12 Monthly Practices for a Happier, Healthier Life

There's something about the beginning of a new year that makes many of us pause. We reflect on what felt meaningful, what didn't, what we're ready to leave behind, and who we're becoming.

The temptation is often to change everything at once. But lasting change rarely happens that way. More often, it grows from small, consistent choices repeated over time.

So rather than trying to transform your whole life in a single month, what if you focused on one area at a time? Here is a guide to help you do exactly that - one goal, one change, and one month at a time.

JANUARY

Get To Know Yourself

What better time to reflect on who you’ve been, who you are, and what you want now than at the start of a beautiful new year? During the first days of January, give yourself some time to reflect on your personal accomplishments of this past year, and your motives and desires for the future. Are you feeling in body and mind how you want to feel every day? Take a few moments each day to feel grateful for where you are now- a wiser, more experienced version of who you were this time last year.

When you think about yourself one year from now, what do you envision? Take a few moments to tune into what will help you become the person you envision 365 days from now. Commit to getting to know yourself better in body and mind by paying close attention to the choices, thoughts, and habits that serve you and those that no longer do. Consider investing in programs, classes, and resources that can help you in this self-discovery process.

FEBRUARY

Focus on What You Love

February often turns our attention toward love. So this month, instead of looking only outward, spend some time turning that same care toward yourself. Notice what your body quietly does for you every single day. Your feet carry you where you want to go. Your lungs breathe without asking for recognition. Your hands allow you to create, comfort, work, and connect. Every part of you is working in countless ways to support your life.

So, spend a few moments looking at yourself with curiosity rather than criticism. Notice the features that make you uniquely you — the color of your eyes, the texture of your hair, the lines that tell the story of your life, the strength or softness of your body.

Then close your eyes and reflect on what is unique about your personality and the way you move through the world. Are you deeply thoughtful? Naturally curious? Creative? Gentle? Funny? A steady presence for others? Whatever comes to mind, let yourself appreciate it. Who you are is unlike anyone else, and that uniqueness is worthy of care, respect, and love.

MARCH

Find Movement You Genuinely Enjoy

Moving your body doesn’t only reap physiological and structural benefits for your internal bodily systems, muscles, bones, and joints. It gives you energy, vitality, well-being, and connection to who and what you enjoy in life. Whether it's joining a gym, taking a yoga class, hiking with a friend, dancing in your living room, or following a workout online, look for movement your body genuinely enjoys.

By now, you've already spent a few months becoming more aware of yourself and your body. What does your body enjoy? Is it a good early morning stretch? A pumped up morning power workout? A gentle afternoon group exercise class? An afternoon leisurely walk? An evening dance class? Whatever you enjoy, do that. Because if you enjoy it, you will maintain it. And if you maintain it, you will have ample energy for all the things you care about and want to do every day of your life.

APRIL

Get in Touch

Physical touch is a primary way in which humans express and feel love, and its effects on our nervous systems, stress levels, physical health, and sense of connection are unparalleled. Throughout April, if safe, welcome, and appropriate, notice and welcome opportunities for affectionate, caring physical touch. Whether it’s a hug, kiss, high-five, a few moments of hand-holding, or a simple pat on the back, get more of it this month and into the rest of the year.

Take this opportunity to show others you care through a physical gesture like placing a hand on their shoulder or gently squeezing their arm during conversation, especially if touch isn’t a way that you usually show you care. Remember to seize opportunities to receive the benefits of physical touch too - whether it be to linger in an embrace for a few extra moments or to do a bit of self-massage each afternoon. Notice how your self-care, self- appreciation, and relationships, whether friendly or romantic, grow deeper when regular physical touch is involved.

MAY

Shape Your Nutritional Environment to Support Your Goals

Ask any behavioral psychologist and they will tell you the value of creating an environment that supports your health and wellness goals. Dedicate several hours every Sunday in May to preparing your meals in advance for some or all of the week ahead. By having healthy meals ready in the refrigerator, you will be less likely to resort to quick (and often unhealthy) snacks when hunger kicks in during the day.

Place the tupperware containers with your prepared healthy meals and snacks at the very front so they are the first thing you notice when you open the refrigerator. Take the decision-making out of your daily food choices by deciding, through your in-advance meal preparation, to eat fresh, whole food meals whenever possible. Then notice how much easier healthy choices become when your environment supports them.

JUNE

Share Your Gifts

What are those things that you are intrinsically good at? Those things that just come naturally to you? Those things you spend time doing because of the sheer joy they bring you? This month, make it a priority to develop and share these gifts of yours that not everyone has but that everyone can benefit from seeing expressed in you.

Every time you devote your effort and energy to something you are passionate about, you are making great use of your mental and physical resources, and every time you choose to further develop your strengths, you are filling a much-needed role in the world that can only be filled by you. So ask yourself “Does it light me up?” “Do I forget about everything else when I am doing this?” and “Is it challenging to the degree that it excites but doesn’t overwhelm me?” If the answer to most or all of these questions is ‘yes’, then do it. And then do it some more.

