The new year is a symbolic time of change. As you flip the calendar from December to January, you may reflect on how you’d like the next year to be different or better. Many of us have goals to better ourselves in some way, like getting in shape, improving our finances, or kicking bad habits.

These are all noble pursuits, but it’s important to think deeper. Underpinning all of our success and achievement in life is a strong sense of holistic health, starting with our mental and emotional health. This is the foundation for all of our other success in life, but too often is neglected.

This year, consider building healthier emotional and mental habits as your first step toward a better you. Confronting these less tangible pursuits can be tricky as we have to challenge ourselves and think inward. However, it’ll be well worth it when you feel a sense of peace and strength to take on further goals.

Keep reading for a framework to break this goal down into actionable strategies that can set you up for success on this holistic journey:

How to Form Good Habits by Working with Your Brain

It can be hard to do things we know are good for us, so there has been much research about how to work with our brains rather than against them. Sheer force of will or discipline won’t work for most of us. Here are some strategies you can try when forming new habits that will more likely to lead to success:

Habit stacking is a process where you associate the new habit by pairing it with something else you do (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). That might look like journaling when you have your morning coffee or tea. By working a habit into your existing routine, it’s more likely to stick than if you have to make a dramatic change to accommodate it in your life.

Similarly, studies show that a simpler action can become a habit more quickly (Lally et al., 2009).  Other studies show that small changes allow for the development of automaticity, which is when, “behaviours became ‘second nature’, ‘worming their way into your brain’ so that participants ‘felt quite strange’ if they did not do them”  (Gardener et al., 2012). 

So, keep any changes and activities associated with it simple. Taking on too much can be overwhelming - especially when it comes to building new mental or emotional habits. Break down your big goal into simpler habits and gradually work up to the larger change. 

Finally, to successfully change habits and build positive new ones, context is critical. Psychologists have found that, “habits are learned associations between responses and aspects of the context under which the responses are performed, such as the physical location and preceding actions… habits can be broken by controlling the cues that trigger behavior. For example, changes to one’s circumstances (e.g., taking a different route to work) can change context cues and lead to disruption of habits” (Palmer, 2020). 

With this information in mind, you can set yourself up for success with your new habits.

Ideas for New Positive Mental and Emotional Habits 

If you know you want to build your mental and emotional health, but are not sure what specifically you can or should do, here are some specific ideas. Choose the top one or two that best fit your overall goal and needs:

Practice Mindfulness: Set aside time to practice mindfulness through activities like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply focusing on the present moment.

Prioritize Self-Care: Commit to regularly engaging in activities that nurture your holistic health. You’ll identify what’s been a drain on your energy and wellbeing and work to combat that by reducing exposure, better coping, or adding something in to balance.

Set Healthy Boundaries: Focus on protecting your emotional energy. Set clear boundaries in both personal and professional relationships to prevent burnout and ensure you're taking care of your mental and emotional needs and dedicating your energy to the people and things you value most.

Seek Support When Needed: Resolve to prioritize your mental health by seeking professional help when needed, whether through therapy, counseling, or joining a support group like Gavin’s Village.

Cultivate Gratitude: Make a habit of regularly reflecting on things you're grateful for. Keep a gratitude journal and write down something you’re grateful for. This practice can boost positivity, help shift your mindset, and improve emotional resilience.

Express Emotions Healthily: Commit to expressing your emotions in a constructive way. Allowing yourself to feel and process emotions can prevent emotional buildup and enhance well-being.

Practice Self-Compassion: Focus on being kinder to yourself, especially when facing challenges or making mistakes. Replace self-criticism with self-compassion by treating yourself with the same care and understanding you would offer a friend.

Nurture Positive Relationships: Build positive social connections with people who support and uplift you emotionally. Invest time in strengthening meaningful relationships, or forge new friendships with people in your community.

Engage in Regular Spiritual Practice: Whether through prayer, meditation, acts of service, or attending spiritual gatherings, commit to setting aside time regularly to nurture your spiritual well-being. This practice can help you feel more connected to your higher self, purpose, and the world around you.

