21 Healthy Habits to Try for 2021: Pick a few that work for you.

1. Focus on SLEEP: Go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time each night as often as possible. Train your body to get into a healthy circadian rhythm where you obtain the proper amount of sleep each night and eventually may not need to wake to alarms again. As a culture we put sleep very low on the priority list. However it is important for all systems of our body especially our brain in short and long term functioning.
2. JOURNAL: Perhaps there was a time in the past you kept a journal and for whatever reason the practice vanished from your life or you have never kept a journal before. Your journal doesn't have to be a novel you can write a single sentence a day if you like their is no right or wrong way to journal. However regularly getting the thoughts feelings and ideas out of your mind and onto paper is very cathartic emotionally as well as allowing us to gain self insight as we go along in this process and retain good ideas that would otherwise have been forgotten. Keeping a journal is a very healthy practice to consider.
3. READ: So many people have a hard time with this and yet desire to add reading into their lives. Perhaps you have books that have been on the shelf for years that you have been planning to get to and never seem to find the time or focus to dive in. Try A PAGE A DAY. Pick up one of those books you keep saying you'll read and devote just a few moments to read a minimum of one page a day. This is a promise you can keep to yourself. And by the years end, at a minimum, you will be well on your way to completing reading at-least one of the books on your must read list. Reading is excellent to keep our minds sharp and you will feel proud of keeping the promise to yourself and making progress this year rather than one more year passing without opening a cover.
4. Drink WATER: How many times have we heard this before yet so many of us have a hard time including this in our lives. We are made largely of water and out bodies and minds function best well hydrated with it. Keep a water bottle next to your bed or coffee pot  so that it is the first thing you see in the morning. This mental trigger will remind you that you intended to begin getting more water in your life. Out of sight out of mind. It's hard to change a habit even a simple one so having your water bottle visible and accessible will help make getting more in to your day easier for you to implement.
5. MOVE YOUR BODY: Again I know you know this but if you haven't found a way to fit in exercise into your life this is the year to consider it. We have all been stuck in for a while now and the holidays are over it's the perfect time to begin. Start small! something as simple as stretches, ten minutes of yoga morning and night, Getting up every hour from what you are doing and walking around pacing. Taking walks. As you get fitter you can add more the goal is just to begin moving more wrapping your mind around having exercise as a part of your daily lifestyle if it is not.
6. Start a SAVINGS account or focus on your savings/retirement accounts: Most people did not have minimum 6 months worth of living expenses in their savings before the pandemic began now every day is a question mark for some families and individuals. If you are in a position to have a consistent income coming in make a point to dedicate a portion of your income directly into that rainy day fund or retirement account etc. We never know what life has in store as this last year has shown us it is incredibly important to be prepared. Sacrifices now for safety later. If you are not financially out of the woods when you are on steady ground again make this a priority.
7. Pay off your DEBTS : Again if you have the means eliminate debts as quickly as possible don't tap the credit cards or the cash advance offices. If you are not financially out of the woods when you are on steady ground again make this a priority
8. Get SUNSHINE/natural light every day. The sun does all sorts of wonderful things for our mental and physical health. Of course use smart sun exposure. 15 minutes a day is all you need. You can get too much of a good thing. But in today's society we spend so much time indoors we are often deficient in natural sunlight.
9. SAY IT WHEN YOUR SCARED: if you have something to say and you are afraid to open your mouth and speak it because of fear of the response promise yourself this year that you will say it anyway. If it as simple as no as scary as interpersonal issues or asking for a raise. If you need to say it, but find yourself pausing in silence due to fear, that you will say it anyway all year long. You may be surprised to find you get more of your wants and needs met and that your fear may be often unfounded.
10. DO SOMETHING NEW/GO SOMEWHERE NEW: Do something or go somewhere before the year is done at-least one time that you have never done in your life thus far. Life is all about experiences. Often we get stuck in our routines and habits and go far too long without having new experiences. At least once a year you should add to your life by adding something new to this thing we call life through a brand new experience
11. PRACTICE MORNING GRATITUDE: If you haven't yet start  a gratitude journal or other practice of daily gratitude. Having survived the year we just did and moving forward if ever there was a time to learn how to center yourself in a sense of gratitude this would be that time.
12. GIVE: Weather you donate time money items etc begin a practice of donating yourself to others and causes that matter to you as a part of who you are and what your lifestyle. It has been said that the giver gets more than the receiver for a reason. It will help you feel purposeful connected and fulfilled. And the need is now so great.
    
