7 Healthy Lifestyle Changes I Want to Make This Year

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Hi, friends!

If you read the blog post where I shared a look into my 2022 bullet journal, you might already know that I want to make BIG life changes in 2022.

And I mean quite a few changes; 12 to be exact.

I’m kind of uncertain about my ability to change everything, but I’m also super excited and super motivated at the moment!

In the blog post I mentioned above, I shared a look at the health pages in my bullet journal. Next to each month of the year, I shared a space to write about the change I want to focus on that month.

They say it takes 30 days to create a habit, so I’m giving myself a month to make these new healthy habits stick. Plus, it’ll be easier to make multiple changes this way by spreading them out.

Anyway, today I wanted to share 7 of the healthy lifestyle changes that I want to make this year.

I also want to point out that this is post going to be very authentic about my mental health. I’m also going to be sharing an update to this post at the end of the year to let you know how I did with everything! I’m hoping this will help hold me more accountable. 😊

So, here are 7 healthy lifestyle changes I want to make this year!

1- Create a workout habit

This might be the biggest lifestyle change I want to make this year. The thing with me and working out is, I’ll get super into it for a while and then give up. Then months later, I’ll get back into it and then give up. Over and over again, it’s a cycle that I want to break.

One of my goals for 2022 is to improve my physical health and a big part of that for me is losing some weight – like 20 lbs. So, I want to create a SOLID workout habit and stick to it all year. I want to make it last. So it’s going to be a big focus for me in January. I plan to share some blog posts related to this too!

2- Create a yoga + meditation habit

I’ve said it a billion times and I’ll say it a billion more: I struggle pretty majorly with anxiety and panic at times. I’ve spent the past 5-ish years going through random bouts of intense panic attacks that come and go. I’m pretty sure that this intense anxiety is what leads to bouts of depression, too. I’m getting so tired of it and honestly, that’s the biggest reason I’m determined to make all of these changes this year.

I want to start doing a mixture of meditation and yoga daily. I’m hoping it will help improve my physical health and also my mental health. I feel like it would help my body be more flexible and help my mind feel calmer.

3- Eat breakfast every day

Every day, I don’t really get hungry until several hours after I wake up. But I’ve read so many websites, blog posts, and books that say eating right when you wake up can help your overall physical and mental health. It’s supposed to help you feel more energized, think more clearly, and more. Maybe that’s why it’s called “the most important meal of the day” haha. So I definitely want to make it a habit to take the time to eat a healthy breakfast every day.

4- Cut out (or cut back on) coffee

I feel like coffee hurts my anxiety but I also feel like I’m addicted to it. If I don’t drink coffee, I go through the day feeling exhausted and irritable. I’ve tried replacing it with drinks like G Fuel, but sometimes I’m not sure whether it’s even better.

After I have a solid workout routine and I’m eating breakfast every day, I’m hoping that maybe I’ll have enough natural energy to be able to handle cutting out coffee for good. At least, for the most part. I’ll probably still have a cup of coffee or G Fuel in situations where it’s necessary. But I don’t want to drink them daily anymore!

5- Completely unplug 1 day each week

Again with the anxiety, right? I feel like I spend too much time on my phone – on Instagram, Reddit, playing games, whatever. I also spend a lot of time on my laptop – working on my blog, watching YouTube videos, and browsing Pinterest.

Sometimes I wonder if spending so much of my free time staring at screens gives me a sort of sense of detachment from my surroundings that might make my anxiety worse. I wonder if being more present in my surroundings, in what’s going on around me, might lessen my anxiety. So, I want to COMPLETELY unplug 1 day each week and see if it has any effect on me. I plan to spend these days outside, reading, painting, playing with my doggos, and doing things that make me truly happy.

6- Keep a normal sleep/wake up schedule

Psychologist Jordan Peterson says that when a patient comes to him with anxiety or depression issues, the first thing he asks them is if they have a normal sleep schedule. He says that waking up and going to sleep every day at the same time – with an adequate amount of sleep – has a HUGE impact on your mental health if you have a mental illness.

I’m horrible at keeping a normal schedule. I struggle with insomnia, nighttime anxiety, overthinking, you name it. And it can keep me up for hours sometimes. I’m hoping that after these other lifestyle changes, maybe it will be easier for me to sleep. So I want to create a solid sleep schedule and stick to it!

You might like: How to Turn Off Your Mind When You’re Too Stressed to Sleep

7- Learn a new skill/hobby + practice it every day

This change is more of a fun and interesting one for me. I already have several hobbies – painting, drawing, crochet, video games, reading, guitar. But I think it will be fun to get into one I’ve never tried before. I plan on asking for suggestions and trying something that I’d never think to try on my own, just to see how I like it!