Let me guess. The holiday highs (and lows) are wearing off, you’re starting to remember what day it is again, and you’re staring down the barrel of a brand-new year. Has anyone asked you what your mindful New Year’s resolutions are yet? Can I be the first?
I have a better question – have you ever successfully fulfilled a New Year’s resolution or does it always seem to go something like this? You have a vision of a new and improved you, it feels really attainable, you set an intention to try something new – be it learning another language, exercising regularly, or saving up for that trip you’ve always thought about, and it goes great for the first week or two, but then you kind of… fall off? Well, you wouldn’t be the only one.
Mindful New Year’s Resolutions
Resolutions, while all good and well-intentioned, can sometimes wind up feeling like just another obligation.
What if this year we re-envisioned the resolution? How about mindful New Year’s resolutions? Take the time to explore what kind of qualities your ideal self would have, and practice them!
Take this year as an opportunity to try out new perspectives, or practice a mindset that helps you to accomplish more of your goals, whatever they may be. Here are a few ways to incorporate mindfulness and positive practices into your everyday.
Practicing Self-compassion
You may have heard the saying before- you’re your own greatest critic- and it’s often true! We have two competing voices in our heads that make sense of our thoughts, behaviours, and the world around us. That is self-criticism and self-compassion, and self-criticism tends to have a louder voice.
Picture this, you wake up after snoozing your alarm- twice- and you just can’t find the motivation to get out of bed yet. The voice of self-criticism is going to tell you it’s because you’re lazy, that you lack willpower, or that it’s not so hard for other people.
This criticism leads us to feel defeated and even less motivated to get up, but is a good opportunity to recognize which voice you’re listening to, and practice some self-compassion. So, you slept in? So, what! You’ve been working hard, and your body needs rest, give yourself some grace. By intentionally practicing self-compassion, it makes that voice a little bit stronger, until it can start speaking for itself.
Low-Stimulus Wake-up Routines
The brain is like a computer, one which you program every day. The brain runs on dopamine, a chemical that is responsible for motivation and satisfaction, which we get from pleasurable activities, it’s the driving force behind addictive tendencies. Now we are learning that the way you first get dopamine in the morning primes your brain for the rest of the day.
So, let’s say you wake up and immediately start scrolling on your socials, which instantly floods you with a lot of quick and easy dopamine, then for the rest of your day, you have a high tolerance for dopamine. As a result, smaller amounts of dopamine, such as from exercise or completing chores, don’t feel as fulfilling or pleasurable.
Your brain also tends to seek out the same method of dopamine it got first in the morning, which is why you may find yourself continuously reaching for your phone and scrolling on autopilot.
On the other hand, if you wake up and complete a small task on your to-do list, like making your bed, your brain rewards you with a little dopamine for completing a task- as a treat! Then for the rest of your day, your brain wants to complete more tasks to get that dopamine reward again, setting yourself up for a more productive day.
Benefits of Trying New Things
The brain thrives on novelty, it has the ability to mold the brain and create new neural pathways. Let’s look at some benefits of trying new things.
Trying new things also produces dopamine, and opens us up to new ideas, perspectives, hobbies, and interests. And suppose you feel like taking on something new is out of the question like you’re barely staying on top of everything in your life as it is. In that case, we can incorporate small, meaningful novelties that don’t require any additional responsibility.
This could be as simple as testing a new playlist of unfamiliar songs during your commute, or trying food you’ve never had before. Encouraging yourself to try new things, even in small ways, helps the brain stay curious and adaptive.
Stop People Pleasing
Do you find yourself routinely compromising your own time, energy, and values in order to make other people feel comfortable? You’re people-pleasing. Relationships are work and do require sacrifice and compromise sometimes, but if you feel like you’re always putting more in than you’re getting back, it might be time to explore your boundaries.
With rigid boundaries, we may have a hard time letting people in and making meaningful relationships. With porous boundaries, we tend to sacrifice our own needs for the sake of others. It is with healthy boundaries that we can evaluate our priorities, decide when to compromise and when to say no and put ourselves first.
Getting Help Setting Mindful Resolutions From The Rebound Total Health Team
If any of these points interest you and you’d like to know more, book a free consultation today and we’d be happy to support you in any of your goals.
At Rebound Total Health, we know how difficult it can be to keep to New Year’s resolutions.
Ready to take the first step? Connect with a therapist today and get the support you need. At Rebound Total Health, we offer virtual online counselling. Together, we can help you work on your goals!
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