23 Wellness Hacks To Guarantee a Better 2023

Immerse yourself in physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, financial, occupational, environmental and social well-being.

When most people hear the term wellness, they think of their physical or mental health, but wellness is much more than that. According to TheraLight, “Wellness is a complex state of being that involves more than just physical or mental health.” Wellness also involves your spiritual, intellectual, emotional, financial, occupational, environmental and social well-being. 

Check out our 23 wellness hacks that guarantee a better 2023:

1. Set goals

Setting goals can help you focus on the different aspects of wellness, whether you want to focus on a goal related to a specific well-being area or one that will improve your life. Lucemi Consulting says goal setting gives you “greater direction, greater focus, increased productivity, and higher levels of motivation.” In addition, creating goals provides a better understanding of where you’re heading and can remind you to stay on track.

2. Celebrate big and small wins.

It’s easy to celebrate the big wins, but we usually forgo celebrating the small ones and rewarding our progress. Business.gov.au suggests, “Celebrating small wins triggers feelings of pride and a happiness. This helps to keep working towards the next small steps, and eventually the overall goal.” When we celebrate the big and small wins, we increase our chances of success.

3. Create a vision board.

Vision boards are great ways to map out your dreams and stay focused on them. The Momma Diaries says creating a vision board can create better intentions, make your dreams clear, improve creativity, provide motivation, enhance productivity, provide focus, boost chances of success, make you happier, boost determination and push your desire. Similarly to setting goals, vision boards can give you a broad perspective of where you want to see yourself and how to reach that vision.

4. Build a routine

Getting into a routine can help you stay focused on your goals and feel more at ease. Northwestern Medicine states, “An effective routine can help reduce stress, which can lead to better mental health, more time to relax and less anxiety.” Creating a routine doesn’t have to be elaborate; you can start by planning what time you wake up, the times you eat and when you go to bed.

5. Start journaling

Journaling is a great way to alleviate stress and honestly evaluate how you are doing and feeling. The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences says, “The advantages of journaling range from helping you reduce stress to propelling you forward in your pursuit of personal and academic growth.” Journaling can be used to track how you’re feeling using a few words or as an outline on a stressful day to clear your head.

6. Leave yourself positive reminders.

Leaving yourself positive reminders can help your mental, spiritual and emotional well-being by reminding you of the good things in your life. Headway Clinic recommends using positive affirmations to reduce negative thoughts, increase happiness, keep things in perspective and improve cardiovascular health. For example, you can use positive reminders to increase happy thoughts about yourself and decrease negative self-talk.

7. Say what you’re thankful for

Harvard Medical School says, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” Expressing what you’re thankful for can remind you of the good things in life and keep you from dwelling on the negative.

8. Spend time with loved ones.

Piedmont Healthcare claims spending time with others helps you cope with stress, may lengthen your life, improves psychological well-being and is good for cardiovascular health. Spending time with loved ones makes us feel happier. It can help us feel more connected, especially during times of isolation.

9. Help others

Helping others can actually help you feel more relaxed and happy. The New Jersey City University declares, “After helping someone, the helper’s body releases endorphins, brain chemicals that reduce pain and increase euphoria. This creates a rush of elation followed by a period of calm.”

10. Learn to say “no.”

Setting boundaries is arguably one of the most challenging tasks we’ll encounter. Still, it is also one of the most important ones. Synergy Health Programs proposes that saying “no” allows us to value ourselves more, leads to new opportunities and helps us set boundaries. Use these tips for setting boundaries:

• Allow yourself to say no to things that negatively impact your well-being.
• Openly communicate what limits you have set for yourself in all relationships.
• Remind people of your boundaries when needed.

11. Don’t skimp on leisure time.

We often convince ourselves that we don’t have the time to do the things we love; this is only sometimes true, and we often need clear priorities. Psychology Today states, “There are both physical and psychological benefits of leisure time, with reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression; improved mood; and higher levels of positive emotion.” You can give yourself more leisure time by evaluating what will make you happy and allow you to work on yourself. So, while you may enjoy scrolling through social media, think about if it is how you want to spend your free time and if there is something else you could do instead.

12. Declutter your home

Getting rid of clutter and cleaning up can be difficult, especially if you have to sift through sentimental items. However, doing so can open up your mind and space. Dr. Alice Boyes, the author of The Anxiety Toolkit and The Healthy Mind Toolkit, says decluttering benefits our mental health as it “requires our brains to plan, order, sequence, make decisions, overcome anxiety about decisions and overcome procrastination.” Try these tips to declutter your home:

• Make a decluttering checklist and work through it room by room.
• Donate things you no longer need, such as old books, movies, CDs or clothes.
• Throw away junk mail and shred documents you no longer need.

