Make room for miracles and let go of the past: 15 beneficial habits to maintain your mental health all year round.

There is still a place for wonder even after the holidays

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The New Year celebrations are coming to an end. Why does it go by so quickly! Stop, holidays, you are wonderful!

- If you feel a sense of disappointment that the festivities don't last forever, it's worth looking within yourself and honestly answering the question, "What is it about my everyday life that makes me want to escape to a holiday?" says Lyudmila Shulga, psychologist and schema therapist. – What essentially happened on the night of January 1st? Just one calendar year replaced another. However, it is important to consciously feel this transition in time – this can set the direction for our consciousness for the entire upcoming calendar year. For this, while the holidays are still ongoing, we need to do a few important things:

1. Say goodbye to what it's time to let go of.

This is a very important process, both in life and in psychotherapy, which not only resolves internal conflicts but also creates space within our mental space for something new and good. Each person's experience is unique. But you need to understand what drains too much of your energy: difficult relationships, prolonged grief, or even a cluttered space filled with old things.

2. Take your strength into the coming year.

A year is indeed a long time, even if it feels like it flew by like a crazy seagull. And this year certainly contained things that made you stronger, smarter, and more precise.

- One of the most important skills that can dramatically change the quality of your life is the ability to acknowledge your own successes, - assures Lyudmila Shulga. – It’s not "the team" that accomplished it, but "I within the team." This skill of recognizing your own achievements and the effort put into the final result creates a solid foundation for new accomplishments to be built upon.

If you haven't realized what was good and where your strength lies, ask yourself a couple of questions: "In what situations did I like my reaction and why?" "If I were my own best friend, what would I value most about myself?"

3. Make space for wonder.

- In the midst of daily life, it's easy to forget about your inner child, which continues to live within you. It's that part you feel when you experience joy, surprise, or interest in something. Your inner child is responsible for the ability to desire, explore, experiment, and learn new things. The New Year holidays are the perfect time to remember, feel, and consciously make room for miracles within your heart.

BE AN OPTIMIST

- Happiness and positive emotions significantly impact a person's health, - says psychiatrist Ruslan Isaev, neurologist and somnologist at the Russian Gerontological Scientific Clinical Center of Pirogov University. - Studies show that people with high levels of happiness are less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Happy people have stronger immune systems. Moreover, optimists have a better chance of living to 90-100 years.

How to maintain optimism and joy in life?

1. Re-read books that once brought you joy. Also, re-watch your favorite movies, old comedies, listen to music, and read poetry that evoked excitement and happiness.

2. Create reasons for joy, take advantage of any opportunity to bring yourself pleasure—this is a great way to combat depression. For example, plan a trip to the theater, buy a new plant, sign up for a singing lesson...

3. Spend more time in nature. Small doses of enjoyable idleness with a book or on a bench in the park effectively refresh the mind, clearing it of mental clutter. A simple walk in the park is even better: the serotonin produced by our muscles in nature has a calming effect on the nervous system.

4. Start your day with a warm-up – at least five minutes, preferably 10-15. Physical activity activates the entire body.

5. Find your hobby. This could be growing flowers or cooking delicious food, volunteering, collecting antique coins, knitting... The list is vast, and a favorite activity helps shift focus from abstract worries to actively completing specific tasks.

6. Communicate more! Regular meetings with loved ones and friends help reduce stress levels, improve mood, and support cognitive functions. During the New Year holidays, try to spend time with family: talk, play board games, or simply share memories.

AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR BODY

The Director of the Institute of Psychological and Social Work at Sechenov University, Doctor of Psychological Sciences Maria Kiseleva reminds us that the most important thing is caring for your body. She places this as the top priority in the main habits of the new year:

1. Maintain (or remember) the feeling of control in your life.

When we feel like everything is happening on its own, without our involvement, it demotivates us. Regaining control comes from taking care of our bodies. To put it simply – "cleaning up inside." Getting enough sleep, eating right, and moving at a pace that suits our body is an important part of self-control.

2. Organize your surroundings.

Not just internally, but externally. You can start with your phone, computer, then move on to your desk or bookshelf, and then to your room and so on. This also structures our internal space.

3. Plan.

This is especially important at the beginning of the year. It’s advisable to create a plan for what you want to accomplish over a certain period and then categorize all the items into four groups:

* “Urgent and important” - what absolutely needs to be done.

* “Urgent and unimportant.” Not very significant, but needs to be done within the set deadlines.

* “Not urgent but important.” Most often, these are tasks that are personally significant to you, things you really want to do.

* “Not urgent and unimportant.” The lion's share of tasks falls into this category. They can either be postponed or not done at all.

This structure greatly helps save time and ensure that you accomplish what truly needs to be done.

4. Reassess your rituals and traditions.

Consider letting go of those that do not bring joy and benefit but drain your energy, and come up with new ones. For example, some small daily rituals: write down what happened during the day, call someone, spend time with loved ones, or go for a walk. Traditions and rituals structure our lives.

5. Say goodbye to perfectionism and high expectations of yourself and others.

- When we try to be the best at everything and then stress over failures, it drains us. Of course, there's no need to do things half-heartedly. But it's important to realistically assess your capabilities.

6. Learn to praise yourself.

- You should do this every day, or even better, several times a day, - assures Maria Kiseleva. - Believe me, there’s plenty in your life to be proud of. If you find it hard to see this yourself, imagine that someone close to you is happy and proud of you, and say out loud what they would say about you. Another option is to keep a box where you write down on pieces of paper everything you can praise yourself for and put them inside. Then, next New Year, read through them and see how much useful and important work you actually do.

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