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Brighter days are coming, birds are chirping and the blue skies are bringing a sense of new beginnings.
After a long winter, spring is a renewed opportunity to focus on healthy habits. So whether it’s prioritising your wellbeing, opening a savings account or simply spending more time with loved ones – here are some ideas to adopt this season.
Speak to yourself kindly
Positive affirmations and inner dialogue have been shown to have a positive effect on how we feel about ourselves and our lives.
“Developing compassionate self talk is really important,” says clinical psychologist Dr Catherine Wikholm. “Many of us are much harsher and critical to ourselves than we would be to a close friend.
“The first step is noticing when a tendency to be self- critical, overly harsh or negative to yourself kicks in. Use the technique daily of asking yourself if you would speak to anyone else in that way and then change what you’re saying.”
Show kindness to others“When we show kindness to others, whether huge or small, our brain releases a concoction of feel-good chemicals, these include the oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine,” says Jan Cowin, senior psychological wellbeing practitioner from Living Well UK.“Beyond the immediate chemical effects, practising kindness can also significantly reduce stress and anxiety while naturally strengthening human connection.“Being on the receiving end of kindness can have equally profound effects, reminding people that they are valued and cared for – this can be particularly powerful for people who may be experiencing loneliness, stress, or feelings of self-doubt, as it provides reassurance that they are not alone.”Develop a regular sleep routine“One of the most important things you could possibly do is have a sleep routine or structure as the brain and body like things to happen in the exact same way every single day and night,” says sleep clinician at ResMed, Joshua Piper, formally an NHS senior clinical psychologist.
“The general recommendation for the amount of sleep is anywhere between seven to nine hours. There will be people than need a little less or a little more.
“Those who sleep well tend to be more successful not just in their working life, but in their overall health and general wellbeing.”
Practise how to relax“A healthy habit to take up is learning how to relax and you could start this by trying some guided imagery [visualising positive images] or progressive muscle relaxation for example,” says Wikholm.
“Meditation or deep breathing exercises also helps to relax. You should try to establish a routine by spending 10 minutes each day doing something to active the relaxation response.”
Spend time to learn about your finances
When it comes to saving money Alice Tapper, from Kaldi Financial Technology, says: “Firstly try open baking apps such as Snoop that will help you get an overall visualisation of what your financial life looks like and will also help you to learn about budgeting.
“After that you could begin to use automated savings apps – which combines cash back with shopping meaning you can save money without thinking.
“Then once you have got a sense of what’s happening and depending on where you are on your financial journey you could think start thinking about investing,” Tapper says.
“These are all good habits to pick up as most of them allow you to save without even having to think about it.”
Spend time on a hobby
“[Just] 15 to 30 minutes a day on an activity which is in pleasure is a great habit to take up,” says Wikholm.
“Not a passive activity such as watching TV but one you can engage with for the purpose of enjoyment and also where you can improve or see progress over time.
“It could be something like playing an instrument, learning a language, painting or a sport. When you see progress doing these things as well as enjoying them, it can have a really positive impact on mood, self-esteem and confidence.”
