We’re officially halfway into the first month of 2020! Woo hoo!! Now is the time to start planning for how to make the best of this year, and it’s also a good time to reflect on the previous year. You with me? Let’s get right into it and talk about the five most important lessons I’ve learned in 2019.
1. Your mental health is more important than anything else.
I’ve had to say no to several things last year because I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I called it “taking a mental health day” where I did the things that relaxed and calmed me. This means that I had to let people down – something that I really struggled with and continue to struggle with today – but it had to be done so that I can take care of me first. Remember, how can you do your best for other people when you haven’t taken care of yourself first? You can’t possibly give your all to everyone else when you haven’t dedicated the proper time to yourself yet.
2. What you put into your body has a direct impact on your mood.
I gave up sugar in March 2019 when I was diagnosed with prediabetes, and when I stopped, I stopped cold turkey. In the first couple weeks, I found myself being very irritable and cranky. Then, all of a sudden, I felt like I had more energy in the mornings, and it didn’t take me 10 minutes to just get out of bed. Then, I started eating breakfast every morning, and I felt so much happier throughout the day. Cutting out sodas and sweets was quite difficult at first, but I felt so much better once I continued to stick to it.
3. Sometimes, you need to seek help from professionals.
In 2019, I went to premarital counseling, individual counseling, financial counseling, and I met with a nutritionist regularly. Taking these steps last year were some of the best decisions I’ve made because it allowed me to soak up a lot of knowledge from professionals that I can use to better my life and the lives of my loved ones. I’m living a better life both mentally and physically from these meetings, and it has encouraged me to continue asking for help when I need it. These people are here to help you, not to judge you. There’s no shame in asking for help.
4. Every time you get a check or come across some money, you should put at least 30% of it into some sort of savings.
You never know what can happen, so I learned that it is super important to have some money stashed away! Already have a savings account for emergencies? Great! Now it’s time to save up for that vacation you always planned to take or that car you always wanted to buy. Either way, it’s crucial to have money tucked away so that you can get yourself out of a jam or reward yourself for all of your hard work.
5. There’s a lesson in everything you do.
For every mistake you make and for every blessing you’ve received, there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Always ask yourself, “How can I be better?” “What steps did I take to get here?” “What did this teach me?” Keep in mind that you are your greatest teacher, and no one can teach you more about yourself than you.
The best way to move forward and better your future is to reflect on your past. So, now that we’ve discussed them all, I want to know what you think is the most important lesson of 2019 — take the poll below! Start thinking about what you learned last year so that we can have a great 2020!
“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” — Johnny Cash
I love this post. It’s been a great experience watching you implement these. You are amazing and keep it up.
Thank you, love, for being there with me every step of the way!
I’m glad people are talking about the importance of mental health, it does affect everything – as well as what you eat and drink! Good points.
Definitely! It’s time to start talking about mental health. Thanks for reading!
Closing the doors for the past is a must to do as it adversely affects the mental health. We always say “we have a past”, whereas it should be “we had a past”.
I love that — “We had a past.” Thank you so much for reading!
Mental Health is so important in our daily routines. Thanks for sharing this post with us.
Thanks for reading!
Mental health is a global issue and we need to talk more about it. Our team took mandatory Mnetal Health First Aid Class. we really hope that we see videos on Mental health for our Global awarenss challenge at – https://empowerandhelp.com/services/empowerandhelp-global-awareness-challenge-2020/
These are all great tips to have a successful year. Mental health for sure should be everyone’s number one priority. And not just our own but to promote positive mental health for everyone in our life!
Definitely. It’s important to take care of ourselves and each other. Thanks for reading!
I gave up sugar for a while last year as well and I remember how good it felt. It took about two weeks to take it out from my body, which felt like torture, but after that my life changed into so much better, health wise.
Ughh, it was hard for me too.. but definitely a decision that your body will thank you for. Thanks for reading!
i like that you said there is something you learn from everything you do !!! it is a crucial life lesson.
Health is everything, man. Mental health is the most important thing you can have in your life! It’s the foundation that everything else is built on!
Most definitely! Thank you for reading!
Great read. Very enjoyable.
Sharing this is really good. I’ve also learned that we need to ask and seek for help from other people who have good knowledge.
Exactly. Asking for help is a great way to become better people, and sharing your knowledge helps other people become great too. Thanks for reading!
2019 seems to be quite a transformational year for you. We are all learning and growing and taking care of ourselves, having the courage to ask for help and having open mind, I feel, is the winning combination in life.
Love this post.
It truly was a transformational year, and I thank you so much for reading this!
I like the idea of taking one day for yourself to give yourself rest and to focus on yourself, and on yourself only. I should try that!
Yes, and I hope it goes well for you. Thanks for reading!
We are all affected by mental health, some more than others. But it is important for each person to talk about it and try to do something about it. We need to be more positive about mental health.
I agree 1000%, and that’s why I want to NEVER shy away from talking about mental health and therapy. Thanks so much for reading.
I feel it’s really nice to accept your learnings be it good or bad. And kudos to you!
Thank you, and thanks for reading!
I leant something new from what you have learnt 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
So many good lesson. I love the part where u said what you eat effects your mood it’s true. Good effects your mood big time.
Definitely, and I didn’t notice that until I went to a nutritionist. Thanks for reading!
Great post! I really do find it amazing how what we take in (food or media) really does change our bodies! I desperately want to cut back or cut out sugar from my diet I’ve just been terrible about falling back on it when the withdrawal starts. I’m so glad you’ve had such a good experience with it.
Love this post. Everything you pointed out are true. I like the first point you started with started “Your mental health is more important than anything else”
Thank you so much. I felt that the entire year of 2019, I was wrestling with finding a balance between working hard and taking a day to just nurture my mental health. So, that was the number 1 thing I’ve learned last year. Thanks so much for reading!