Prioritise your mental health this year: Effective tips from an expert

The New Year is the season of new hopes, dreams and aspirations. Most people ring in the new year vowing to ‘change’ everything and become a renewed person. However, we often get disappointed when life throws curveballs at us. Resilience is the remarkable ability to withstand or to recover quickly from setbacks, challenges or demanding situations. This is not just the capacity to endure difficulties, but a lifestyle and attitude that turn challenges and setbacks into opportunities to learn and grow. Mental health is an essential aspect of life that should be focused on in the New Year. These are five practical tips to improve resilience and enjoy better mental health.

1. Growth mindset: Make your failures the lessons to grow
Having a growth mindset helps you learn from your failures and grow. Instead of thinking, ‘I can’t do this’, you could say, ‘I may not be able to do it now, but I can surely learn’. It stems from the belief that mental faculties and talents can be nurtured through practice rather than a fixed mindset that you are born with them. This helps us to turn challenges and failures into learning opportunities and believe that hard work is key to succeeding in life. 

Practical tips
•Do not fear failures: Instead of believing that everything has ended, try thinking that this might not have worked now, but there is undoubtedly another way. Every mistake that we make will teach us a new lesson. 
•Enjoy the journey: More than the destination, what matters most is your journey and the hard work. Try to find happiness in the things that you have learned rather than analysing how quickly you have succeeded. 

•Compete only with yourself: Focus on making a better version of yourself rather than worrying about others’ success. You should compare your success and growth only with yourself. 
•‘Until now’: You are closing the doors on opportunities to learn when you say that you do not know something. Instead, you could try saying that you didn’t realise it until now. Here, there is an element of hope. Research proves that people with a growth mindset have better resilience and the ability to face challenges. They do not fear challenges but embrace them with confidence. 

2. Small steps, significant changes
Most people are overenthusiastic at the beginning of a New Year, making resolutions to shed weight or learn a new language. But enthusiasm wanes over time. There are some easy ways to overcome this. 
•Be specific: Instead of generally stating that you will focus on your health, try to be more exact, like vowing to take a walk for half an hour at least three times a week. This gives us the scope to plan and execute our resolutions more effectively. 

•Take up what you can: Do not try to conquer the world in a single day. Try to do smaller or simpler things that can be done within our limits or circumstances. The confidence you get from successfully doing those simpler things will be the fuel to take on bigger challenges.
•Breaking bigger resolutions into smaller steps: If you wish to read a big book, then promise yourself to read only two pages daily. You will have achieved a milestone when you finish reading those two pages. 
•Appreciate yourself: Do not forget to appreciate yourself, even for the smallest achievements. Appreciating yourself will give you the strength to move forward with confidence. 

3. Be your own friend
We may be good friends to others. But we start cursing and berating ourselves the moment we commit a mistake. This is where self–compassion becomes relevant. Be kinder to yourself by treating yourself like a friend. These tips will help you nurture self–compassion. 
•Do not hurt yourself: Instead of chiding and blaming yourself in case you make a mistake, tell yourself that it is humane to commit blunders, and there is always scope to learn from them. 

•You are not alone: You might often lament that bad things happen only to you. But that is not true. Everyone in this world experiences sadness and setbacks. It is essential to realise that you are not the only person who is going through difficult times. 

•Accept your pain: There is no need to hide your pain. Understand that it is all right to feel sad. But always remind yourself not to get bogged down by the sadness and that this too shall pass. 
•Console yourself by saying your name out loud: When you are sad, try to say your name out loud and console yourself. It would be soothing to hear yourself say your name and assure yourself that things will get better. 

•Embrace yourself: When you are sad or scared, gently pat yourself on the shoulder or place your palm on your chest. This gesture will fill you with a sense of security. Studies have shown that people who are kinder to themselves are less anxious and are not depressed. Being good to yourself significantly improves your mental health. You could start loving yourself along with others in 2026. 

