For the New Year, I’m giving everything a makeover!

After an intense year, the transition to the New Year represents a fresh start. It’s the ideal time to reset our well-being, without necessarily resorting to drugs or artificial solutions. In this article, discover 100% natural methods for revitalising your body, freeing your mind and tackling the New Year with serenity. Simple remedies, well-being rituals, organising your space… these are just some of the ways you can regain your balance and energy.

What natural remedies can you adopt to get the New Year off to a good start?

Looking to take control of your well-being in the New Year? Find out how natural remedies can help. They provide a complete reset for body and mind.

What natural remedies boost your well-being at the start of the year?

In the early days of the New Year, it’s essential to give your body and mind a restorative break. Rather than turning to chemical solutions, adopt simple natural remedies. These will help you regain your energy, calm and balance naturally.

1. Essential oils for relaxation: Use quality essential oils such as lavender or rosemary in a diffuser to create a soothing atmosphere in your home. These oils have anti-stress properties that can help relax your mind.
2. Herbal teas for digestion: After the festive season, your digestive system could do with a little help. Herbal teas with ginger or peppermint can help.
3. Fermented foods for the immune system: Include fermented foods such as kimchi or natural yoghurt in your diet. They are rich in probiotics, which can boost your immune system.
4. Breathing exercises for concentration: Practice breathing exercises or meditation to improve your concentration and productivity. You can even add a few drops of lemon essential oil to a handkerchief and inhale it for a stimulating effect.

What natural skin care products should you include in your New Year’s wellbeing routine?

Taking care of yourself at the start of the New Year can become a powerful ritual for nurturing your well-being. What’s more, incorporating natural products into your routine helps you not only to create soothing moments, but also to respect your body.

1. Homemade masks: Use natural ingredients such as oats and honey to create your own soothing facial mask.
2. Aromatic Baths: Add a few drops of essential oils to your bath to transform this simple experience into a truly relaxing moment.
3. Natural hair care: Oils such as jojoba and coconut oil are excellent natural conditioners. Apply a small amount to the ends of your hair for deep nourishment.
4. Natural make-up remover: Shea butter or sweet almond oil are effective natural make-up removers. They cleanse the skin while leaving it moisturised.

Don’t forget that the effectiveness of these remedies can vary from person to person. So it’s always a good idea to do a skin test before using a new product, even a natural one.

Why sort out your home to start the new year with peace of mind?

Lighten up and make room for the new year.

• Start with your wardrobe: throw away or donate all your old things– clothes, bags, shoes – that you no longer use or have never worn. If you don’t feel up to it straight away, put them in a box in the garage and if at the end of the summer you haven’t used any of the items in the box, give it all away.
• Continue with the bathroom: throw out all the old, used products. These useless things will clutter you up, and once they’ve passed their use-by date, they’ll lose absolutely all their benefits. An oil that smells of rancid butter is oxidised and no longer contains any antioxidants… throw it out!
• Clean out your fridge and cupboards. All those snacks and crisps won’t give you any vitamins: feed them to the chickens or pigeons and you’ll have a nice day out in the park…
• Make room in your computer. Many people buy a new PC because it has become too slow due to insufficient free memory space. Backing up your data on an external hard drive will improve its capabilities.

Free up space!

How can inner sorting improve mental health in the New Year?

Clutter isn’t just items strewn across the floor or piled up on a table; it’s also anything that gets in the way of our mental wellbeing and productivity. Studies have shown that our environment has a considerable influence on our mental health. According to a study byPrinceton University, a disorganised space can have a negative impact on our ability to complete tasks. It can even affect our general well-being.

How does the Marie Kondō method help kick-start the New Year?

The Marie Kondō method, also known as KonMari, goes far beyond simply tidying up your living space. She offers a holistic approach to decluttering your environment and, by extension, your mind. By following her principles, which are based on the respect and joy that each object can bring, you don’t just sort through your possessions. You’re also re-evaluating what’s really important to you. This process is designed to create a harmonious space. It aims to stimulate mental well-being and create a lasting sense of serenity and order.

How does decluttering affect your mood and physical health at the start of the year?

Organising a space can actually be a form of physical activity which, according to a study by theUniversity of Connecticut, naturally reduces stress. This combination of physical and mental activity can improve our mood. It can also improve our general well-being.

Why does a tidy space boost concentration in the New Year?

Clutter is chaotic and distracting. When your space is well organised, your mind can concentrate more easily. A tidy environment allows you to think more clearly and concentrate better on tasks.

How does decluttering your space boost energy and productivity in January?

The process of decluttering is itself a form of problem solving. Seeing a space go from a cluttered state to an orderly one can be very stimulating and give you energy for other tasks.

Can sorting really reduce anxiety to get the New Year off to a better start?

A disorganised space can be a source of anxiety. The simple act of decluttering can bring a sense of peace and calm, relieving anxiety.

How can you free yourself from negative thoughts to welcome in the New Year?

To start with, clean up the computer that runs your life: your own brain! How many old habits and negative thoughts are still holding you back? Fortunately, meditation and yoga can help you do just that. For example, look at an old photo of yourself and you’ll see some of the old mechanisms reappear. Every day, reinvent yourself, and above all, lighten up!

