Just like that, another year has come and gone. January 2022 is more than just the first month of a new year — it’s a chance to start fresh, rethink your approach to wellness, and find a new sense of purpose.
Instead of setting your sights on major life-changing resolutions, consider making a few simple changes, and focus on the smaller stuff; whether it’s walking more, trying something new in the kitchen, reading, meditating, or practicing generosity. With a little bit of consistent effort and some small steps, you’ll slowly change your lifestyle for the better. Here are a few suggestions to get started. Read the entire prevention article here.
- Set realistic goals: Set specific, manageable goals like scheduling three visits to the gym per week or replacing cookies with fruit for dessert.
- Get creative in the kitchen: Every week, seek out a new recipe to try; you might spark a newfound love of cooking, on top of increasing your motivation and self-esteem.
- Take the stairs: Researchers have found that just 10 minutes of walking stairs was more effective than 50 mg of caffeine (about half a cup of coffee) in helping sleep-deprived women feel more energized.
- Crack open a good book: Beyond strengthening your cognitive health, a great novel can actually change your approach to life, enhancing your ability to empathize with others, making you a better friend, neighbor, and loved one.
- Meditate more often: We can all benefit from some form of meditation, whether it’s just being more present and mindful in each moment or a daily half-hour practice.
- Use your vacation time: Don’t let your vacation time sit unused: it could actually prolong your life. Meditation and vacation time have roughly the same outcome on overall wellbeing.
- See the light: Light therapy can be as effective for treating major depressive disorder as antidepressants. Invest in a light therapy lamp or get outside in the morning.
- Reimagine your room: Practicing creativity can keep loneliness, disengagement, and even dementia at bay. If you need an extra boost, reconfigure your space to make it more suited to creative pursuits.
- Practice generosity: Studies show that people feel just as good when they donate money to a charitable organization as they do when they are given money.