Making the Goal Happen 

Once you’ve narrowed down your new habit, it’s time to put in some effort to help set you on the right path for your goal.

First, identify the specific things you’ll do to work toward that new healthy habit. Keep it as simple as possible. Then, you’ll set a time to do the activity. Choosing a time to do something can increase the chances of you fulfilling the goal. This could be daily, weekly, or monthly or associated with specific events.

Consider the context of any current habits that are standing in the way of your new healthy habits and shake it up. We’ll cover specific ways to make changes further in this blog.

It can also be helpful to think of possible barriers in advance and map out a solution. For example, if your goal involves reading or doing arts and crafts to disconnect from screens and social media, make sure you have books or crafting supplies. If your goal is to get some healthy movement to process negative emotions, make sure you have athletic shoes and some at-home workout videos queued up. (find them free on Youtube!)

Maintaining Your Progress

Too often people abandon their resolutions after a few weeks. Building a new healthy habit requires repetition, so to kick off the journey, build in some goal infrastructure to keep you on track.

One helpful way to do this is by setting reminders, such as on your phone. Weekly or monthly might be the right balance between frequency so you don’t forget but not so frequent that you keep swiping away the notification.

Time blocking is another great strategy. Use a digital calendar and schedule time for your habit or practice. Keep these appointments to yourself just like you would a work or family obligation.

Record your progress. This can keep you accountable to yourself. Print off a habit tracker like this one. Or, use a journal to reflect deeper. Apple has a Journal app which makes it easy. (You can likely find another free iPhone or Android app too!)  

Make future plans or appointments now. If your goal is to strengthen your social relationships, make plans in advance with friends or family, especially for seasonal activities that may book up. If you want to take better care of your physical health, make any necessary doctor or dental appointments - even if it’s a few months out. 

Build accountability buddies. Find a friend who is also on a journey to make a positive change in their life and ask to be accountability partners, checking in regularly on how you each have worked toward your goal.

Curating a Positive Environment

Context is critical for successful health habit formation. Making your surroundings more positive in general can set you up for success in achieving your new healthy habits. First, remove negative inputs to your environment:

• Unsubscribe from marketing emails that contribute to unnecessary spending or feelings of jealousy
• Reduce non-urgent notifications on your phone
• Unfollow or mute accounts on social media that bring you down
• Set time limits for apps or websites that don’t contribute to your overall goals
• Decline optional events or social engagements that don’t serve you
• Declutter or tidy up a space where you spend a lot of time (even a small one)

Removing sources of negativity is a great start, but some people may feel an absence of these things if there is nothing to take its place. So, next, you’ll increase positive inputs. 

• Find and follow non-sensational balanced news sources 
• Curate your social media to include accounts that inspire growth, positivity, and knowledge
• Add inspirational visuals to your space, like photos of family or nature 
• Surround yourself with positive people by makings plans or reaching out via phone, video call, or text
• Buy healthy foods and snacks when at the grocery store to have good fuel at home

Choose the things that are most relevant to your lifestyle and goals and tackle them incrementally so it’s additive to your journey, not overwhelming. 

Conclusion

Forming good habits can be challenging, especially when it feels like sheer willpower isn’t enough. This is especially tough for more intangible goals like strengthening your emotional or mental health. However, research shows that working with your brain’s natural processes, rather than against them, can significantly increase your chances of success. By using strategies like habit stacking and focusing on simplicity, you can gradually build habits that align with your overall goals. 

In 2025, make it your mission to create lasting positive changes and cultivate habits that support your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. If you’re looking for an online community of like-minded people on a holistic health journey, join Gavin’s Village!

References

Cleveland Clinic (2024, June 18). Everything You Need To Know About Habit Stacking for Self-Improvement. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/habit-stacking

Gardner, B., Lally, P., & Wardle, J. (2012). Making health habitual: The psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. British Journal of General Practice. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp12X659466 

Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal Social Psychology, 40(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674 

Palmer, C. (2020, November 12). Harnessing the power of habits. American Psychological Association. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/11/career-lab-habits