Beat the January Blues and boost your happiness this month with 31 top tips from a range of health and wellbeing experts! This week we are posting tips for the 15-21 January. Next week, we will be posting the final tips, so stay tuned!
Click here to see tips 1-7, or click here to see tips 8-14!
15. Bounce!
“This may sound crazy, but it works beautifully,” says Astrid Longhurst, life and body confidence expert. “Sit or stand and gently bounce up and down. Breathe in & out for four counts each. Allow yourself to smile broadly. If you feel slightly ridiculous, you know that it’s working!”
16. Declutter your environment
In her new book, Vitality: Healthy and Happy Heart, Pranita Salunke explores the factors that influence or physical and mental health, including the home environment we create: “Declutter your space, remove redundant objects and fill your surrounding with useful and sensory pleasing things.”
17. Learn to meditate
“Being able to snap yourself out of all the nonsense in going on in your head is a sanity-saving skill,” says co-author of My Mind Won’t Shut Up!, Linda Williamson. Meditation will keep you in the present moment, giving your mind a much-needed break from all the negative chatter in your head. Cutting the critical self-talk will make you be kinder to yourself.”
18. Surround yourself with positive quotes and affirmations
“Use uplifting affirmations in the form of posters, screensavers, Post-it notes, lipstick or toothpaste on your mirror, or anything else that works for you. Experiment to find out whatever works best and remember, don’t worry, be happy!” says life coach and personal trainer, Dawud Gurevitch.
19. Be like man’s best friend
Leading vet Dr Margit Gabriele Muller advises that we can learn a lot from dogs when it comes to enthusiasm: “Dogs show us what real enthusiasm is and how to preserve it. Dogs’ pure joy in doing things is unprecedented and they should be our role models in order to bring happiness into our lives.”
20. Learn to let go
“The path to fulfilment isn’t always smooth,” says Sarah Rozenthuler, chartered psychologist and author of How to Have Meaningful Conversations: 7 Strategies for Talking About What Matters, “When you decide to move on from a hurt, betrayal or being a victim, you stop banging your head against a wall and clear the way for new opportunities.”
21. Find your ‘lockdown luxuries’
“During times of lockdown, you can see your home a paradise or prison,” says Mark Simmonds, founder of GENIUS YOU. “I signpost my day with little treats, every two hours or so. It could be as simple as a power shower first thing, a mid-morning break in our ‘Costa kitchen’ or a 30 minute nap post lunch – these daily destinations of delight make a difference.”
