New Year’s Resolution- Increase Joy

What Steals Our Joy?

This year, make a New Year’s Resolution to increase your joy. Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, pent up emotions, and being self-critical can steal our joy.

How to Increase Joy in Your Life

What can you do to increase your joy? Let’s take a moment to assess our own self-care practices. Here is a list of suggested practices that you can implement in 2025.

Stress reduction:

Practice mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes daily. Build up to 10 minutes as this is often difficult initially.
Learn relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercises.
Implement a stress-management plan with regular breaks
Focus on what you can control

Anxiety management:

Identify triggers for anxiety and develop coping strategies.
Gradually expose yourself to anxiety-provoking situations using exposure therapy.
Practice cognitive restructuring to challenge negative thoughts.
Decrease worry by challenging catastrophic thoughts about the future.

Sleep hygiene improvement:

Establish a consistent sleep schedule.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine.
Optimize sleep environment with darkness and comfortable temperature.
Prioritize sleep.

Emotional regulation:

Identify emotions and learn healthy ways to express them.
Practice emotional labeling to better understand feelings.
Develop strategies to manage strong emotions like anger or sadness.
Remember that it is healthy to experience all emotions.

Self-esteem building:

Challenge negative self-talk and replace with positive affirmations.
Focus on personal strengths.
Encourage yourself and celebrate small victories.
Practice self-acceptance. Your perceived weakness can be utilized as a potential strength.