December 22nd, 2017 | Updated on May 23rd, 2023
To overcome depression, it’s crucial to let go of the past and focus on setting both long-term and short-term goals.
Strive for personal fulfillment and leave behind negative experiences to embrace a brighter future. May you achieve all that you desire.
As a new year begins, take time to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t in your life, particularly in your career.
Set yourself on track to accomplish your goals. If you find yourself overwhelmed and overthinking, know that many others feel the same way.
Start the new year by adopting expert-recommended habits to cultivate calmness and happiness in your life, one step at a time.
1. Avoid Overworking
A lot of us work really hard and we kind of like that about ourselves. But if we work all the time and we don’t find a way to renew ourselves by doing other things that we love to do, we can find ourselves burning up and burning out really quickly — even if we actually do like our jobs even if we do actually like our companies and the people that we work with.
Overwork happens for a couple of reasons, according to McKee: mainly due to pressures in the workplace and, secondly, having phones that keep you tied to emails, texts, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.
If you do have to be at work for extended periods of time, you should seek fulfillment from work by increasing the opportunities you have to make a difference and a positive impact as well as look for ways to feel hopeful and optimistic.
2. Take News Breaks
Research shows that negative news can poorly affect your mental health. Simply put, it’s absolutely essential to take time away from the barrage of bad news stories. Experts recommend this to their patients, and do it themselves to keep their own stress under control. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself during a chaotic news cycle.
3. Use Social Media To Your Advantage
Research shows that excessive social media use can be bad for your mental health, and it’s necessary to take a break from your newsfeed. But let’s be real: It’s impossible to expect to stay unplugged from those updates all the time.
Reframe the way you view posts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram so you can build a healthier relationship with them. Experts recommend unfollowing accounts that don’t bring you joy, subscribing to more positive content and reminding yourself that what you’re seeing in your feed only shows a small portion of someone’s life.
4. Laugh More
Laughter, like exercise, makes the body produce endorphins — the happiness hormones — and strengthens our immune system.
5. Eat Foods Rich In Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Several studies have highlighted a link between omega-3 fatty acids and improved mood. Found in nuts — particularly walnuts — as well as seeds (chia, linseed), oily fish and certain oils (canola, walnut, linseed), these essential fatty acids are veritable mood lifters.
6. Meditate
Meditation focuses the mind and body on the present moment. This allows us to take control of the body’s autopilot and curb wandering thoughts. With regular practice (ten minutes per day at first), you can learn to appease mind and body, and bring about a state of calm.
7. Get Busy In The Garden
Mowing the lawn, digging, picking and gathering, stacking wood, weeding and raking are all manual activities which, as well as connecting us to the real world, help awaken all five senses and focus attention on the task in hand, not unlike hypnosis.
8. A Waft Of Vanilla
Smells and essences can affect our mood considerably. Vanilla has been the focus of several scientific studies and could be the most effective aroma for uplifting our state of mind.
9. Get Back To Nature
Walks in the countryside can not only make us happier but also reduce our tendency to mull over and dwell on negative thoughts. If the sun is shining, the mood-lifting benefits will be even greater. Plus, wide open spaces can fill us with awe and wonder, which can help foster feelings of fulfillment.
10. Make Peace With The Past
As you review the whole of 2017 in these last days leading up to the 2018, forgive yourself and others who have hurt you. Not because you are weak, but because you are far above those negative feelings of resentment. Start with yourself. Let go of the old and begin the new year with a clean slate full of possibilities and positivity. You past year does NOT define you, but how and what you learn from it sure reflects on your future happiness.
11. Stop Unnecessary Thinking
We are all prey to the monkey mind…yeah me included. If I don’t catch those brain tossing thoughts that can take a very negative spiral on autopilot, it just sucks your happy joo joo. And I don’t like that feeling. I prefer dwelling in higher vibrations as compared to the negative mucky vibrations. The trick is to catch the negative thought in its tracks and flip it with a positive thought instead. The past year is gone. Think about how much time you wasted on that negative spiral…and make a promise to yourself that the next year, YOU and your happiness will be in control and NOT the monkey mind!
12. Your Opinion Is The Only One That Matters
When it comes to others opinions, we are often given a free flowing supply of it almost everyday. I’m sure you were on the receiving end of these as well, as was I. What you must remember is that others opinions is none of your business and you literally have no control over it. Your opinion of you however is in your control and how much you value YOU is truly all that matters. Understand that you can’t please everybody…but if you are pleased with yourself, everyone just HAS TO follow suit whether they like it or not
13. Learn To Cook Something New
Flex your creative muscles and give yourself a mental escape in the process.
14. Spend Money On Experiences
Research shows that memories, not material possessions, make us happier when it comes to spending disposable income. Vacation, anyone?
15. Give Journaling A Try
A lot of people find it really helpful for sorting out thoughts, reflection and building more calm. And you don’t need to write something every day to reap the benefits, Poon added. Try journaling once a month or once every few weeks if that seems like a more manageable schedule.
Source: news18.com, huffingtonpost.in, positiveprovocations.com
