As you say goodbye to 2020, why not make a New Year’s resolution that will help you feel better? Research shows that learning a new skill can improve your mental wellbeing. It works by:

- improving self-esteem
- giving you a sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with others (even if it is remotely)

Choose something that you’ll enjoy – ideas include painting, sculpture, chess, learning a new language, or making furniture or clothes. Alternatively, consider volunteering. There are lots of different opportunities available, and you’ll get the bonus of helping others, too.


Close up of someone making a pot on a potter's wheel

Omega-3 fats are essential for many of your body’s functions. They’re one of the two main types of what’s known as ‘polyunsaturated fat’ – the other is omega-6, found in vegetable and seed oils, and some nuts.

Polyunsaturated fats can help protect your heart by lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood. That’s the ‘bad’ cholesterol that can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

The best source of omega-3 is oily fish, and it’s recommended that you eat at least 1 portion a week. 

Oily fish include:

- mackerel
- sardines
- salmon
- trout
- herring (kippers)
- pilchards

If you don’t eat fish or you’re vegetarian or vegan, other good sources of omega-3 include walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, Brussels sprouts and hemp.


Smoked salmon on bread

Omega-3 fats are essential for many of your body’s functions. The best source of omega-3 is oily fish, and it’s recommended that you eat at least 1 portion a week.

It's a good source of vitamin D, protein, some B vitamins and selenium.

True

Ayurvedic proverb

Love this good fat that helps keep your heart healthy

During the winter months, the nights are longer and the days are shorter. This means that we get less natural light during the day. 

A lack of sunlight can disrupt your sleep cycle and make you feel more sleepy during the day. This is because your body makes more of a hormone called melatonin. When it’s dark, your body produces melatonin to tell your brain that it’s time to sleep.

So if you’re feeling drowsy during the darker months, it’s a good idea to try to get more natural light during the day, to reduce melatonin production and help regulate your sleep cycle.

You could try:

- opening your curtains and blinds as soon as you wake up to let in the sunlight
- taking a 10- to 15-minute walk in the middle of the day
- making your work and home as light and airy as possible


Woman in red jumper

During the winter months, the nights are longer and the days are shorter. These tips will help you get more sunlight and beat drowsiness. 

Natural light helps to increase your serotonin levels, which can affect your mood, appetite and sleep.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bring in more natural light to help beat drowsiness

If you work at a desk or are prone to slouching, you could probably do with improving your posture. Practising some simple chair-based stretching is a quick and easy way to do this. 

Not only can it improve mobility, but it can also help to prevent and reduce aches, pains and tension in the muscles.

Try this easy-to-follow stretch by [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/sitting-exercises/). It’s very gentle and can be done almost anywhere – all you need is a stable chair (without wheels):

1. Start by sitting upright and slightly away from the back of your chair. Your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees bent at right angles.
2. Steadily pull your shoulders towards the back of the chair and down towards the floor.
3. Extend your arms out to the sides of your body, at 45-degree angles, with your palms facing out.
4. Gently push your chest forward and up until you feel a stretch.
5. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds and repeat 5 times.
6. Do this exercise once a day.


Woman sitting at a desk

If you work at a desk or are prone to slouching, you could probably do with improving your posture. Practising some simple chair-based stretching is a quick and easy way to do this. 

Shockingly, people take a massive 28 million days off work due to issues with their muscles and bones.

28 million

Cindy Ann Peterson, author and style editor

An easy and quick stretch exercise to try at your desk

If you’re feeling stressed, it can change the way you breathe. It can lead to quicker, less deep breathing, which can make you feel dizzy – and heighten your feelings of stress and anxiety.

Simple breathing exercises are a great way to calm down and take a moment to regather your thoughts if you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

__Try this abdominal breathing exercise to help you stay calm, wherever you are:__

1. Sit in a comfortable position and relax your chest and shoulders.
2. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Notice the pace and depth of each breath.
3. Put 1 hand on your chest and the other on your tummy.
4. Breathe in deeply through your nose and fill your tummy with air. Your tummy should expand but your chest should stay almost still. 
5. Purse your lips as if you’re whistling and press your tummy gently as you breathe out all the way through your mouth. 
6. Repeat 5-10 times. Take your time with each breath.
7. Put your hands in your lap, open your eyes and notice how you feel.

