Every January we think about how we can better ourselves as we start the calendar year. We make resolutions, determined to follow through and reach all of our goals. We stick to these resolutions for a couple of months but for various reasons slowly let them slip away. As we head into March, now is the perfect time to reevaluate resolutions or form new goals worth keeping.

Whether you’re looking for new resolutions or never made any to begin with, we’ve got you covered! Check out these simple tips to help promote better mental and physical health.

  1. Disconnect: Although disconnecting from electronics seem scary, it can actually help improve your emotional well-being and leave more time for healthy activities with family and friends. With so much negative content online, disconnecting can offer a refreshing change.
  2. Take Up Yoga or Meditation: Yoga has multiple health benefits such as lower risk of heart disease, improved brain function and lower blood pressure. It also provides a relaxing escape from any current stressors.
  3. Write: Feeling stressed or upset? Let it out. Write for 10 to 15 minutes a day about stressful events and how they made you feel. This will help you process and find better ways to cope with what’s getting you down.
  4. Be Active Daily: Try to make time for cardio 20 minutes every day. Exercise will help manage stress or anxiety and relieve muscle tension. Early morning exercise will give you an added boost of energy to start your day and also helps sleep quality.
  5. Stay Focused in the Present Moment: Regret or worry about past events or trauma can lead to anxiety and added stress which makes the body more susceptible to physical health issues. Seek help from a mental health professional if you have ongoing concerns.
  6. Reach Out and Engage Someone Every Day: Healthy relationships and social connections can ward off the effects of stress, depression, anxiety and other health problems. Listening to someone’s wants and needs can often shed a new light on your own challenges.

It’s also essential to understand when to reach out to a mental health professional for help if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope. At Oaks Integrated Care our role remains not just to provide mental health services but to bring awareness to the mental health issues that affect us all at some point in our lives. To learn more about our services, visit https://oaksintcare.org/services/ or call our Access Center 1-800-963-3377.