The New Year is just around the corner, which means that it is important for us to take a look at what is going on in our lives and see how we want to change it in the future. It can be really hard to determine exactly what you want to do, especially if you've failed at New Year's resolutions before, but I'm telling you, it's one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Even if you don't make these grandiose goals, you can make sure that you are able to move forward in your life. In today's article, we're going to explore some mental health goals you can make and see why they're important for you to make. 

Why Are Resolutions Important?

Many people assume that resolutions aren't important because the failure rate on them seems to be pretty high. That is actually incredibly untrue! Even if you have "messed up" your resolution, if you were serious about it, you likely made some sort of forward progress as part of the journey, right? And that's the first thing that you need to realize. New Year's resolutions help us to at least start working toward a better version of who we are and help us to live the life that we've always wanted to live. Who doesn't want to be a better version of themselves?

Another reason that resolutions are important is because they give us goals that we can work toward. Some people have a hard time planning out goals that they want to achieve, and they may have difficulty trying to determine whether or not they are able to achieve a particular goal at a particular time. By sitting down and figuring out potential goals, you give yourself things to strive toward. You can map out what you want out of your life, and no one can tell you what you can or can't do, one way or the other. 

Resolutions also give us something to hold onto. I can say that I want to lose weight in 2015, but that doesn't give me anything that I can hold onto or work toward. If I, instead, say that I want to lose 20 pounds by summer, or that I want to start walking daily to help with my weight loss goals, that gives me something more concrete. By having physical goals that we write down (physically or mentally), we're more prepared to actually achieve those goals in a timely manner and enjoy it while we are doing so.

So, yes, even though a lot of people totally mess up when it comes to trying to do resolutions, they still have benefits that we can take advantage of, especially in terms of our mental health, which is what we're going to focus on for this article. Your mind needs to be healthy, and New Year's resolutions can help you to do so in an effective manner. Please remember, however, that you shouldn't beat yourself up if you can't work towards your goals well - that will just discourage you. Any progress is good progress, even if you don't reach the goals that you are looking for - so make sure that you stay encouraged and keep it up! You can achieve your goals with time and effort. 

What Are Some Resolutions I Can Make For My Mental Health?

So, what sorts of resolutions should you be making for your mental health? Are there things that you can focus on in order to make sure that your mind is working as it should throughout the new year? There are a lot of things that you can resolve to do, and none of them are especially difficult when you put your mind to them. Here are some resolutions that you can consider if you are looking to improve your mental health this coming year.

Treat yourself how you deserve to be treated, and not how you perceive that you should be treated. This is perhaps the hardest resolution, but it's something that we all need to do more often. Treat yourself well. Let yourself know that you deserve to be loved, that you don't deserve to be hurt, and that you are allowed to live the life that you want to live. Treat yourself with respect, love your body, and don't let anyone push you around. By doing this, your mental health will do a lot better and your mood will start to pick up as well, which is always a great thing to live with, isn't it? 

Get more sleep in the coming year instead of slacking off on it. Sleep is really important for your mental health. If you are struggling with something, it may be hard for you to get the amount of sleep that you want to get, but you have to focus on getting the right amount of sleep. As an adult, you want somewhere between 7 and 9 hours in order to function at your best potential, and in order to have the energy to get through the day. If you're tired, you're more likely to get emotional and upset, so you want to try and fend that off as best as you can in order to get through your year. 

Do the things that you like to do more often so that you can reduce your stress. Some people get so busy that they forget to take care of themselves. Don't let that happen! Take time to see the people that you love. Take time to play games, or read a book, or take a walk or go to the beach. If you enjoy something, then you want to make sure that you are getting time with it so that you can learn to relax more and be happier and more energetic. Take that time out for yourself. 

Start to take care of your body better by eating right and getting regular exercise; it will help your mind more than you realize. Your body is an entire unit, and if you are slacking in one part of it, you're going to struggle in other areas of your health as well. So, if you aren't going to take care of your physical health, you will start to see a decline in your mental health as well. So, get outside, get walking, start to exercise, eat foods that boost your health instead of making you sluggish, and just try to get your body in shape. I'm not saying that you have to have the perfect body in order to be happy and mentally well, but I am saying that you need to make sure that your physical health is in good condition for that to happen effectively. 

Deal with some issues that may have to get dealt with and try to work through closing the door on parts of your life that need to be left behind. This is incredibly difficult to do, especially if you haven't really looked at some of the things in your life that may be holding you back from living the life that you want to live. For example, I had a hard time going to my mother's grave for a long time, and I finally did it, and it helped me to get some closure that I so desperately needed in that part of my life. I had to close the door on other areas of my life when I made some life changes that organizations that I was involved with wouldn't agree with. Take 2015 to close the door on the issues that may be holding you back. By finding closure, you can find the peace that you have been looking for and live a more peaceful, hope-filled life than you had before you found the closure that you wanted. 

If you think that there are some things that you need to work out in order to achieve your mental health goals, then you will want to see a qualified therapist that can help you achieve those goals in a healthy way. There are a number of therapists in your area, and you can get all the information that you need to contact them through our website. Find a therapist that is right for you and start the new year with the mental health strategy and plan that you have always wanted to live out. Happy New Year! 

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