First, write down on a piece of paper the emotional journey of your past year, including the highs and lows, as well as the happy and painful episodes. Then, if you’re a pessimist by nature, try to make a note of the successful experiences. Also, be honest with yourself, because positive thinking has to be the basis of reality. Finally, an objective knowledge of yourself will help you to overcome the situations in which you have failed.

There are a number of techniques for freeing yourself from negative thoughts:

• Meditation: this can help you to be more aware of your thoughts and to observe them without judgement, which can make it easier to let them go.
• Practising gratitude: focusing on the positive things in your life can help reduce the impact of negative thoughts.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT ): this can help to identify and change the thoughts and behaviours that are linked to negative thoughts.
• Physical exercise: this can help reduce stress and anxiety, which can contribute to negative thoughts.

These techniques can take time and regular practice to be effective. It is therefore important to commit to using them on a regular basis and to discuss them with a mental health professional. This is advisable if negative thoughts persist.

Why is taking care of yourself essential at the start of the New Year?

Taking time for yourself means loving yourself! So take advantage of the New Year to think about yourself and take a breather. Do what you like: exercise, painting, reading, going to the cinema, going out with friends.

Relax by setting aside one evening a week to take a bath and pamper your body: exfoliation, waxing, manicure, facial, etc.

There are several steps to taking time for yourself:

1. Identify the times of day when you can free yourself up: This could be a moment in the morning, a lunch break or an evening.
2. Set yourself achievable goals: Define achievable goals for these moments of free time, such as meditation, reading or physical exercise.
3. Plan ahead: Add these moments of free time to your diary to make sure you stick to them.
4. Make conscious choices: Avoid filling this free time with activities that don’t make you feel good, such as watching TV or surfing social networks.
5. Be easy on yourself: It’s important to remember that taking care of yourself requires patience and perseverance. It’s normal to have moments when you can’t stick to it, the important thing is to keep striving.

It’s important to note that taking time out for yourself can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule, so it’s important to commit to sticking to it on a regular basis and to talk to a mental health professional if you’re having trouble getting organised to take care of yourself.

How can I set effective goals to get the New Year off to a good start?

There are several steps to setting personal and professional goals for the New Year:

1. Assess your current situation: Take time to reflect on your current situation and identify the areas of your life where you want to make changes.
2. Set SMART goals: Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Achievable and Time-bound.
3. Set intermediate steps: Break your goals down into intermediate steps to make them more achievable.
4. Identify obstacles: Identify the obstacles that could stand in your way and draw up a plan to overcome them.
5. Set up a monitoring system: Set up a system to track your progress and regularly remind you to focus on your goals.
6. Be realistic: It’s important to set achievable goals, and not put pressure on yourself to achieve things that are unattainable.
7. Leave room for the unexpected: Make allowances for unforeseen events that may occur during the year.

Note that setting goals is an ongoing process that requires reflection and adjustment over time. So it’s important to commit to reviewing them regularly. Talk to a mentor or adviser if you are having difficulty defining achievable goals.

Set yourself 3 personal and professional goals to achieve this year. Write them down in your diary. Describe what you need to do to achieve them and what the outside world (luck, chance, friends, professional colleagues, superiors, etc.) can do to help you. By realising that you’re not the only one in charge, that you can’t control everything and that that’s the way it should be, you’ll already be halfway there.

Let go and let the New Year in as it should be!

What habits can you give up to start the New Year on the right foot?

In the United States, for example, 70% of smokers say they want to stop smoking and have tried to do so at least once. However, the long-term success rate of quitting without help remains low, at around 5-7%. On the other hand, one-year success rates of up to 20-30% are achieved by smokers who use methods of proven effectiveness and recommended medication.

The study carried out in 2015 by IPSOS and Metabolic Profil shows that “the majority of diets undertaken by the French fail. Despite the determination they showed, a feeling mentioned by 45% of them, the majority of those who have already followed a diet (58%) were not satisfied with the results: they did not lose weight, or not as much as they wanted, and those who did lose weight largely put it back on (65%).”

FAQ – Well-being and good habits for the New Year

How can I adopt a natural wellness routine in January?

Start with small daily rituals: digestive herbal teas, relaxing essential oils and meditation. The aim is to create a moment for yourself every day.

Why is inner cleansing beneficial at the start of the year?

Sorting things out means making room – in your space and in your mind. It reduces stress, clarifies ideas and gives you a healthier start to the year.

What habits can you cut back to get off to a better start?

Habits such as a sedentary lifestyle, too much sugar or procrastination can put the brakes on your momentum. Replacing them with small positive actions will help you stay on course.

Read more:

1. https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-03659433v1/document
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32219461/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6796229/
4. Deevoy, R. (2021). “Why decluttering is good for your mental health,” Calm-moment.
5. Lang, M., Krátký, J., Shaver, J.H., Jerotijević, D., & Xygalatas, D. (2015). “Effects of anxiety on spontaneous ritualized behavior,” Current Biology, 25(14), 1892-1897.