2023 is here and it’s time for a mental glow up! The new year is the perfect time to set new goals and make this year your year. We’re gonna glow up and feel GOOD this year.
In 2023, it’s time to start prioritizing and becoming the best version of ourselves.
I’ll be sharing 15 ways to glow up mentally in 2023.
I don’t know about you, but every year I set goals for my physical health like going to the gym more and eating healthier. We tend to forget about our mental health when it comes to setting goals, but it’s just as important.
One of the best glow up tips is to focus on your mental wellbeing as well.
If you want to make a complete transformation this year, here are 15 ways to glow up mentally in 2023.
What is a Mental Glow Up?
Before we get into it, what does a mental glow up even mean? A glow up means making a transformation, and most of the time we equate that to physical. For example, if someone loses weight, tries new clothes or makeup, or clears up their skin.
We can also make a transformation mentally. Here are some examples of how to glow up mentally.
- Lower your stress
- Boost your mood
- Be happier overall
- Be more confident
- Improve your emotional wellbeing
Overall, having a mental glow up usually means you feel better inside and out.
15 Ways to Glow Up Mentally in 2023
Now that we’ve talked about what a mental glow up is, let’s get into ways you can glow up mentally in 2023.
Detox from Social Media
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with social media. I could sit there and scroll through Tik Tok all day long. It’s just mindless too. I scroll and scroll and eventually I don’t even pay attention.
I can’t go 5 minutes without feeling like I need just check my phone or mindlessly scroll some more.
I’ve gotten better, but sometimes seeing the highlights of everyone else’s lives makes us feel bad about ours.
I think it’s a great idea to take a break from social media to improve your mental health. There have even been studies that show that social media negatively affects your mental health.
You can take a long break from social media, but my goal is just to cut down from every day use.
Try Meditating
I stay stressed, and one thing that helps me is meditating. It does take some practice, so try to be consistent.
I like listening to guided meditations on Youtube. You can make them as short or as long as you want to. I usually only meditate for around 5 minutes (if that) and my goal is to meditate more often and for longer this year.
So find you a quiet and calm space. Put on a guided meditation or meditate on your own.
It’s perfectly normal if you find yourself thinking about everything you need to do that day or even just random thoughts. Just observe that you had those thoughts and go back to focusing on breathing.
Grow your Confidence
Another way you can have a mental health glow up is to grow your confidence. That’s easier said than done, but it can be done.
If you learn more about yourself and find your strengths, use that.
Sometimes it takes getting out of your comfort zone to really improve your confidence.
Through it all, don’t forget to not be so hard on yourself. Improving your mental health and wellness takes A LOT of patience.
Change your Thought Pattern
If you want to learn how to improve yourself mentally, I think changing your thought patterns is one of the best ways you can do that. It’s also a great way to improve your confidence.
Most of us have this negative voice in our head that’s always putting us down. We can learn to change how we think so we can think more positive.
One of my favorite books about this topic is Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. It teaches you all about how to change your negative thoughts into more positive ones.
To put it simply, we have cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are kind of like a filter that affects the way we think. For example, sometimes something embarrassing happens and I think other people are going to be thinking about it for weeks.
In reality, they’re usually going to forget about it by the end of the day. So we have to challenge that and be realistic. Are they actually going to be thinking about it for months? Do they actually hate me?
Once you can start thinking about things more realistically, you can challenge those negative thoughts.
Be Creative
Next, being creative is know to have positive benefits on mental health. It’s a great way to reduce stress and help with anxiety.
Creativity is also amazing for us because we can use our brains in new ways and it can help us with problem solving.
One of my goals this year is to be more creative in general. I’d like to do more drawing and painting and maybe even write a book.
Surround yourself with Positivity
Another way to glow up mentally is to surround yourself with positivity. It’s so hard to feel good about ourselves if we’re surrounded by toxic people or environments.
Don’t be afraid to cut people out of your life if they’re weighing you down, even if they’re family.
Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and genuinely make you happy.
Learn a New Skill
I think it’s so important to keep learning. We get in these repetitive routines and just stop learning. I’ve did that plenty of times.
I get home from work and I’m just too tired to do anything. It’s so good for us to keep learning new things. I have a whole list of things I’d like to learn how to do for a few years now, but I just never start.
I’d like to learn how to play guitar and how to crotchet or knit, so I’m going to try to hold myself to that this year.
Read more Books
Reading a book is the perfect alternative to social media. I used to read all of the time, but I’ve slowed down a lot.
You can read something like fantasy just for enjoyment. I also like reading books about personal growth.
If you’re not a book person, I also have a list of podcasts for mental health.
Practice Gratitude
I talk about gratitude a lot, but it’s for a good reason. If you truly want to live a happier life, showing gratitude is the way to do that.
Do things with purpose and mindfulness. Think of the things that are going well, not only the things that aren’t going the way you want.
When I go to bed at night, I like to reflect on the things that went well that day. If I had a bad day, I think about what I can do to make it better.
Even if I am going through a rough patch, I still have so much to show gratitude for.
Try Experimenting
This one is kind of like learning new things I talked about earlier. In order to grow, we have to try new things.
Try experimenting in 2023. Cook new recipes. Travel to new places. Read new books.
Experimenting with new things is a great way to have a fresh start in 2023. It’s also a great way to find out more about yourself.
Do Things you Love
Another way you can be happier in 2023 is to do the things you love.
Sometimes I think we don’t fully delve into the things we love due to the fear of being judged.
For me, I love dancing but I’ve always been way too scared to go to any classes. Join me this year in getting out of our comfort zones and doing more of the things we love!
You can read here about doing things you love even if you have to do them alone.
Start a Journal
Next, using a journal is a good way to self reflect and improve your mental health. There are a ton of different ways to use a journal.
You can use it to get your emotions out and write about how your day went. You can also use it to track habits, like meditating or exercising.
You can also follow journal prompts to get to know yourself better or heal your inner child.
Set Realistic Goals and Expectations
One way a lot of people go wrong when it comes to setting goals is not making them realistic. Then when they don’t meet them, they’re disappointed in themselves and think they aren’t capable.
That’s definitely not true.
We have to learn to set more realistic goals and expectations.
For example, instead of setting a goal to never eat fast food, I’ve made it a goal to eat out no more than 2x a week. That’s realistic for me.
Instead of setting a goal to meditate every day, I set a goal to meditate 1 time a week. As I get better at that, I can move my goal on up to make it more realistic.
Make Time for Self Care
If you want to glow up mentally, you have to prioritize self care.
Self care means something different for everyone. It could be anything from having a spa day to spending time outside.
I’m guilty of not doing this enough because I feel like I don’t have time, but sometimes we have to make time. I think a lot of people underestimate how important self care is for your mental health.
Here are some self care ideas for mental health.
Get in a Routine
Speaking of self care, creating a routine can help with your mental health as well. This is something I’ve really been struggling with.
I wanted to start a nightly routine, but I’m so tired I just go straight to bed.
I can tell a big difference in my productivity and mood when I have a routine.
You can even make a shower routine to boost your mood!
15 Ways to Glow up Mentally in 2023
That’s it for the 15 ways to glow up mentally in 2023. I’m wishing you all the best and hope you have the best year ever! I hope you enjoyed these glow up tips!
Feel free to share.
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