Here are some recommendations for your 2011. Feel free to add your own.
1. Move. Even if that means just parking further away from your office and hoofing it to the front door. I hesitate to use the word "exercise", since that word has negative connotations for people. Here it is in a nutshell: Moving is good. It gets your dopamine levels up in your brain. It makes you feel good. The end.
2. Turn off your TV. You are exposed to violence and just plain sadness and negativity when you watch TV. Afraid you'll miss your football/basketball games? Watch them at a friend's house. Which leads to...
3. Spend more face-to-face time with people. Texting is great for brief comments and questions, and email is great for quick communication, but actually take the time to see people in person.
4. Get enough sleep. My great-uncle took naps every day of his life. He's still alert and healthy at 98. Enough said.
5. Ask yourself, "Does it really matter?" Will winning this argument help you feel better? Will it give you a greater sense of satisfaction? Only very temporarily.
6. Ask yourself, "Is this in my best interest?" And then listen to your answer. And act on it.
7. Trust your inutition. It is right 99.9% of the time. And that remaining .01%? That's the part where you're not sure you should have listened to your intuition, but months, years from now you'll realize you did the right thing.
8. Spend part of every day in silence. Turn off the music, TV, anything that makes noise. Just sit. And be.
9. Read. And if you aren't into reading, listen to books on iTunes, MP3, CD, whatever.
10. Create a budget. You know what's scarier than having to follow a budget? Not having one at all. I'm not talking about a budget in minute detail - just know what you are paying for each month, and how much you are paying for it.
11. Take your medication as prescribed. And if you aren't taking it, see #7. Maybe you aren't taking it for a good reason (side effects, it's no longer effective, etc.) See your doctor. And be open and honest with him/her.
12. Learn to be okay with impermanence. Once you come to terms with the fact that every single thing in life is not permanent, you start appreciating it more.
13. Travel. Even if expenses are tight, find a way. Even if you are a tourist in your own city or state. People were meant to visit other places. It makes your neurons happy.
14. Make a list of lifetime goals. Some people call this a "bucket list". That sounds kind of morbid to me, but whatever you call it, write down the things you want to accomplish in your life - no matter how outlandish they may seem. The fact that you've written your goals down means you've taken a huge step towards accomplishing them.
15. Unplug. Spend at least 2 hours every day away from your iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, anything electronic. Sounds easy, right? Try it.
by Dr. Stephanie Sarkis for Here, There and Everywhere, A Psychology Today blog
