joy and love - because you already deserve that!
If your main goal for 2023 is to stay alive and get through each day, that is enough - and you're doing a great job ❤️
Do you have any goals, resolutions, or intentions for the new year? Leave a comment below!