8 recommendations to acquire new habits during the holidays

Taking advantage of the holidays to get out of the routine is one of the objectives that many people set during these dates, and nowadays we can make use of several psychologically healthy strategies to make this process of adaptation to a new situation more easy.

And it is that although the concept of “holidays” is usually linked to leisure and rest, it does not have to be limited to these areas; these days of disconnection with the routine that we had been maintaining they can be the perfect opportunity to reformulate our way of relating to life.

• Related article: "10 psychologically healthy daily habits, and how to apply them to your life"

How to take advantage of the holidays to promote new habits?

Breaking with the inertia that we had adopted after months dedicating many hours of the week to work may be the first step of a personal development process that is more accessible than ever during the days when we deliver If you are interested in living your vacations starting meaningful personal development projects

, or emotional self-care that you didn't participate in before, keep these tips in mind.

1. Reschedule our sleep schedule

Reprogramming our sleep schedule towards cycles that allow us to rest more and have a better quality of life is one of the first measures we can take during the holidays.

During the work months we have rigid schedules in which we usually leave work late and get up early. Since we have time to rest during the vacation period, we can adjust our schedules to be able to sleep a little more in the morning and not go to bed so late.

This measure will allow us to recover hours of sleep, have a deeper and more restful sleep, and above all gather strength to perform during the day.

• Maybe you are interested: "10 basic principles for good sleep hygiene"

2. Restate goals

Another of the recommendations that we can follow to take advantage of the free time that we have in the summer months is to rethink our life goals and promote self-knowledge staff.

This can be achieved by starting a diary to discover our true interests in the medium and long term, and propose new goals that truly connect with our values ​​in all areas of life.

Reflection and personal introspection will allow us to know ourselves better and achieve a greater state of well-being and balance that brings us general psychological health and a better quality of life.

• Related article: "Self-knowledge: definition and 8 tips to improve it"

3. Reconnect with old friends

The vacation period is one that allows us to reconnect with those friends that we haven't seen for a long time, to catch up and enjoy your company again, something that surely we have not been able to do throughout the year.

Keeping a busy social life is important during these months, since meeting and interacting with other people we love will help us stay out of the reach of an overly sedentary lifestyle and also helps us disconnect

In other words, getting back in touch with old close friends will help us improve our physical, emotional, and psychological health.

4. exercise outdoors

Frequent physical activity is essential throughout the year, however, during the holidays we have with the weather and with the favorable climate to do all the exercise that we have not been able to do during the rest of the year.

The most advisable thing is to carry out this exercise in the open air and, if possible, in nature, since we have more time to move to areas far from contamination and enjoy contact with the natural environment.

Leaving the house, taking long walks or simply running in a wild environment helps us, again, to maintain our physical health and provides great emotional and intellectual well-being.

• Maybe you are interested: "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise"

5. start hobbies

Starting a new hobby that we have always wanted to start and that due to lack of time has not been possible is another of the projects that we can embark on in the summer months.

During the holiday period we have all the advantages to start learning how to take the first steps towards a new hobby and this can serve as a way to prove to ourselves that our minds are flexible and that we can polish our skills in a short time.

Some of these new hobbies in which we can start are DIY, art, hiking, all kinds of sports risk or hobbies of a more intellectual nature such as outdoor reading or hobbies that require more intellectual exercise specific.

6. Avoid very sedentary and passive lifestyle

Although all the aforementioned recommendations are specifically designed to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, it is important to avoid spending long hours at home, so we must keep ourselves busy for a good part of the day so that the time we spend at home is the minimum.

Sedentary lifestyle, that is, lifestyles consisting of spending long hours at home without doing consuming too much calories or energy are highly inadvisable for both physical and emotional.

• Related article: "23 hobbies to do at home and have fun"

7. Do relaxing activities

Another of the habits that we can incorporate into our daily lives during the holiday period is to put practice relaxing activities of all kinds to keep our mind calm and achieve emotional balance daily.

Some of these practices can be oriental-type meditation, Mindfulness, yoga or simply a controlled and conscious breathing for 10 minutes every morning to start the day balanced.

8. Practice healthy lifestyle habits

Likewise, in addition to acquiring relaxation habits, we must also integrate a series of healthy habits related to both our sleep style, already mentioned, and our diet daily.

Starting to eat healthy and at the same time every day is a good way to start a healthy lifestyle in terms of food. This means avoiding ultra-processed foods, too sweet, and keeping carbonated or alcoholic beverages away from us.

Are you interested in having professional psychological support?

Vacations can also be a period for improving mental health, taking the opportunity to start a psychotherapy process. If you are interested in opting for this route, please contact us.

In PSiCOBAi We can assist you in person or online.