New Years' Mental Health and Fitness Resolutions
Hello and welcome back to my blog! I cannot believe that we have reached our 20th blog so far! It’s been an amazing year of writing blogs since the debut of this blog site in early March, and I cannot wait for what is in store for the future! As the 2022 New Year is coming, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to some suggestions for New Years’ Resolutions for your mental health and fitness.
The first suggestion I have is to simply prioritize your mental health more. If you’re not feeling well mentally, remember that it is truly fine to not feel mentally 100%, all of the time. Do not be ashamed if you are not feeling mentally well at any time, and reach out for help. Some companies have free counseling or therapy sessions that you can take advantage of. You can also feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions at jessepliu@gmail.com. I will be happy to answer them and offer suggestions like deep-breathing exercises and mediation, as well as getting physically active. Reading these blogs that I post will help provide insightful advice as well, as I have touched upon different types of mental illnesses and techniques to combat mental illnesses.
Another suggestion that I have, as you may have guessed, is to be more physically active. Try to find a routine with your workouts and stick with it. Personally, I like to workout every morning if possible. I am fortunate enough to live a 5 minute walk from a nearby gym, and I either lift weights or bike for at least 30 minutes in the mornings. Sometimes if I have enough time in my schedule, I like to fit in a mini core workout in the afternoons and take a quick work break. I understand that many people do not have time for two workouts in a day, but if you have time, I definitely would recommend a morning workout followed by a quick core workout later in the day. And as previously reiterated, mental health and physical health are interdependent on each other; good physical health generally leads to good mental health and vice versa.
The next suggestion that I have is to raise more awareness about mental health and try to get more involved. You can get more involved in mental health awareness by volunteering for mental health nonprofits like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), donating to mental health campaigns, causes, or nonprofits; another way to get involved is by raising more awareness for mental health, by informing friends and social media followers through stories or reposting of mental health awareness topics, or by sharing articles of athletes using their platform to speak about mental health.
Another suggestion I have is for those who take psychiatric medication. I suggest that you make sure to take all medications as scheduled as regularly. I know that there are some unpleasant side effects from psychiatric medication, but I can assure you that the psychiatric treatment that you receive from the medications outweighs any side effects that you may experience from the medications you take. For example, although I experienced weight gain, drowsiness, and a little bit of memory loss from the medications that I take to treat my bipolar disorder, I have not been hospitalized since July 2018, when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This is because I have been taking those medications virtually every day since.
A vital part of fitness is diet and nutrition. Living in the city, I will admit that cooking and eating is expensive, so I often resort to cheap junk food. Personally, I need to do a better job with my dieting and nutrition because as you may now, a healthy, proper diet can improve both your physical health and your mental health. I strongly encourage everyone reading this to eat healthier and smarter diets for the upcoming year!
On the whole, I appreciate you all reading my blog. I hope you consider my mental health and fitness resolutions for the New Year and wish you all a safe and happy New Year!! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my email listed above in the second paragraph of this blog. Please also share my blog with family and friends, and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog at the bottom of the home page if you are interested in receiving email notifications when my next blog is posted!
