The last two years have taken a toll on many people’s mental, physical, and emotional health. But if there is one thing that we’ve learnt it is that there is always hope. Our resolutions have changed and most of us have learnt to take stock of the things that are important to us including our health. If you’re looking to work on bettering yours in the coming year, here is a quick and easy checklist to get you started.
Prioritise age-related health screenings
Taking the preventative route to healthcare can go a long way—not only in diagnosing diseases early in life but in getting rid of the anxiety-inducing thoughts related to them. Make it a point to talk to your general physician about which scans and tests you need to do according to your age and slot those in. Then move on to your oral care, eye care, and more.
Exercise your brain
Researchers are always talking about the benefits of how exercising your brain can help fight cognitive decline. If you’re looking for a way to sharpen your brain and improve your memory, try playing card games or solving jigsaw puzzles. A 2017 study at Duke University found that when participants solved simple math problems, their brains perceived it completing them as rewards and kept negative feels at bay. Similarly, solving jigsaw puzzles helps you to look at different pieces and figure out how they fit into the big picture. This can eventually help you to get better at solving challenges in life.
Make an effort to chill out
Take time to actively let go of anger and resentment. Constantly holding on to negative feelings can have unwanted, damaging effects on your overall health. Chronic anger may induce headaches, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Here’s a tip on how to move past these less than desirable feelings: Identify and allow yourself to feel the underlying emotions such as hurt, unhappiness, and fear. Allow yourself to sit with your feelings and understand how you may have contributed to the circumstances that have led to your anger. Share your feelings with a friend or journal about it. Sometimes getting things out of your system also helps!
Adopt a body-positive mindset
If you haven’t been appreciative of your body off late, there is no time like now to switch gears. Social media can warp your perception of what your body should look like and it is important to remind yourself that everybody is a perfect one. There is a movement that appreciates all shapes, sizes, colours, and more, you just need to know where to look. If you don’t know how to start your body-loving journey, allow these women to inspire you.
Forget multitasking
Leave behind the idea that you need to be doing 300 things in a day for it to be a fruitful one. If you tend to focus on a million tasks at once, you’re bound to get anxious as new things will keep getting added to your list while others are still incomplete. Try to practice mindfulness. Allot time to each chore and only dedicate your attention to completing it. Doing this will not only allow you to be present but also prevent you from overthinking and spiralling in your thoughts.