How to Start the Year Right: A Wellbeing Revolution

The festive season is over, the trees and lights have been packed away for another 11 months and we are slowly getting into the swing of all that this shiny new year has to offer. There’s no better time to start the right with a wellbeing revolution which will leave you feeling happier, healthier and more positive. This all begins with how to sleep better and create a sleep routine that works for you.

New Year Same You

New year is a time to reinvent ourselves. The media is pushing healthy eating, exercise plans and new hobbies to fill our time. It’s tempting to jump right in with all the gusto of a fresh start, only to find that a few days (or weeks) in the motivation is gone and we’re right back where we started. This is why new year resolutions often don’t work and leave us feeling that we’ve failed before we’ve even begun.

I’m not a big fan of New Year Resolutions, you can read more about this in a previous blog post. But it’s more than just energetics, this time of year feels like the wrong moment to set things in motion. We’re all exhausted from the festive season, the weather is less than optimal which plays a massive part on our overall attitude and wellbeing.

Revolution not Resolution

Instead of setting resolutions this year I’m looking at ways to revolutionise my life. I want to take small positive steps which will help me right now. Over the last few months, like many people, I’ve been struggling with whatever cold/sinus infection/flus have been going around. This has left me feeling defeated and deflated. My energy levels are low, my immune system has taken a beating through lack of sleep and the use of antibiotics and the idea of throwing myself into a commitment to last all year is not top priority. Instead my plan is to rebuild from the inside out with small sustainable changes and improvements.

I’m not making a commitment to do something every single day. Instead I’m focusing on putting my own wellbeing front and centre and making all decisions based around that.

Getting started

I know what I need, and that’s better sleep. So this is the most logical place to begin my wellbeing revolution. Getting enough sleep is crucial to supporting all the amazing things my body does each day and will ultimately aid the healing process as I kick the last of the seasonal illnesses. But it’s not quite as simple as wishing to sleep better. Like many others, I’ve spent 2-weeks over the festive season sitting up late watching television and then tossing and turning because I can’t get to sleep. This is not the optimal way to help my body heal, but it is a fantastic place to start.

A decent sleep has been elusive for quite some time, so I know that this is where I must focus my time and energy first.

My To Do List

I like a list, so here are the things I will be doing in January to help improve my sleep and my overall wellbeing.

Fresh air

Heading outside, even on the cold, dull and rainy days can help to reset our circadian rhythm. This helps to regulate the sleep/wake cycle contributing to the natural winding down of the body and mind towards the end of the day. My morning walk with Jackson, even though it’s in the dark at the moment, is now a firm part of my routine. Basically my evening wind-down routine begins the moment I get out of bed in the morning.

Meditation

I used to meditate every day. It made me feel more even and the little things didn’t bother me quite so much. But over the last year my practice has fallen away and I’ve noticed my anxiety levels creeping up. Getting into a regular meditation routine can also help to promote better sleep by helping to prevent those ruminating thoughts and by helping me to let go of tension and stress from the day. At the moment I am setting my timer for 5-minutes and observing the breath. By taking just 5-minutes a day I am helping myself to sleep better at night.

Devices away

I’m a scroller. I like to head to bed early with great intentions and then I scroll for 5-minutes. Only that 5-minutes becomes 1-hour and it’s no longer an early night. To help train my brain into a restful habit that encourages me to sleep better at night, I’ll be leaving my phone and tablet in another room overnight. Instead when I head to bed I will read a page of my book and write in my journal to help me unwind at before lights off.

Yoga Nidra

Another way I will be improving my sleep is by incorporating a 10-minute Yoga Nidra into my day. Yoga Nidra is another method of regulating the relaxation response within the body and mind. This makes it an ideal way to wind-down after work as I transition into a slower and more relaxed evening. I love practicing Yoga Nidra at the end of my yoga session, but dedicating 10-minutes each day feels like a treat and is something to look forward to.

These are a handful of tools I’m using for my wellbeing revolution this new year. As the year moves forwards there will be other areas of my life and wellness journey that will take a bigger focus. But having a restful and restorative sleep will always be the foundation and learning how to sleep better is the only the start.

To help support you in your wellbeing journey, I’m running a 5-day Rituals of Rest challenge where I’ll be guiding you through practices to help you cultivate rest during your day. We start on Friday 10 January and you can join here.