Mental Health New Year’s Resolutions

The New Year is here, and we are officially in 2024! The new year is an exciting time and can fill your head with thoughts of starting fresh, changing yourself for the better, and goals that you wish to achieve throughout the year. That being said, making and keeping your new year’s resolutions can be a scary thing and can be a lot of pressure. When you don’t necessarily achieve your goals early on, or don’t see a change quickly, you can get discouraged. That’s why it’s important to go easy on yourself and create resolutions that are positive for your mental health, not detrimental.

There are plenty of mental health goals you can create for yourself that you can do little by little to make a big difference throughout the year. Don’t forget, it’s important to set realistic resolutions and goals, and ones that fit YOU! Remember not to get caught up in where anyone else is at in their mental health journey, as everyone is unique and progresses at different paces.

Taking care of your mental health will help more things than you know, such as overall health, other personal and professional goals, and so much more.

Here are some great mental health resolutions for the new year that you can take slowly and in a healthy way! Remember, it’s not about the timing, it’s about taking care of yourself and improving at your own pace.

This Year Emphasize Progress, Not Perfection: We all put unrealistic expectations on ourselves, whether we realize it or not. Your mental health journey is never something you should put unrealistic expectations on! Remember throughout the new year, it’s progress not perfection. Little changes at a time add up to big things. When you take care of your mental health little by little and day by day, it adds up to big changes you may not have realized you were even making!

Improve Sleep Habits: Often we forget just how important sleep is to our mental health, and in this day and age it is easy to get distracted at night with our many devices and TVs! Find a healthy sleep habit that works for you, giving yourself time to wind down and unplug before you get ready for bed. Aim for 8 hours of sleep if you can, and if you can’t try to get as close to it as possible! It will improve your energy and overall mood, and your mental health will thank you.

Ask for Help!: Asking for help can be one of the hardest things to do when you’re going through a crisis or a difficult time. This year, try to learn that you are NOT alone, and it is always okay to reach out and ask for help. If you ever need to reach out, you can find resources on our website here.

Practice Mindfulness and Meditation: Just a small introduction into your daily schedule of mindfulness and meditation practices can go such a long way towards improving your mental health. It will help you get more in touch with your emotions, feelings, and help you feel more present. It will also help you connect with yourself and help you realize that you are doing great exactly where you are!

Practice Gratitude: Taking a small moment out of your day to practice gratitude and understand what you are grateful for will help you feel better in your surroundings. This can help narrow down and realize the very important things in your life that keep you going, and show you your reasons “why” every day.

Join a Group: There are plenty of support groups out there that consist of others who are also going through or have been through mental health struggles. Connecting with others in a support group can be so beneficial to your mental health and can show you that you aren’t the only one.

There are plenty of new year’s resolutions that you can come up with or choose, but only YOU know what you want to tackle in the new year. There are no wrong resolutions and there is no wrong time frame for achieving them.

Mental Health is not a destination, it’s a journey that is constantly evolving. We just want you to enjoy the journey along the way!

Good luck in 2024 and the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Task Force is here every step of the way to help you on your mental health journey. If there is anything we can do don’t hesitate to reach out. And always remember, Hold On You Matter!