Practising this breathing exercise regularly can help to reduce stress. It will also encourage you to pay more attention to breathing during your daily life, helping you to recognise when your breathing is affected by stress.


Woman practising abdominal breathing 

If you’re feeling stressed, it can change the way you breathe. It can lead to quicker, less deep breathing, which can make you feel dizzy – and heighten your feelings of stress and anxiety.

When resting, an average adult will breathe from 12 to 20 times a minute – which adds up to about 17,000 to 29,000 breaths a day!


Dan Brulé, breathwork pioneer

The calming breathing exercise you can try now

Getting to sleep and having a restful 7 to 9 hours a night can be tricky. And this is especially true if you find that your mind is full of worries about the next day as soon as your head hits the pillow.

So, how can you reduce your swirling thoughts and anxieties to get a better night’s sleep?

Research suggests that taking just 5 minutes before bed to write down a ‘to-do list’ for the next day may help you get to sleep more quickly. This is because putting your thoughts and concerns on paper can help clear your mind and allow you to relax and unwind.

Why not try keeping a notebook and pen on your bedside table? This will make it easy for you to get into the habit of jotting things down whenever you’re struggling to switch off.

Woman writing in a notebook

Getting to sleep and having a restful 7 to 9 hours a night can be tricky. And this is especially true if you find that your mind is full of worries about the next day as soon as your head hits the pillow.

Things such as an uncomfortable bed, being too hot or cold, or too much light or noise in the bedroom can all make it harder to sleep.

The Dalai Lama

Try this simple activity to help you fall asleep faster

If you're new to a vegan diet, it’s a good idea to do some planning to make sure you get the right amount of protein from your meals. 

The recommended daily protein intake for adults is 0.75g per kilogram of bodyweight. So, if you weigh 70kg, you need to multiply 70 by 0.75 to work out how much protein you should be eating. In this example, you should eat about 52g of protein a day.

If you’re not sure on how to do this when you’re not eating meat, fish or dairy products, don’t worry. There are plenty of plant-based foods that contain lots of protein, including pulses, nuts, seeds and meat alternatives.

__Here are some high-protein foods to add to your diet: __
- beans
- chickpeas
- lentils
- garden peas
- almonds
- peanuts
- pistachios
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- tempeh 
- tofu


Healhty vegan lunch bowl. Avocado, quinoa, sweet potato, tomato, spinach and chickpeas vegetables salad

If you're new to a vegan diet, it’s a good idea to do some planning to make sure you get the right amount of protein from your meals.

Every cell in your body contains protein, so it’s essential to help you stay in good health.

George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright

Trying a vegan diet? These foods will boost your protein intake

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) involves tightening and relaxing your muscles in a particular order. This process can help you notice if you have tension in your muscles and then let that tension go. Releasing tension in your body can help you feel calmer.

The idea is to tense and release every part of your body, starting at your feet and ending with your head. You tense each muscle group and hold it for about 5 seconds. Then you breathe out as you let your muscles relax for 10 to 20 seconds, before you move on to the next muscle group. 

Try following the steps below:

1. Pull your toes up slightly, towards your shins. Hold, then release.
2. Press your heels into the floor. Hold, then release.
3. Work up your body, tensing and releasing different muscles in turn – thighs, bottom, tummy and so on.
4. Don't forget your arms and hands.
5. When you get to your head, try to clench and release your teeth, purse and release your lips, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth and release, screw up your eyes and release, and finally frown lightly and release.


Close up of someone's feet on a yoga mat

Discover how progressive muscle relaxation encourages you to release tension in your body to help you feel calmer.

Common physical symptoms of stress include muscle tension, headaches and stomach problems.

Edmund Jacobson, inventor of progressive muscle relaxation

Try this easy muscle relaxation technique to reduce stress

Try learning a new skill to help improve your self-esteem, feel a sense of purpose and connect with others in the year ahead.

There is no such age! Learning helps keep the pathways in our brain growing and developing, whatever our age.