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Practical Resolutions for Your Well-Being

Practical Resolutions for Your Well-Being

Let 2020 be the year of self-preservation 

 

 

As the new year ushers in, we're presented with a clean slate and with it, the onslaught of resolutions. Keep a journal, get eight hours of sleep, lose weight, yada yada. We're going beyond the predictable and delving deep for a holistic approach, that is towards better mental health and overall well-being. Keep it or trash it—do as you please. Care to partake? Read on.

 

Visit museums.

In a recent New York Times piece, research highlights the benefits of going to museums; for starters, you may live longer. Being exposed to the arts may just add more years to your life. According to the study, “Engaging in the arts can reduce loneliness, promote empathy and emotional intelligence, and keep people from becoming sedentary—all factors that contribute to a longer life.”

 

I implore you to visit our museums, it reawakened my love for the city. Explore like a local and drop by Pintô Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, National Museum of the Philippines, NCCA Gallery, Yuchengco Museum and Ateneo Art Gallery.

 

 

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RELATED: Book Review Art as Therapy 

 

Have a passion project.

Learn something new, maybe a language—or two? Learning a second language is one of the most effective brain workouts that you can practice. Benefits include improvement of memory and increased connections between brain regions; it even fine-tunes your listening abilities.

 

Spend your spare time acquiring a skill instead of mindlessly scrolling on your phone. Try Skillshare, Coursera or Udemy to learn about, literally, anything and get lost in creativity. Whether it’s for pleasure or career advancement, immersing yourself in a new ability is always a good idea.

 

Read more books.

I get it, with the distractions and deadlines, it's mighty difficult to set aside time to read. Take a break from Netflix and reignite your love for reading with a Goodreads account. Join the annual reading challenge where you get to set a (hopefully) realistic goal of books to be read in the year. If you're “slacking off” or have been busy, it reminds you to start reading again.

 

For book recommendations, try following “bookstagram” accounts like Book Bento, New York Times Books and Belletrist or “booktubers.” By reading, you enhance your imagination, lower stress levels and boost your sleep.

 

Find Wonder's curated, comprehensive book reviews here.

 

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Set boundaries.

There is power in pushing for one's boundaries. Rest, you competent, busy bi—. Have you been glorifying the hustle but exchanging it for your sanity? Learn how to say “no,” slow down and reflect, without the endless need to prove your worth through productivity. Know what you can handle—work, people, situations—and don't feel guilty for needing to shed off the weight you can't carry. May the year ahead be filled with unlearning.

 

RELATED: 3 Essential Things I'd Tell My New-to-the-Workforce Self 

 

Have a better relationship with your body.

It's okay to not be okay with how you look, but what about not needing to look at your appearance? Introducing body neutrality. The growing movement is even better than body positivity, experts say. It's acknowledging what the body does, instead of how it appears. Loving the body at all times isn't realistic; it's okay to ground yourself somewhere in between.

 

 

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RELATED: Advocating for Body Positivity Is Easy but Living It out Is Hard 

 

What are your resolutions for the year ahead? Leave them in the comments below!

 

 

Art Alexandra Lara

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