It’s new year and like everyone else, you most likely have a resolution to be healthier. This is a good resolution to set, but a hard one to achieve for many. Most of us want to live active and healthy lifestyles, but don’t achieve this as we often focus on the overall goal.
The importance of sleep is often undermined. Sleep is also often the first thing to go when we become busy with something else. Simply put, we prioritize everything in life over sleep, from kids to Netflix. As a psychologist, I regularly ask my clients about their sleeping patterns (always during the initial assessment and several times throughout the course of treatment). Nine out of ten times – my clients are struggling to get adequate sleep (either to fall/remain asleep, or get adequate time of “zzzz”). I always empathize the importance of sleep and whenever possible introduce the sleep hygiene as soon therapeutically appropriate.
We make a conscious effort to improve our physical health by incorporating good nutrition and daily exercise in our routines. When it comes to mental health, do you pay as close attention? Most individuals attend to their physical needs much more diligently and intentionally than to the emotional aspects of health.