The beginning of a new year can offer us an opportunity for a fresh start, new perspective and renewed resolve to make things better. However, as we head further into this month some of us can begin to falter on our New Years Resolutions, get frustrated with the grey days and generally feel a bit low.
Below we share some tips to help keep yourself and others happy and well, which will hopefully give you some motivation throughout January (and the rest of 2018 too)!
1. Do good, feel good
Following the success of their Kindness Advent Calendar, Action for Happiness have shared a Happy New Year Calendar for January 2018. The calendar contains an action each day that could help make you and others happier, such as:
- “Look for the good in others and notice their strengths”
- “Say hello to a neighbour and get to know them better”
- “Thank three people you are grateful to, and tell them why”
Check out the full calendar here for further tips on creating a happy start to the year.
2. Feed your body well
Are you laying off alcohol for Dry January? Or perhaps trying to stick to a more vegan diet for ‘Veganuary’? There are lots of different campaigns around to help motivate you to consume food and drinks more consciously after the excess of the Festive season.
One particularly helpful approach can be to eat more mindfully, so that you can truly appreciate and enjoy what you do consume.
3. Feed your mind well
Why not start a subscription to a new educational magazine, such as Resurgence & Ecologist or Positive News, to help enrich your mind with positive, wellbeing-related news throughout the year?
Plus, check out Positive News’ recent article on 21 ways to kick start 2018 as an example of the kind of inspiring news on offer.
4. Get outside more
There is a wealth of evidence which shows that connection to nature helps to improve our health and happiness levels, with new research exploring the significance of wildlife encounters too.
One certain way to make sure you improve your wellbeing throughout 2018 is to get outside more – whether through lunchtime walks in the park, weekends away in the countryside or simply spending more time in the garden.
5. Connect with others
BBC Politics recently shared the heartwarming story of a home-share scheme which helped connect two housemates with a 68 year age gap. Florence, 95, who was lonely and Alexandra, 27, who needed an affordable home came together as a result of the home-share scheme and have since become good friends.
Connection can often come in ways we don’t expect it, but as Florence comments in this video, “we all need companionship”. So whatever your aims and resolutions for 2018, make sure that at least some of them help you to connect more with others.
There are lots of brilliant happiness and wellbeing projects out there helping to people to connect more, such as the Museum of Happiness’ Winter Happiness Festival, Action for Happiness courses, Eden Project Communities’ Big Lunch and for those in Totnes, Devon – Totnes Community Potlucks.