In this first week of the new year, most of us are thinking about plans and hopes for the year ahead. Even if you aren't the type of person who believes in making resolutions or setting intentions, the first of the year is a good time to take stock of what you're doing in life and if it's truly what you want to be spending your time on. Of course, we can't just up and quit our jobs when we're unhappy! However, we can make small changes to our habits that, over time, lead to big results.
If you're pregnant at the start of this year, it may seem even more important for you to look at your habits. How you spend your time impacts your mental, physical, and emotional health, all of which affects the health of your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. To take account of the kinds of habits that have the biggest affect, grab a sheet of paper (or open a new document) and write down the following areas in your life:
1. Downtime (rest)
2. Eating
3. Movement/exercise
4. Social connections
5. Hobbies (interests outside of work)
For each of those areas, list what you currently do for each. Include how often, with whom, what kind, what you like about what you currently do, and what you wish was different or wish you would stop doing.
Next, come up with one small change you could easily make under each area. For example: drink an extra glass of water each day, take a 15 minute nap, walk for 10 minutes at lunch, call (not text) a friend just to catch up, start reading a new book. None of these new habits alone are going to lead to significant improvements, but a short nap every day, for example, can help you feel more rested an energized throughout the week. Catching up with a friend by phone (or over coffee in person) regularly helps boost your mood and emotional stability. Drinking more water, even just a little more, can help you stay hydrated throughout pregnancy, and may encourage you to look at other healthy eating and drinking habits you can add.
Focusing on your habits and the processes by which you live your life instead of specific goals or outcomes is a much more achievable way to create lasting and impactful change. Instead of creating a goal of "getting healthy," for example, choose three habits to begin or change that are healthy, like eating at least one fruit and one vegetable every day. Over time, you will likely develop a more favorable taste for vegetables and fruit and then begin eating them with every meal.
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