More Than a New Year’s Resolution: Tips for a Mentally Healthy 2025

While many New Year’s resolutions focus on improving physical fitness or personal finances, perhaps one of your resolutions for 2025 is to enhance your focus on your mental health.  

Of course, resolutions are often easy to make but challenging to keep – and by the end of January, many of us find ourselves settling back into old patterns. With the holiday season behind us, and with the new year in full swing, The Women’s Center offers some easy-to-follow tips to fortify habits and make mental wellness an ongoing priority.  

A mentally healthy 2025  

Before jumping into specific mental health resolutions, it is good to understand what positive mental health means. Mental health refers to your overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It encompasses how you think, feel, and act in response to life’s challenges and experiences. Good mental health does not eliminate life’s challenges, but rather enables you to better cope with stress, maintain healthy relationships, achieve personal goals, and contribute positively to your community.  

Mental health is an integral part of your overall health and well-being. It is important to note that mental health is a spectrum, and everyone experiences fluctuations in their mood and mental state. If these fluctuations become persistent or interfere with daily life, it may indicate a mental health condition that requires professional attention.   

Simple mental health resolutions for 2025  

As with any resolution, some of the keys to successful mental health improvements are to focus on just a few simple but concrete goals. Pamela Uncles, a therapist at The Women’s Center, provides a few proven tips that are worth embracing throughout the year.  

Learn to breathe – Many therapists recommend breathing as a simple but often overlooked cornerstone of a healthy, calm mind. Pamela notes that there are many methods, websites, and apps* available to help you learn deep, diaphragmatic breathing techniques. Pamela often recommends “the box technique” as one of her favorite breathing exercises. Taking 2-3 quick breaks each day to practice deep breathing is an easy thing to do and instills calm and rhythm.  

Be healthy and whole – Most research on mental health appreciates the connection between physical well-being and mental health. Good physical health can positively affect your mental health (and vice versa). Some tips commonly offered by mental health professionals at The Women’s Center include:  

• • Do your best to eat healthy, regular meals.  

• • Prioritize getting a good night’s sleep.  

• • Participate in activities that you find relaxing and joyful.  

• • Get regular exercise – Exercise does not have to be overly strenuous for mental health benefits.  

• • Do not forget stretching – Including progressive relaxation techniques.  

Practice mindfulness – At its core, mindfulness refers to finding a quiet, calm space trying to keep your thoughts in the present and letting go of things you cannot control. Mindfulness has been shown to help with managing stress, reducing anxiety, increasing relaxation, and enjoying more enthusiasm for life. Although many mindfulness exercises are often referred to as “meditation,” you can practice mindfulness simply by taking short periods during the day to practice paying attention to the present, without judgment. Many people practice mindfulness through journaling, through various activities (walking, listening, eating), or through guided apps or classes.  

Focus on the positive – practice gratitude by actively acknowledging the good things in your life, even small ones, using positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, actively seeking out enjoyable experiences, and reframing negative situations to find potential lessons or opportunities. Some specific habits you can strive for in 2025 include:    

• • Be kind to yourself, stop comparing yourself to others, and practice self-acceptance. And, be wary of self-criticism and negative self-talk, which often leads to depression and poor mental health.  

• • Limit social media (and even news). While there is nothing wrong with staying connected and informed, obsessively scrolling through repeated news topics and social media posts is sometimes an unnecessary and uncontrollable mental stressor.  

Make time to engage in enjoyable activities – As an extension to focusing on what is going right in your life and limiting negative experiences, a great goal for 2025 is to increase positive experiences. Even in 2025, many of us have not gotten back to pre-Pandemic levels of face-to-face social interactions.  While limiting some interactions, such as social media (as noted above) might be good for your mental health, there are many other ways to increase your social interactions and feel more connected with your community. These include getting out and re-kindling social connections with friends, trying to get outside and into nature, learning new skills, and giving yourself something to look forward to.  

And always remember to ask for help when you need it.  

While the above recommendations for better mental health are useful general self-help tips, it is important to note that sometimes having a person to talk to is important. A trusted advisor can give you support, allow you to unburden your mind, or help you find a path to feeling better.  

Sometimes, asking for help can seem challenging or scary, but you should never feel awkward about reaching out for support when you need it. Whether you turn to a friend, parent, partner, or counselor, asking for help is a way to strengthen your connections and improve your mental health when things feel particularly challenging.  

Lastly, remember that your mental health journey is ongoing, and there will always be setbacks or challenges that test your resilience, and you will experience a wide range of emotions.  So, be patient with yourself as you move toward your goals – mental health and wellness are about progress, not perfection. 

 If you need professional support, you can contact The Women’s Center at (571) 385-1625 for the Virginia location or (202) 293-4580 for the DC location. 

*Please Note: The links and resources listed in this blog are merely intended as useful references. The websites, articles and applications listed in this blog are third-party entities, completely unaffiliated with The Women’s Center. The Women’s Center does not endorse or sponsor (nor is it sponsored by) any of the above resources.