Myranda Nerud

DocTalk: Healthy New Year resolutions

Doc Talk Heart Health

Midtown’s behavioral health provider, Jessica Sotelo, LIMHP, LADC, wanted to remind everyone that New Year’s resolutions do not have to be hard, or take a toll on your mental health. She says the biggest suggestion she can give anyone when setting goals for the New Year is to start small.

Sotelo offered the following message to everyone looking to set a goal for the New Year.

“Many of the reasons we fail to meet our goals, is because we set expectations to high or go to the extreme. When we don’t meet our goals, our mental health suffers and negative thinking patterns can develop quickly. This can lead us into very dangerous traps that can be difficult to get out of. Be reasonable. A good rule of thumb is the SMART goal. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. You can find SMART goal worksheets online for free.

Some easy starts are:

  1. Develop a bedtime routine – Increasing good sleeping habits helps us not only physically but mentally as well. By creating a bedtime routine, you are letting your body and mind know it’s time to shut down for the day and can create a sense of relaxation.
  2. Self-care activities – These are purposeful activities that you chose to participate in to promote happiness and peace. Building them into your day can decrease stress and increase productivity.
  3. Decrease Screen Time – Put away the phone, tablet, laptop, video games, etc. and engage in something else. Create a hobby or read or engage in physical exercise. Too much screen time can impact our sleep patterns, relationships and even our feelings about ourselves and the world around us.
  4. Give yourself some grace – Recognize that you are just beginning and that new behaviors and thought processes take time and practice. Be kind to yourself, change is hard, but not impossible, we need change in order to evolve.   Practice positive self-talk.
  5. Build a social circle – increasing your social circle is hard sometimes but it’s definitely worth it to have a few close friends to lean on when days are hard. You don’t have to do it alone.
  6. Seek professional support – Seek out a mental health professional to assist in learning more about mental health and how your current habits are impacting your life. Again, you don’t have to go it alone.”

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Midtown Health Center’s DocTalk is a collaborative effort of Dr. Emily Vuchetich, Chief Medical Officer; Dr. David Seger, Chief Dental Officer; Dr. Josh Turek, Chief Behavioral Health Officer as well as Midtown’s other providers. For a full list of Midtown’s providers, as well as more information about Midtown please visit Midtownhealthne.org.