Even before the pandemic hit, maintaining wellness during our busy and stressful lives wasn’t easy. Now that we’re getting into 2022, there’s a lot of pent-up pressure that we need to acknowledge and cope with. From financial uncertainty to isolation and health-related stressors, the pandemic has had an incalculable emotional toll on everyone.

That’s why it’s never been more important to check in with ourselves and do everything we can to bring a bit more wellness into our lives. In this quick article, that’s exactly what we’ll talk about. Here are the three things you can start doing today to increase your wellbeing tomorrow.

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzzword over the past few years, but don’t let that turn you away. According to research, regularly practicing mindfulness has been found to have significant physical and mental benefits.

Essentially, mindfulness refers to a moment of reflection in which you become deeply aware of yourself and your surroundings. You can think of it as pressing pause in life and becoming more deeply aware of the things around you. This moment of calm reflection can help you cope with stress and anxiety, but it can also help you understand why you have those feelings, to begin with.

Practicing mindfulness throughout the day is a great way to bring more stability to your mood. If you feel yourself losing hope, becoming stressed, remembering something painful from the past, or just feeling a bit distracted, you can just practice a bit of mindfulness to feel better.

Put it Into Action

Being mindful can be done at any time, anywhere. There are plenty of different ways you can implement this practice into your life, including:

• Focus on Your Breath: One common way to practice mindfulness is to focus on your breathing. To do this, take deep breaths and try to keep your attention on the sensation and rhythm of the process. Your mind may wander, but just gently bring it back to your breath until you’re ready to get back into your day. This is a great way to clear your mind and calm down.
• Watch Your Thoughts: This type of mindfulness can be done anywhere. When you pause and reflect, you’ll likely feel a rush of thoughts in your mind that begin taking your attention. That’s perfectly normal. Mindfulness doesn’t try to make these thoughts go away – instead, it lets you passively watch them flow through your mind. Without judgment or concern, you’re simply sitting back and experiencing a flow of thoughts. Doing this can be a great escape from all of the noise of life.
• Be Mindful On-the-Go: Mindfulness doesn’t have to require a private space to sit or lay down. You can practice mindfulness anywhere – while walking, washing your hands, exercising, riding the elevator, and anywhere else. For instance, if you’re jogging, even focusing on a tree in the distance can bring you into a state of mindfulness.

2. Connect with the People Around You

While it’s often thought that achieving wellness in our lives is a solitary act, the community that surrounds you are a key component of your wellbeing. If you’re around certain groups of people most often, such as coworkers, then forming strong and healthy relationships with them can have a lot of benefits. These include feeling a stronger sense of self-worth and belonging, having the opportunity to share positive experiences with others, and having a large emotional support network.

Put it Into Action

Whether you’re making new connections with the people in your life or strengthening existing ones, having a group of people who support you is a great way to ward off stress and bring more joy into your life. Here are a few things you can do to make the most of your relationships:

• Establish Daily Family-Time: Even when life is busy, it’s important to spend as much time with our families as possible. Find a time where you can spend time with your families, such as over breakfast or dinner, and make it a daily habit.
• Check-In with Colleagues: Even if meeting up for weekly lunches isn’t a possibility anymore, it’s still important to regularly check in with your friends and colleagues. It’s too easy to lose touch or just communicate through text messages. Make sure you get some video chats and socially-distanced meet-ups in when you can!
• Volunteer: If you want to meet new people and connect with new sides of yourself, volunteering is a great opportunity. Check to see if local schools, groups, businesses, or hospitals have any opportunities available. You’ll feel great for giving back, and you’ll have the chance to meet like-minded people.

3. Focus on Your Physical Health

According to the National Health Service (NHS), physical exercise is a key component of raising your self-esteem and increasing your mood. That doesn’t mean you need to start spending hours every day in the gym. Simply implementing light exercises that you enjoy into your day is enough. For instance, starting your day with a morning jog could be a great way to stay healthy, clear your head, and start your day off strong.

Beyond helping you keep your body in shape, regular exercise also helps combat common health conditions and diseases, boost your energy, and improve your mood. Whether you need to blow off steam or get energized to start your day, exercising will stimulate chemicals in your brain that make you feel happier and more motivated.

Put it Into Action

Getting in shape doesn’t mean spending money on gym memberships or doing intense workout regimens. Research has shown that simply maintaining moderate physical activity every day can help you increase your wellbeing. This could include daily physical activities, such as:

• Yoga
• Hiking
• Cycling
• Jogging
• Swimming
• Weight Lifting
• And much more

As with any new habit, following these steps will be easy for the first few days, but maintaining wellbeing in the long term will take dedication. The best way to stay successful with your goals is to integrate them into your routine. When you feel stress crop up, remember to be mindful. When you feel a bit lonely, find a way to hang out with your friends or family. And when you wake up in the morning, don’t have breakfast until after you jog. This way, you can worry less and go into 2021 with the right foot forward.

About The Author

Dr. Holland – Kornegay is also the founder and owner of Our Treatment Center, PLLC. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who earned her Doctoral Degree in Counseling (Human Services) with a concentration in Family Intervention Strategies. She brings years of experience in the Mental Health field, and Management. She has an unmatched desire and passion for working with children, and families, of all backgrounds and ethnicities. She can be reached at tasha@wellnessirl.com.