13. Catch some Zs 

When you have a lot on your mind, it can be tricky to fall asleep, but the benefits of a good night’s rest are undeniable. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion notes the benefits of getting enough sleep include reducing sickness, maintaining a healthy weight, lowering the risk for serious health problems, reducing stress and improving mood, thinking more clearly, getting along better with others and making good decisions. Use these hacks to make getting to sleep a cinch:

• Start unwinding an hour before you need to go to bed.
• Avoid screens before you sleep to help lower your stress hormones.
• Try listening to a sleep podcast.
• Reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake.

14. Try meditation

Meditation is a great way to sync your emotional and spiritual well-being. The Mayo Clinic suggests, “If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace.” You can find the time to meditate even on your busiest days:

• Gather your thoughts and practice deep breathing when you’re in the shower.
• Put on a meditation podcast to help you fall asleep. 

15. Have a DIY spa day.

While we would love to go for a real spa, we don’t always have the time and budget to do so, but there’s no shame in having a homemade spa day. Reader’s Digest says at-home spa days can improve blood circulation, relieve stress, slow down aging, maintain good skin health, help you unwind, aid in better sleep, serve as an effective detoxifier and weight loss support and improve mood and happiness. Check out our DIY spa day essentials: 

• Gather your favorite products, such as lotions, face masks, hair masks, etc.
• Grab a few of your favorite things, such as a relaxing playlist, soothing candles and a bottle of bubbly.
• Make sure you have plenty of comfy items, such as a fluffy towel, a cozy robe and your bunny slippers.

16. Take a bath

It can be hard to find the time to unwind and take a bath, but there are many benefits to taking a bath besides proper hygiene. The Cleveland Clinic reveals that baths can improve mental and emotional health, soothe muscles and joints, and help heal wounds. In addition, you can make your bath more relaxing by:

• Dimming the lights and using candles instead.
• Adding Epsom salts to your bath.
• Playing calming music or listening to a meditation podcast.

17. Eat balanced

Eating balanced can feel daunting at first, but with some research and dedication, it becomes a snap. Snap Fitness alludes that eating balanced can help you control body weight, fight off disease, have more energy, sleep better and give you more brain power. Our favorite ways to each balanced include:

• Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Dedicate a quarter of your plate to whole grains and the last quarter to protein.
• Drink plenty of water or non-sugary alternatives, such as milk, coffee and tea.

18. Meal prep

Everyday Health suggests meal prepping can improve your diet, help with weight loss, save you money, save time, help you live longer, reduce food waste, eliminate impulsive food choices and improve your emotional wellness. Meal prepping doesn’t have to be complicated; you can meal prep by:

• Choosing the dinners you’ll eat for the week and buying your groceries in one day.
• Making freezer meals that can be defrosted on busy nights.

19. Find new recipes

Trying new recipes is a great way to add excitement and variety. Cindy Silver, registered dietician, claims that trying new foods can expand nutritional value, set a good example for others, get you cooking more and help you discover flavors. Here’s how to find new recipes:

• Try a recipe off the back of a box. Many food staples such as rice have suggested recipes to try.
• Get a food subscription that sends you your meals already prepped.
• Use what you have on hand. Plenty of websites, such as https://myfridgefood.com/, allow you to enter an ingredient list, and it will provide recipes using those ingredients. 

20. Schedule fitness

According to BuzzPerformance.com, scheduling your workouts helps you reach your goals and “It gives you consistency, increases your fitness level, improves your health, and generates a greater sense of mental well-being.” Here are a few ways to schedule fitness:

• Add a fitness reminder to your phone.
• Pair fitness with everyday activities such as cooking.
• Give yourself sticky note reminders to work out.

21. Stretch more

Harvard Health Publishing states, “Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints.” Check out these ways to stretch more:

• Stretch every morning when you get out of bed.
• Stand up and stretch every hour.
• Stretch before and after working out.
• Stretch before you go to bed.

22. Spend time outside

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says, “Being outside in green spaces supports an active and healthy lifestyle, which has [been] shown to increase life expectancy, improve sleep quality and reduce cancer risk.” So here are our favorite ways to spend time outside:

• Go for a walk around your neighborhood.
• Have a picnic.
• Read outside.

23. Get plenty of Vitamin D

According to the Center for Healing and Regenerative Medicine, vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin can help strengthen your immune system, improve brain function and boost your mood, among other benefits. Here are a few ways to get extra vitamin D:

• Spend more time outside.
• Eat Vitamin D-rich foods such as oranges, eggs, milk, etc.
• Take a Vitamin D supplement.