As the new year is about to begin, it can cause a myriad of emotions to arise inside of you, affecting your mental health in various ways. You might be feeling worried about the future, emotional about what or who you are leaving behind in 2021, or just a general feeling of sadness about your current situation. However, there are some things you can do to bolster your mental health and help you deal with those feelings.
Here are five ways that you can improve your mental health in 2022:
1. Get regular exercise.
Staying active and getting regular exercise is so important to one’s mental health. Exercising releases endorphins that improve your mood by triggering positive feelings and thoughts. In fact, regular exercise can actually alter your circulating levels of dopamine, which can help relieve feelings of depression. Any form of exercise that gets your heart pumping is helpful. A simple walk around your neighborhood, local park, or mall will work. However, there are endless other options if you do not enjoy taking walks, such as swimming laps, lifting weights, playing a team sport, or riding your bike.
2. Write positive notes to yourself.
While it might seem like the world is bombarding you with negativity through the news, social media, or even conversations with friends and family, you don’t have to allow this negativity to control you and your emotions. Choose to focus on thinking positive thoughts instead. Take those positive thoughts and write them down on little sticky notes. Post these notes all over your house, car, or office. Then decide today that in this new year, you will try to look for the good in a situation and not focus on the bad. These little notes that you create will become visual reminders of this decision and help you to refocus your attention on positive, happy thoughts.
3. Consider using aromatherapy.
Experiment with various aromas or essential oils as a way to improve your mental health. You might be surprised how much they can help you. This could take the form of diffusing essential oils in your home, applying them through a massage, adding them to a bath, or other various applications. A few of the most effective essential oils for calming yourself down and reducing feelings of sadness or anxiety are lavender, chamomile, clary sage, sandalwood, and jasmine.
4. Keep a journal.
Writing your thoughts and feelings down in a journal is a great way to calm your mind. It doesn’t have to be pages and pages of writing. However, by journaling, you can work through issues that you are facing, record positive experiences, and clear your mind so that you don’t have to just keep dwelling on the same idea over and over. This journal can then become a great resource for you to revisit good things that have happened in your life or allow you to see what situations or people might be triggering your feelings of sadness or anxiety.
5. Confide in a friend.
In this new year, make the decision to open up about your feelings to a trusted friend. Confide in them about your hopes for the future, your worries about that same future, and maybe even struggles with feelings of sadness or anxiety about your current situation. While it can be hard to share your feelings at times, it can be so beneficial to your mental health. Walking through life with a friend by your side makes life easier. They can help you see the good in a situation when you might just see the bad, and they can help you work through feelings of sadness or even support you as you seek professional help if those feelings become too much for you to handle on your own.
We Are Here to Help
As you begin to think about the upcoming year and maybe even make New Year’s resolutions, you might be feeling a lot of deep emotions. Our team at AllCare Medical Centers cares about you and desires to help you walk calmly into this new year.
We have recently launched a new FDA-cleared, non-drug, non-invasive treatment for depression called TMS Therapy. If you’d like to learn more about TMS therapy, click here. We are excited to offer another option to those who might be struggling with their mental health as we transition into 2022. You can take this short surveyto see if this therapy might be a good fit for you.