13.  Take SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKS: We are constantly connected and inundated with social media. It is contributing to over-stimulation of the nervous system, a decline in the ability to focus, and lowered self esteem as we are exposed to the "best" versions of other people's lives.  It could be one day a week or one week a month. Take time this year to practice social media detox.
14. Get OUTDOORS: Nature has proven positive effects on our mental health. Again we spend far too much time indoors. Make the time to regularly get outdoors. If you do suffer from a mental illness this can be particularly hard to do and conversely especially beneficial.
15. SET A GOAL: small or large it doesn't matter. If you are not already in the habit of setting goals this is a good time to practice. You could set a goal to attempt any of the items on this list if you are unsure of ideas. You could set a goal as simple as I will clean out the garage by the end of the month or the end of the year to I will run a half marathon. Whatever you choose the simple act of making a decision to aim for something and following through will boost your sense of progress and self confidence.
16. WRITE A LETTER or several: A little old fashioned but all the more reason to do so. To deepen relationships with those you value this year get their physical addresses and hand write a letter to them for their birthday a special occasion graduation new baby or no reason at all rather than shoot a comment on Facebook or a text. Their is something very meaningful about receiving a genuine letter.
17. Go OFF GRID: Take some time, a day a month every few months, whatever fits your life to detach from technology of all kinds. We are addicted to technology. So addicted that we are scarcely able to be present in the real world that is occurring in front of us and passing us by. It also leaves us short on focus unable to be bored still or alone and understimulated and with a short attention span. Take some time to unplug slow down and plug back in to yourself your life the real world and the people in it.
    
18. MIRROR WORK/ or 365 list of POSITIVE self attributes: FACE yourself in the mirror every morning and tell yourself I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE WORTHY AS YOU ARE, and I FORGIVE YOU. OR start a list, one NEW item a day, of the positive aspects of who you are. By years end you should have 365 things about yourself that you can review and meditate on. Whichever you choose we are our own worst critic and it is often hard for many of us to list what is right with us and very easy to list what is wrong with us. These practices will improve your compassion towards yourself, combat the inner critic, and improve self love.
    
19. Get INVOLVED in a CAUSE: From something as simple as recycling to as grand as zero waste, if for example climate change is a cause you care deeply about, adjust your lifestyle in some small or large fashion to help a cause greater than yourself. This gives us a sense of purpose, contribution, and diminishes guilt from living in a way that is misaligned to the values we hold dear.
    
20. PRACTICE LISTENING: This year rather than waiting to chime in when others speak to and share with you, always three thoughts ahead trying to figure out what to reply, truly pay attention to the person who is sharing with you. Truly be present and listen not to reply but to hear understand and support. And when they are done, ask is there more? We improve relationships and learn when we truly listen. Talk less listen more.
    
21. REGULARLY DE-STRESS: This past year has been especially stressful but life itself is stressful. Most of us are highly stressed some to the level of clinical anxiety disorders. We rarely make the time nor conscious effort to manage and limit our stress in a healthy fashion. If you have trouble meditating, try breathing techniques, yoga, taichi, journal, reading, self pampering such as a long bath with music and candles, taking a walk, laying in the grass looking at the clouds, Jam out to a playlist, if none of these work for you there is always the internet at your fingertips. Research ways to relax and manage stress and try diligently to make this: finding peace; a priority in your life this year. ONCE A WEEK at-least. Practice the art of peace calm and relaxation. Down regulate your overstimulated central nervous system.