4. Healthy coping mechanisms
Handling stress efficiently
There is no way to avoid stress altogether. But it is possible to handle stress healthily and efficiently. There is no need to be scared of stress if you can handle it smartly. We can manage stress effectively, even though it is unavoidable in life. 

Try these tricks to stay calmer in 2026
•Do not forget to breathe: Take a deep breath when you are angry or sad. Try the 4–7–8 breathing technique to calm yourself. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds and slowly exhale. This technique will help you calm down quickly. 
•Relaxing technique: Close your eyes and relax for ten minutes every day. Do not think about the past or the future; instead, try to focus solely on that moment. 

•Move yourself: It doesn’t mean you should do extreme workouts at the gym. You could dance to your favourite song or take a relaxing stroll for 20 minutes. Happy hormones are produced when your body moves. 
•Express yourself: Do not trap your feelings inside. Try to express them by jotting them down in a diary or by painting. Tending to plants or listening to music will help you calm down. 

•Good food and sleep: Make sure to sleep for at least 7 – 8 hours. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Moreover, eating healthy and well-balanced meals will significantly improve your mood. 
•Avoid these: Scrolling through social media reels, sitting alone or drinking alcohol when you are sad will make things worse. You could instead speak to a friend or enjoy the nature outside. 

5. Supportive relationships
Humans need companions to share their joy or sadness. Having someone close will significantly improve your mental health. The Harvard Study of Adult Development states that good relationships are the secret to a person’s health and happiness.

Try these tips to nurture strong bonds
•Open your heart: Opening up to your loved ones will keep you calm and relaxed. Meanwhile, you should also be a good listener when they are speaking to you. Most people crave someone who listens, and not a friend or a loved one who only advises. 
•Seek help: Do not be adamant about facing every challenge on your own. Accepting that you are going through a difficult situation and seeking help is not a bad thing. It, in fact, shows your strength rather than weakness. 

•Help others: When you help someone, you are not only making them happy but yourself, too. Even a small act of help can bring about a significant change in someone’s life. 
•Finding good communities: Try to make new friends by being part of groups that align with your interests. 
•Seek expert help: Sometimes you may need more help than what your family or friends can provide. In such situations, do not hesitate to meet a counsellor or a doctor. Seeking help for mental health issues is as simple as consulting a doctor when you have a fever. Not all relationships are healthy. It is always better to stay away from people who blame or degrade you. We could try to find better friends and nurture good relations in 2026. 

Improving your mental resilience is an important resolution that you should take this new year. More than just reducing tension or anxiety, building resilience is a long-term investment that could make your life happier and more meaningful. A growth mindset, breaking big dreams into smaller steps, being kinder to yourself, and innovative ways to manage stress, like breathing techniques and nurturing good relationships, are some of the ways you can enjoy good mental health in 2026. 

Points to note
•Keep learning: You are not born with talents; they can be achieved and developed through hard work and training. 
•Smaller steps are key: Do not wait until everything falls in perfectly. Even a small change or a tiny step forward could be enriching. 
•It is alright to fail: It is natural to face problems in life. But learning from your mistakes and bouncing back is key. 

•Ask for help: Seeking help shows your strength of character.
•Each day is new: If you failed today, then you could try tomorrow. Learning to face challenges is better than hoping for a life without problems. It is impossible to stop the storm, but a good captain can lead his ship through the storm to safety. You could be stronger and a better version of yourselves by following these mental health tips. 

It is not advisable to start following these tips today itself. You could assign a month to practise each technique. 
January: Practice developing a growth mindset
February: Set realistic goals
March: Learn to be kind to yourself
April: Practise healthy coping mechanisms
May: Nurture stronger relations. 

By this time, these techniques would naturally become part of your life. You could achieve the mental strength to face any challenge in life. Every small step will lead to bigger and more positive changes. Let 2026 set the foundation for your mental health journey.   
(The writer is a social worker and an adolescent and relationship counsellor.)