When we take time to reflect and set goals around the new year, we’re often biased to think about outward appearances and results. SMART goals need to be measurable. Vision boards are — visual. But being and feeling are just as valid and important in our day-to-day lives as doing. When you think about it, having a deep well of inner calm and a strong connection to yourself is essential to doing your best work and living your best life. 

In truth, your mental wellness takes as much ongoing maintenance as your physical health. It’s something you have to work at consistently, even (and especially) when you’re feeling well. When you’re envisioning what you want your 2025 to look like, try thinking from the top down and the inside out. 

In this post, we’ll outline seven steps you can take to make self-care a habit in 2025. But first, let’s take a moment to define what that really means. Rest and relaxation are top priorities, but there’s much more to it. Self-care includes all aspects of your mental, emotional and physical well-being. It’s an ongoing process that requires you to take stock of the positives in your life and be realistic about your needs. Sometimes it calls for building new habits. It’s also about problem-solving and experimenting with different things to make sure your habits are actually helping you without creating too much extra stress.

Take the following steps to develop and maintain your self-care habits:

• Reflect on your relationship with stress — When do you feel most frazzled? What do you need to feel your best? Identifying the places where you need self-care the most will help you build habits that make a noticeable difference. Try using this format for brainstorming: “When I don’t X, I feel Y.” Some examples might include getting out of bed on time, eating breakfast or lunch, taking breaks to decompress, getting deep relaxation time, or doing household chores. Not doing these things might make you feel rushed, hangry, overwhelmed, or frustrated with yourself. It can be powerful to make these connections. Instead of skipping out on activities that don’t always feel rewarding, you can gain some perspective on how it will feel to embrace the momentary discomfort and get them done.
• Identify what makes a difference — For this step, you’ll do the opposite and think about what’s different on days when you’ve felt really good. You might build on the list of stressors and challenges from step 1 to make yourself a reference guide. Consider a few different ways to create more ease or support in moments when you’re frustrated or overwhelmed or keep yourself from getting to that point. You could add a no-stress activity to your daily routine, especially when you need a transition after something like work or a therapy session. Think about the tools you’ll want to use, such as recorded meditations, pictures of loved ones, books, games or fidget toys. Don’t forget about intangible resources like paid time off.

Use this list of self-care activities to get started:

• Journaling
• Deep relaxation
• Making to-do lists
• Rewarding yourself for difficult tasks
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Exercise
• Brain games like crosswords or Sudoku
• Spending time with supportive people
• Set intentions, not goals — This might go against some of the things you’ve heard about habit building or goal setting, but give it some thought. Don’t set yourself up for failure by quantifying the results you want. Intentions focus on how you want to be and the values you want to live out. They help you remember to manage what’s under your control and let the other things go. For example: “I put my health first so I can enjoy myself without regrets.”
• Ritualize your self-care — This is where you envision how you can make self-care a part of your daily routine. To create habits that really benefit you on a daily basis, you need to find practical solutions and cut down on the number of decisions you have to make. Maybe you want to play with your cat for 15 minutes to wind down after work. Or maybe you need to physically step away from your desk two to three times each day. Prepare any tools or supplies you need and keep them close so you’ll remember to use them.
• Experiment with different self-care strategies — Things don’t always work out the way we expect them to. This is often why New Year’s resolutions don’t last. Try out a few of your ideas and then reflect on how it went. Make changes as necessary.
• Set reminders you can’t ignore — Reminders will work best once you’ve made a commitment to say yes to self-care. Give yourself inescapable reminders and choose a mantra to help you stick to your commitment. Maybe you use sticky notes or dry-erase markers to put important reminders on your bathroom mirror. Or maybe you set alarms on your phone and label them for different activities. Your mantra could be something like “I am saying yes to myself.” 
• Don’t beat yourself up — Being hard on yourself doesn’t make this work any easier. When you let your self-care habits lapse, reflect on what happened and what you would do differently next time. Show yourself some compassion and remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Are you feeling inspired and ready to make your self-care a priority? Keep in mind that it takes time to build habits. Instead of punishing yourself for missing a day, learn to love the feeling of starting up again. As the small wins add up and you start living more intentionally, you’ll develop more resilience. 

When you involve others in your self-care strategies, you’re more likely to succeed. Building up your support network and spending time with positive people is self-care. This can go beyond accountability buddies. Take it one step further and make plans to do your self-care together. If you have moderate to severe mental health issues, self-care strategies may be beneficial, but they are not a substitute for clinical treatments. If symptoms persist or worsen despite self-care efforts, you should consider contacting a mental health professional for a thorough assessment.

At Lightfully, we spend a lot of time talking about self-care habits and trading tips on what’s working. Our programs focus on four core processes that add up to proactive mental wellness: thoughts, feelings, behaviors and relationships. If you’re in a rut with your mental health and it’s affecting these parts of your life, we can help. Contact us with any questions you have about treatment.

Let us be the first to give you a virtual pat on the back and wish you the best of luck with your self-care habits in 2025. You can do this!