How to Focus on Yourself This New Year’s Eve
Indulge in These Self-Care Strategies as You Enter 2021
https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-on-new-years-eve-5093781
Published on December 29, 2020
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Nobody could argue with the fact that 2020 was an unpredictable and difficult year. As we usher in 2021, rather than lament that you can’t get jazzed up to go out, see your friends and celebrate the festivities, how about celebrating yourself—that you simply survived until now!
It’s time to give yourself attention for a change. That means allowing yourself to indulge in a night of luxurious “me-time,” especially if you’re someone who often puts everyone else’s needs before your own and rarely finds time to nourish yourself.
This New Year’s Eve, you get to care for yourself as you would for others. Here are some ideas on how to leave behind what doesn’t serve you and give yourself credit for the hard work you’ve done.
Let’s toast to being present now and discovering tips on how to move forward and start the new year off fresh, clean, and positive.
Create a DIY Spa Night
Treat yourself to an hour of relaxation which means no interruptions, even by well-meaning others. Start with the physical aspect of your self care by pampering yourself.
Use your favorite face mask and bubble bath. You can also pour yourself fresh water spiked with cucumber or a glass of wine.
To enhance your special time and escape from stressors, play your favorite ocean music, a soothing playlist, or a bath meditation.
Set Up a Cozy Environment
Get ready for the evening by setting up a calming, inviting room. Dim the lights, turn on the fireplace or light candles. You will be incorporating elements from Hygge. This Danish concept focuses on living in a warm atmosphere of comfort and cozy contentment.
Get comfy with your favorite soft blanket, prop up the pillows, and brew some green tea in your favorite mug.
Although you might not be traveling, you can adapt the New Year’s Eve custom from Brazil and wear white clothes or a white robe to welcome peace and harmony. Your pets can join you as they will relax you further in this wonderful environment.
Call Your Loved Ones
Technology has assisted us in staying connected to family and friends during this pandemic. Yet, to feel less isolated and lonely, a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology revealed that calling is more satisfying than emailing or texting.
Interestingly, many participants undervalued intimate voice-based communication as they thought it might be awkward or uncomfortable. The study notes that this way of thinking can lead to people choosing suboptimal communication methods like texting.1
Afterwards, callers viewed the social interactions as being better and that they felt closer to the other person and formed stronger bonds through this medium. Even when participants conversed with strangers, they felt significantly more connected by talking rather than typing.
So, instead of sending a text with emojis, pick up your cell phone and call your favorite brother and your bestie to wish them a Happy New Year. These voice-to-voice conversations help increase happiness and empathy.
Let Go of a Negative Mindset
As we prepare for 2021, how do we let go of nervousness and feelings of uncertainty, and replace it with positivity, especially during this pandemic? According to Martin Seligman, who founded the positive psychology movement, you can learn optimism.
It boils down to how you perceive and explain bad events. Optimists consider difficult times as temporary, don’t blame themselves, and view failure in one area as not pervasive or affecting other areas of their lives.
This matters greatly because optimists end up with better physical and mental health, have higher resilience and motivation, and live longer.
Revisit a Hobby
During this busy, constantly changing year, you were probably too preoccupied with buying hand sanitizer, searching for masks, keeping up on the latest news about COVID-19, and trying to protect yourself and loved ones during this deadly outbreak.
You likely didn’t have time to indulge in old hobbies or activities that brought you happiness and joy.
Why not get back to something creative and inspiring on the eve of the new year? On this special New Year’s Eve night, you might:
- Strum your guitar or play the piano
- Go through your baseball card collection
- Knit a scarf
- Color in an adult coloring book
- Do woodworking and build a small shelf
- Buy a knickknack to add to your butterfly-themed collection
Reawaken Your Spirit
The Cleveland Clinic suggest that you Include one of the many forms of meditation (e.g., mindfulness, mantra meditation, or guided meditation for imagery) in your daily schedule. This can help you relax, reduce depression, develop awareness, and enhance your spiritual practice.2
If prayer is important to you, but you've neglected it, return to virtual religious observance.
Additionally, if spiritual readings inspire you to take steps towards the future and find meaning, it’s time to listen to audiobooks or read to get in touch with the longings of your soul.
Embrace Gratitude
One way to incorporate gratitude into daily life is to start a gratitude journal. We’re so busy rushing that we don’t stop to savor or immerse ourselves in those precious moments.
By being cognizant of what we are thankful for, you effectively steer yourself to a positive perspective, even in the middle of dark times.
Many benefits result from writing daily in a gratitude journal. Two byproducts of taking this action include strengthening your emotional resilience and reducing stress.
Another way to embrace gratitude is to write yourself a gratitude letter. Yes—write one to yourself! You’ve accomplished so much just to get through this rough year.
Laurel Healy, LCSW, a therapist who spent a year in a psychiatric fellowship at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, explained, “When we feel overwhelmed, we are usually looking at what still has to be done rather than what we've accomplished. Often the feeling is one of just treading water and hopelessness."
“When we reflect on what we did and the strength it took, we appreciate ourselves. One way to do this is to write a letter of gratitude to ourselves where we detail what we’ve done and the qualities we have that made it possible.”
Healy notes that, "We may be surprised by the tenacity, the organization, and the creativity that we pulled from inside ourselves. This gives us energy to move forward."
How to Write a Letter of Gratitude
Set aside some time and gather a pen and paper (you can use fancy paper if you'd like) and take a few moments to reflect on the past year. Use these questions to help guide you:
- What did I accomplish this year?
After you've finished writing your letter you can seal it up as if you were going to mail it to yourself or you can stash it somewhere private and read it whenever you need some positivity.
Give Back
Giving is good for your physical and mental health, according to the Cleveland Clinic. You might volunteer or donate money by writing a check to a charity of your choice.3
You might bake some chocolate chip cookies on New Year’s Eve and donate them to a nurse or first responder, or you can gift it to the elderly neighbor across your street.
Instead of Resolutions, Make a Bucket List
Rather than recycle the same old resolutions yet again (lose weight, exercise more, etc.) and set lofty goals which require more work on your part, why not dig back into your dreams to create a custom bucket list?
Unable to fly, drive, or travel far during these restrictive times due to the surge of coronavirus outbreaks, many are already booking vacations for 2021.
Research from Booking.com on top trends shows that over two-thirds of travelers (69%) seek simple experiences such as spending time outdoors or with the family while on vacation. Over half (56%) are searching for rural, off-the-beaten-track experiences, also outside.4
But maybe you’re ready for that grand trip-of-a-lifetime to Italy to see the art and experience the excellent cuisine. Or maybe you want to book a local trip and learn to water ski at a beach resort? Or perhaps you want to finally write that novel you started years ago?
You can put anything on your bucket list and work to make those dreams a reality when you're able to do so safely.
Develop Your Own Self-Care Plan
When creating your self-care plan, be sure to start with the basics and your foundational needs. You can do that by ensuring that in 2021 you get enough restorative sleep, you nourish yourself with nutritious and healthy meals, and by making sure you move and get plenty of exercise to boost your endorphins.
For example, you can make plans to go outside into green spaces and explore nature. In a 2019 International Journal of Environmental Health Research study of people who went to an urban park for a short visit, participants reported significantly higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction after the visit.5
By creating your own plan to address your social, mental, emotional and spiritual needs, you give value to your own self-care, demonstrate self-love, self-respect, and your understanding of the importance of setting boundaries.
Pop the champagne, toast to the new you and watch the ball drop from the flagpole atop One Times Square on television—you ae on your way to reaping the benefits of continued health and well-being in 2021.
Posted in: Emotional/Mental Health, Mindfulness/Wellness