5 Selfcare Tips and Tricks ALEX PETERS

Try maintaining a regular and healthy sleep schedule

Okay, this one is kind of a no-brainer. It is common knowledge that sleeping affects us and our moods. But there's a reason why this topic has been reinforced so many times Studies have shown that sleep deprivation increases one ' s irritability and negative moods. Don't let something as silly as a lack of sleep disrupt your peace. Treat yourself to a full eight hours of sleep.

Set goals and prioritise yourself

Setting goals for yourself helps give you purpose. Completing simple tasks and goals that you have set out for yourself helps you feel like you could take on the world. Allow yourself to have those small victories and understand that not everything will go to plan as you wanted. It doesn't mean the mission was a bust, it just means that life decided in a different direction which is completely normal.

Saying no is difficult sometimes. If you feel as though you are taking on too much, take a step back. It's okay to be selfish sometimes. It doesn't make you a bad person to put your own needs first sometimes so that you can put your best first to help others.

Try relaxing activities and doing things you enjoy

New year, new you. Maybe this is the perfect time to start a new hobby. Maybe take up an instrument or a new sport. Who knows, you might even meet someone new within. Now is the time to get to know yourself a little better. And doing things you enjoy, will help improve your overall happiness, outlook and zest for life.

Stay positive but also realistic

There is so much out there in the world that you can be excited about. No one got anywhere without a little positivity. By getting rid of and saying goodbye to all negative and just blatantly useless thoughts that are just holding you back, new doors and opportunities will appear. Whilst it is okay to cry for a good ten minutes, it's also important to get back up and give it another go. Heartbreak is important, but finding the resilience to remain in the ring is a necessity for growth.

Treat yourself

For all the challenging things you have had to endure these last few years, treating yourself should be obvious. That book you wanted? Buy it. That outfit you ' ve been wanting to wear for ages? Wear it. That new hobby you wanted to try? Do it. Treating yourself varies from person to person Why should you feel guilty for doing something a little selfish for once? Incorporating these little treats into your life can help you feel ready for anything life might throw at you. Life is already challenging at times, let self-care be the replenishing drink of water in this race of life.

Self-reflection is the practice of taking time to seriously evaluate your behaviour, thoughts and motivations in life. It is a valuable practice to make a habit of, especially now in the new year. Without it, we get stuck in the same bad habits over and over again. A lot of us get stuck procrastinating until the last minute to study and do projects for school. A lack of self-reflection can make us continue running down a path that could eventually lead to a dead end, rather than evaluating our route and changing direction.

Self-reflection is extremely hard, as it requires us to look at both the good parts of ourselves and the bad parts that we would rather hide, but it is beneficial. It allows us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture through a clearer lens. Reflecting on our behaviour allows us to consider all the impacts we have on the world around us and how to ensure these impacts are positive.

But how on earth can you hope to improve in 2023?

You need to try to live in the moment and allow yourself to think about where you are in life. This will allow you to reflect upon how you currently feel by ensuring you have some sense of "self" before you start thinking about the future and the past.

A practical way to self-reflect would be to keep a journal to help you process your emotions and consider why you did the things you did that day. Keeping a journal can also allow you to look back and see any patterns of thought or repeating habits you may have not realised you had.

Personal reflection requires a calm environment and with the business of life, this can be hard to find. Going outside for even a short period can allow you to unwind enough that selfreflection becomes a lot easier.

As awkward and crazy as it may sound, talking to yourself can help you string together trains of thought and help you to reflect.

Once you have calmed your mind enough to delve deep into an event that happened in the past and how your reaction either helped or hindered you, you can pick out what bad habits you have that sometimes stress you out more or hurt others.

When you have identified a bad habit there are many ways to try to improve but it will take time, so don't lose faith. Sometimes having someone else to hold you accountable, be it a friend or family member, can help immensely.

Miracles, unfortunately, do not happen overnight and it will take time before your self-reflection shows any obvious results. But in the spirit of “ new year, new me ” , why not try it?

Who knows? You may find yourself enjoying it and learning new things about yourself!