15 Physical And Mental Hacks To Start Your Year Right
Is it nap o'clock yet?
![15 Physical And Mental Hacks To Start Your Year Right](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/3/3/765333_320x180.jpg)
Hi! How’s your year been so far? Pretty tough, we’re guessing, what with every week in January feeling like an entire month with the same mood as Dunkirk. Listen, we recommend you take it easy, and read the following suggestions of things you can do to help yourself make this year suck just a little less.
![Get your naps right. The Sleep Foundation suggests keeping naps between 10 and 20 minutes (unless you're sick). Any shorter won't yield much results, and any longer will only leave you groggy. You should also take a nap between the halfway point of when you wake up and when you](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/4/765344.jpg)
![TO curb anxiety and depression, think of your past successes. Instead of focusing on failures and things you may have done wrong, research shows that people with anxiety and depression should rather focus on things they've done well to boost their emotional resilience.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/1/765341.jpg)
![Does your work require you to sit a lot? Start fidgeting. MUNITRA A sedentary life may seem inevitable for a lot of people (in this economy), but it's also no secret how unhealthy it can be. Studies show that fidgeting, like drumming your fingers or tapping your feet, can help](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/9/765349.jpg)
![Struggle with self-control? Time to do some planning. There are legitimate reasons why we give in to impulses like checking our phones or watching a game demo instead of focusing on work that needs to be done. To help practice elf-control, plan your day ahead by allocating time for breaks to](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/7/765347.jpg)
![Want to improve your thinking skills? Learn to do something new. Our brains are amazing in that they never stop developing, and if you want to keep that noggin healthy and in good shape, best you learn something new. It could literally be anything from gardening to a new game](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/5/765345.jpg)
![Instead of using calendars and apps to remind you of something you need to do, try the remind by association technigue. Poddineten Bear Forgetting to pay your bills? Put something out of the ordinary next to your computer. When you sit down to work, that thing will instantly remind you](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/8/765348.jpg)
![Struggling to get through the day? Set some time aside for daydreaming. Daydreaming has gotten a bad rap over the years, but science says that it's only accidental daydreaming that should be monitored. Deliberate daydreaming, on the other hand, can help you gain better focus, better planning skills, and even](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/3/9/765339.jpg)
![Want to remember the information you read? Then read it out loud. Called the production effect, you will find it easier to commit something to memory when you both speak it and hear yourself speaking it out loud. We simply learn and remember better if it happens actively. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/6/765346.jpg)
![Want to keep that gut healthy? Eat or drink something fermented. Fermented food contains probiotics that are great for your digestive health. Probiotics can also strengthen your immune system, and help regulate healthy serotonin levels. CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/2/765342.jpg)
![Want to make a good impression? Make eye contact. Neuroscience research has shown that if someone shifts their gaze away from us, it instinctively feels like they're shifting their attention, too. Maintain eye contact with a person when engaging, and if you struggle to do that in general, the trick](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/3/6/765336.jpg)
![Want to be less distracted? Stop multitasking. Studies have shown that heavy multitaskers struggle to filter what's relevant and what's not, because they're putting way too much focus on all the information coming at them. Light multitasking is fine, but focusing on one thing at a time seems to be](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/3/765343.jpg)
![Need a fast way to calm yourself or relax? Breathe with your rdiaphragm, not your chest. Centering your breathing around your diaphragm makes for deeper, less shallow breathing. Deep breathing has a wide range of benefits, including the ability to lower blood pressure and helping with pain management.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/3/7/765337.jpg)
![Want to change a habit? Start small. We tend to be unrealistic when trying to change a habit. Implementing dramatic changes will mostly lead to disappointment because We make our goals too difficult to reach. Instead of thinking big, we need to think small, and look at tiny behaviors that](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/0/765340.jpg)
![Want to strengthen your willpower? laugh more. Laughter has about a gazillion benefits, and one of them is boosting our willpower to follow through on tasks. Studies show that humor replenishes us greatly, and laughing makes it easier to persist and finish a task. So if you're struggling to get](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/5/0/765350.jpg)
![Substitute doomscrolling with joyscrolling. The idea is to spend your time online looking at things that make you feel better instead of worse, whatever that may be. If you like breakaways or outdoor activities, scroll through Airbnb or search hiking trails you've never done. Scroll through Good News websites. Whatever](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/3/8/765338.jpg)