Every year we make a resolution for the new year. We take stock and think about what we could or would like to change.
Have you already made particularly good resolutions for 2022? We've done a little research and put together a few changes that we think are feasible for you.
1. reduce stress
Nowadays, stress not only accompanies working people. Students and housewives also suffer from it because they can no longer cope with the demands of everyday life. Those who frequently suffer from stress are permanently tense and risk states of exhaustion, perhaps even burnout and other physical complaints. That is why stressed persons should take care to reduce the inner pressure in a targeted way.
Think about which situations are particularly stressful for you and try to avoid them. Relaxation baths or sauna after work and sports, for example, have a positive effect on your mind. Also, don't take work home with you and deal with one task at a time. It is a good idea to make weekly plans for this. Tell your family, friends and colleagues about your resolution to avoid stress and reduce it. They can support you in your plan.
2. more exercise and sport
Sport keeps you healthy, makes you happy and increases your concentration. Be aware of why you want to do more sport. Specific goals such as losing weight or improving your health serve as motivation for every exercise session. They also help you to find the right type of sport.
In the beginning, always remember that sport cheers you up in the cool season and strengthens the immune system. To find the right sport, you can first try out different types of sport. A training partner often helps to motivate you. A sports group or club also oblige and help to create a routine in everyday life through regular training times.
3. balanced diet
What a healthy, balanced diet means is currently the subject of much discussion. It certainly makes sense to find out for yourself what is good for you and what is not. Allowing the body or the gastrointestinal tract to rest again and again in terms of nutrition seems to many scientists to be the most favourable variant in the long term.
Try it out: Which foods give you energy, which make you sluggish? You need time to do this. Eating hastily while standing or walking will have a rather unfavourable effect on your body in the long run. Basically, the following applies: only eat when you are really hungry; eat what you really like; stop when you feel full. Sounds simple, but it is challenging. If you succeed, you will do yourself and your body a lot of good.
4. more time for yourself
To keep life in balance, free time and time for yourself are very important. During this time you can pursue hobbies, meet with friends and relax. This keeps your psyche fit and efficient and at the same time has a positive effect on your health. Keep at least one day or a few hours a day free in your schedule each week for time with yourself.
Ideally, it should always be the same day or the same time. This creates a routine that can be integrated into your everyday life.
To gain support and create a greater commitment, communicate the dates to family and friends.
5. less smoking
Smoking not only ages the skin and damages the lungs, it can also shorten life expectancy by up to ten years. After only one year of abstinence, the lung volume increases again and the risks for heart disease and lung cancer decrease significantly. If you want to quit smoking, you should set yourself small goals. First, gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. Find a substitute like chewing gum for the cigarette and use your five-minute smoke break in a different way.
To do this, make a list of things you could do instead of smoking. The body effectively only needs three days to quit. It often helps to find allies and make small bets on who will last longer without a cigarette. This increases the ambition for the project enormously. Since nicotine withdrawal causes a deficit of endorphins ("happiness hormones"), it is advisable to reward oneself with small things during the withdrawal phase. This trick creates feelings of happiness.
6. less alcohol
Just one alcoholic drink per day is harmful to the body. Not only does the liver benefit from abstaining from regular alcohol consumption, but the immune system can also devote itself fully to fighting off infections. In addition, the risk of cancer decreases and brain performance increases. If you want to drink less alcohol, you should change your drinking habits and realise how harmful alcohol is for your health.
As a first step, it is helpful to have no or at least less alcohol in the house. This helps to drink alcohol only on special occasions. Use little tricks to wean yourself off gradually: Rather drink water and tea with your food, take smaller sips and smaller glasses.
7. get enough sleep
Fatigue makes for poor concentration and leads to a weakened immune system in the long run. To feel refreshed and fresh in the morning, you should therefore get enough sleep. Make a resolution to get your personal optimum amount of sleep every day. To do this, you should go to bed early. For this, skip TV shows sometimes and say goodbye to late meetings a little earlier. Get up early and avoid midday naps so that you get tired early in the evening and can fall asleep well.
After a few weeks, the sleeping times and the length of sleep will settle down. To fall asleep quickly, it helps to darken the room well and keep the room temperature at 17 degrees Celsius. Read a book before going to bed - this can promote tiredness. You should eat your last meal three hours before going to sleep.
8. more time for family and friends
For greater satisfaction in your circle of friends and family, it is very important to set aside enough time for both. Therefore, make appointments with friends well in advance or set aside a specific day in the week or month for meetings. Treat appointments with friends with the same priority as business appointments. This will make it more difficult for you to cancel meetings.
Plan family days into your everyday life. When planning, you should already determine what exactly you will do together. Children in particular enjoy excursions, games and leisure activities. This promotes cohesion and makes the whole family happier. Fixed plans also fuel anticipation and make it more difficult to postpone outings. It is best to set the first dates at the beginning of the year. Also, share your plans at work, then there is a good chance that they will be taken into consideration.
9. less television
People who spend a lot of time in front of the TV damage their bodies through lack of exercise. Memory and weight are particularly affected by negative consequences. High television consumption has a particularly negative effect on the early development of children. In order to watch less television, you should arrange certain television times.
Choose your programme wisely and try to spend no more than one hour a day in front of the TV. Realise that you could use the time in front of the TV much more sensibly. For example, read a book or newspaper or invest more time in cooking and friends.
10. say goodbye to your perfectionism
Always wanting to be perfect can be incredibly stressful and exhausting. Your inner driver, which determines what you still have to do so that everything is really perfect, can make life very difficult for you. Try to leave the laundry, the household chores, whatever you think you still have to do, and play with your children or go to the cinema or take a short walk to air out and calm down.
Nobody asks you to be perfect - except yourself. Sometimes small changes are enough and you suddenly have time to do something for yourself again and can recover from a busy day.
If you need support with one or the other resolution, please feel free to contact us. We are at your side.
Wishing you a happy, imperfect, New Year
Source: https://www.gesundheit.de
