Unlock your best year yet: our top 5 resolutions

Positive changes can be made and new habits formed at any time of year. But it’s arguably most pertinent right now – as we are reflecting on the year gone, and looking forward to the year ahead with a clean slate. What do you want to leave back in 2023, and what do you want to carry through? And, more importantly, what are some things you can add or start to unlock an even happier, healthier you? Research shows that resolutions are more effective when they focus on what you can add to your life, rather than what you want to eliminate. So, instead of telling yourself to banish the snooze button, perhaps try introducing a new sleep ritual or earlier bedtime instead?

Here, we list our top five resolutions for a happy, healthy year ahead. Followed by some tips for making them stick.

+ Build a good sleep habit

The research is adamant about humans needing 7–9 hours of sleep every night to function properly, in mind and body. In order to achieve good health this year, you need sleep as your foundation. Creating a consistent bedtime routine is a great way to prioritise sleep (and therefore health). Some actionable steps for this resolution include setting a nightly bedtime reminder; committing to one thing that gets you into sleep mode, such as a warm shower or bedtime meditation; and upgrading your sleep setup with a silk sleep mask or pillow spray. Want to go all in? Discover our sleep ritual here.

+ Create a gratitude practice

Practicing gratitude is known to improve mental health and wellbeing. It’s as simple as choosing three things that you have to be grateful for. People, pets, possessions, conversations, memories, moments, you name it. Write them down or say them out loud to yourself in the morning, and carry that positivity into your day. Something you could do to kickstart this one is download the 5 Minute Journal app and follow its prompts. We love the ‘what would make today great?’ question, which gives you a tangible way to make each day great in its own way.

+ Add something that brings you joy into every day

Off the back of your gratitude practice, aim to prioritise (at least) one thing for yourself, every day. It can be a small thing – such as timing your dog walk to catch golden hour, taking a new route to work each week, trying a new breakfast food every Sunday, setting aside 10 minutes every morning to drink your coffee by yourself in your favourite chair… Start by creating a list of ideas to choose from each day, and telling your friends so you can add some shared moments into the mix.

+ Introduce breathwork

We are nothing without our breath – that’s a fact. And while we are breathing always, we are mostly doing it unconsciously. There are many benefits to conscious breathwork – connecting to your body, slowing down your thoughts, deepening your breath. It can wake you up, send you to sleep, shift your stress, unblock your emotions, move your blood, free your mind. That might sound lofty, so we challenge you to give it a go and see. Start with a sleep practice by breathwork expert Anna Sillanpää. And then check out the work of Wim Hoff for something more active.

+ Cultivate healthier skin

Coming from the depths of winter, our skin might be feeling a little dull or dry. Make this year your skin’s best yet, with a solid skincare routine and the most important basics for skin health: hydration and sleep. Some easy goals for this include tracking your water intake to ensure you’re getting two litres a day, and switching to a silk pillowcase. Silk will not only upgrade your sleep, but also keep skin crease-free, wick nasty oils away from your face and leave your skincare exactly where it’s needed. For smoother, plumper, more hydrated skin come morning.

Tips for making them stick…

Set goals

Set out some actionable first steps – the idea is to make progress, no matter how small or simple, in order to build momentum and give you some reward as you go.

Be realistic

A small change that sticks is vastly better than a big one that doesn’t. Keep your resolutions to things that feel achievable, and that you believe you can be consistent with. Because consistency is what will turn it from an effort into a habit.

Tell someone

Saying them out loud and making them known to others will motivate you to follow through, and regular check-ins with those who know about them will keep you accountable for your progress.

Celebrate the wins – even the small ones

Give yourself a high five. Pat yourself on the back. Take the credit for doing hard things and making good changes. If you can celebrate the wins and acknowledge the progress, everything will feel more worthwhile, and you will naturally crave more wins, more progress…

Schedule an end-of-year reflection

We know, it’s too early to even fathom the end of 2024 just yet. But, scheduling a time to look back on your resolutions and recognise all the good that they’ve done for you over the year can give you something to aim for – a finish line, if you will. Even if you continue with your new habits for a long time after.