A new year is upon us, and that means it is resolution time. In many cases, our resolutions tend to center on notions of more and less. For example, many people resolve to exercise more and eat less. Others might resolve to spend more time with friends and less time doom scrolling on their phones. Still others might resolve to take more vacation days and spend fewer weekends at the office.
That last one is akin to the resolution we want to encourage you to make in the new year. What if you simply resolved to do less this year?
Listen, we understand that the temptation when it comes to resolutions is to make a lengthy list of all the things you are going to do and achieve. We are suggesting starting from the opposite side of things. That is, what if you made a short list and the primary goal on that list was to reduce the number of things you do?
Why would we suggest such a thing? Easy. Doing less can result in less stress. And less stress is good for your mental health.
Take a Close Look at Your Schedule
We can almost hear your objection: “I am way too busy to do less!”
We will agree with approximately half of that statement. You are, almost certainly, too busy.
That is why we are encouraging you to do less.
You might start by taking a good look at your weekly calendar. Here are three quick ways to reset your schedule so that you don’t have to push yourself so hard.
- Schedule a lunch break—and then take that break. Do you eat lunch at your desk so you can keep working? Do you skip lunch altogether for the same reason? Replace that habit with a new one this year. Take a real lunch break each day. Walk away from your desk and turn off your phone notifications. Savor your food. Go for a quick walk. Spending a few minutes reading for pleasure. An hour away from work (and your screens) will actually make you more productive in the afternoon—and less frazzled at the end of the day.
- Decide which nights are for staying in. Even after working a long day, many of us pack our evenings full of activities, too. We volunteer or we work a second job or we accept social invitations out of a feeling of duty rather than pleasure. If you make a conscious decision that some nights are just for staying in each week, you can reduce those outside obligations that chip away at your energy—and your mood. You might have to make the occasional exception—maybe your child has a band concert at school, for example—but setting the boundary and sticking with it can help slow the pace of your overall schedule.
- Get ahead by laying back sometimes. Too often, we associate getting ahead with staying impossibly busy. We accept new projects (or even create new projects) as a way of demonstrating our commitment and importance. But burning out is no way to get to the top or to feel satisfaction for a job well done. Improve the quality of your work—and of your life—by letting some projects pass you by. Note that this advice applies both to your job and to any volunteer or other projects you are asked to add to your to-do list. Sometimes a simple “no” is the way to go when it comes to protecting your mental health.
Fewer Obligations Can Open Up Space for Your Interests
Even though this blog post is centered on doing less in the new year, we do want to suggest that consciously choosing to take on fewer obligations gives you the opportunity to do something more for yourself. You might take some of your newly freed-up time to take up (or return to) an engaging hobby.
For far too many people—perhaps including you yourself—the notion of pursuing a hobby feels like wasting time. But the reality is quite different. Regularly indulging in something you find fun and interesting is a great way to relax and recharge. And the options are endless. Read your way through the work of your favorite writer. Take up bowling. Dust off the instrument you played in the high school band and get back to making music. Learn to crochet or whittle or cross stitch. Take up photographing the world around you and sharing what you capture.
We could, of course, go on and on. The only boundaries when it comes to finding a good hobby is that it is something you truly enjoy. Then the next step is building time to engage with your hobby into your schedule. Earlier in this post, we suggested ways to find some time, and slotting your hobby into your calendar is a great way to use some of that time to do something you enjoy. Doing so is a great way to support your mental health.
We Resolve to Help You Improve Your Mental Health
At Peak View Behavioral Health—located in Colorado Springs, Colorado—we offer personalized treatment for a range of mental health disorders. If your resolutions include improving your mental well-being, we are here to help.