JULY

Become Comfortable with Stillness

One of the greatest skills you can cultivate for your health and well-being is awareness and stillness of your mind, and one of the greatest ways you can do so is by practicing meditation. Throughout the first two weeks of the month, commit to sit or lie down and meditate for just a few minutes a day. For the next two weeks, commit to just five minutes a day. Not only will you experience the incredible physical effects of meditation, like reduced blood pressure and an immune system boost, but you will also reap benefits to your mind and spirit, like greater willpower, concentration, and self-knowledge, that will further all of your health and happiness goals. And if you’re not sure where to begin or you’ve tried meditation and it just didn’t stick, you might enjoy reading my guide to finding a meditation practice that fits you.

When you engage in a mindfulness practice like meditation, you develop the ability to focus your mind on the present moment. By placing your attention on what is right here and right now, like the feeling of your breath, a mantra, or some physical sensation in your body, you cultivate an ability to choose your point of focus in any moment. Worry tends to be a function of focusing on the past, while fear tends to be a function of focusing on the future. Change your point of focus to the present and watch your fears and worries subside and be replaced with the joy of life lived in the present.

AUGUST

Give Your Mind a Makeover

The way you relate to your thoughts shapes the way you experience your life. This month, pay attention to the conversations happening inside your own mind. As you become more aware of your thoughts, gently ask yourself, "Is this thought helping me right now?" "Is it completely true?" "What might this part of me be needing?"

The goal isn't to replace every negative thought with a positive one. It's to become more aware of the stories your mind tells and to respond to them with greater curiosity and compassion. You might begin noticing that the same few stories return again and again: "I'm behind." "I'm too much." "I'll disappoint people." Rather than automatically believing them, simply notice them. The more aware you become of the stories your mind repeats, the more freedom you have to decide whether they still deserve to guide your life.

SEPTEMBER

Get in Tune with the Rhythm of Nature

When we look at nature, we can see the beautiful and effortless functioning of living organisms. Trees, flowers, and birds all function according to a natural cycle of light and dark. As humans, we too have at our disposal a biological clock, that if attuned to nature, can give us restful and rejuvenating sleep during the nighttime and ample energy and vigor for the day ahead.

Make sound sleep a personal goal through the month of September. As the darkness of the evening hours sets in, grab a book, enjoy a light meal, or interact with family and friends. Whatever you do, start to wind down your dutiful activities and responsibilities of the day. Leave the window curtains open as you go to sleep and wake up naturally with the rising sun. As your sleep patterns harmonize with the rhythm of nature, enjoy a renewed sense of energy, clarity, and well-being.

OCTOBER

Fine-Tune Your Food to Perfect Your Mood

Food influences far more than our physical health. It can affect our energy, mood, focus, sleep, and overall sense of well-being.

This month, notice how different foods make you feel. Which foods leave you feeling energized? Which help you feel steady, focused, and satisfied? Which leave you sluggish, distracted, or uncomfortable? Rather than following someone else's definition of "healthy," let your own body become one of your greatest teachers. Notice how different foods affect your mood, focus, digestion, energy, and sense of well-being. Over time, you'll begin recognizing the kinds of nourishment that help you feel most like yourself.

Instead of striving for a perfect diet, aim for one that consistently helps you feel nourished, supported, and able to show up for the life you want to live.

NOVEMBER

Switch Up Your Routine

Our internal environment (our thoughts, feelings, physiology, and neurochemistry) and our external environment (our physical location, the time of the year) are ever-changing. These changes, when embraced and attended to, can support our health and well-being in big ways. This month, notice how your body feels as the seasons change. As the temperature drops and nights get longer, does your body yearn for more of certain foods and less of others? What fruits and vegetables that are in-season can you now add to your grocery list?

Notice how you feel after spending the past several months moving your body more intentionally. Then carry that momentum into November by trying something new. A small change in your routine can keep movement interesting, engage your body in new ways, and remind you that growth often begins with variety. Perhaps focus on strengthening and stretching different muscles in different ways. Your body will respond to the challenge by becoming stronger, more flexible, and more supple. Invite change into your routine every so often for optimal improvement to your body, mind, and life.

DECEMBER

Choose to Listen

During the month of December, vow to listen more. Spend more time listening to your inner guidance system by tuning into your emotions, bodily sensations, and unspoken desires. Get still and ask yourself, “What is really important to me right now? What are the next steps I can take in my health regimen, career, and personal relationships to move my life forward?” Then stay open to the answers as they arrive — through a quiet knowing, a conversation, an unexpected insight, or simply time.

When in conversation with friends, family, and colleagues, exercise your newly developed skill of listening. Oftentimes, we come to our personal interactions with an agenda - to be heard, to express a point of view we hold close, or to be “right”. This month, practice letting go of the need to hear your own point of view, a perspective you already know quite well. Instead, stay open to the perspectives and viewpoints of others. You may be surprised what you learn about them, about yourself, or about the world. The more you listen, the more you hear just what you need to propel your own personal health and happiness journey forward.

And, know that the practices in this article aren't meant to become another checklist. They're simply invitations to return to yourself in different ways throughout the year. After all, lasting change rarely comes from doing everything perfectly or all at once. More often, it comes from understanding yourself well enough to build a life that truly supports who you are one choice and one small, consistent change at a time. That's the heart of what we explore together inside my course Happy from the Inside Out®. Please join us if you feel called!