Do you wish you could improve at something to support your mental, physical or social wellbeing?
Well, we're here to tell you today that you can. It all depends on your habits.
43% of your day-to-day actions and thoughts are influenced by habits.
So, how do you go about creating the right habits so you have the right structure and make the most of your day? Well, for that to happen, it takes knowledge and understanding of them before you can cultivate positive habits that set you up for success each day.
Learn everything you need to know about habits, how to form them and how to drop negative ones in this article.
Habits explained
Habits are small decisions, actions and behaviours that you do unconsciously. These habits carry you through your daily life and impact the outcomes of your day. They influence your health, productivity and habits. Generally, habits can be broken down into three areas: unnoticed, positive and unhealthy.
Unnoticed: Automatic habits you've been doing for a long time without realising. Examples of these are making your bed, brushing your teeth, checking emails, washing your face, etc.
Positive: Habits that add beneficial value to your life. Typical examples are eating healthy, exercising regularly and practising good sleep hygiene.
Unhealthy: Habits that have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing. These could be smoking, binge drinking, excessive spending and more.
So how do these habits form?
Habits are formed from a psychological pattern known as a "habit loop". The loop consists of three sections involving a trigger that transmits a signal to your brain. The signal then notifies your brain to conduct a specific action or behaviour. Once carried out and a behaviour is performed, your brain is rewarded by encouraging it to be repeated in the future. When repetition happens, a habit loop is formed, adding the habit to your brain.
5 examples of healthy habits for 2025
Remember, the key to having an epic 2025 is making small, sustainable and realistic changes to your routine. To give you an idea, here are 5 healthy habits for 2025 you may want to try:
Get a consistent good night's sleep
Before discussing a range of healthy habits for 2025, the first and most important one (we feel) is getting good sleep. Good sleep is a crucial foundation for other areas of your health, and you should get 7-9 hours every night (NHS). Good sleep will make it easier for you to stick to healthy habits and support your concentration, cognitive performance, and lower mental health issues.
Top Tip: To improve your sleep in 2025, try going to bed at the same time every night, having a relaxing bedtime routine, and limiting screen time to one hour before sleep.
Maintain important social connections
When we think of health, one area that tends to be overlooked at times is mental health. However, with a rise in screen time, AI, and technology, we often live in a more isolated world than our ancestors. One healthy habit for 2025 is to develop your social connections, i.e., spend more time with friends and family to reduce stress levels and the risk of mental health conditions.
Top Tip: To have better mental health in 2025, try checking in with friends and family, even just for a phone call. Schedule time for social activities such as joining a hobby group, hosting a dinner, and allowing time on your own to recharge.
Get outdoors into nature
Wherever you live, whether it's a beach, forest, lake, public park, or even just a path, get out and spend more time outdoors. Research suggests that time spent outdoors can profoundly affect your overall physical and mental wellbeing. It can help reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance feelings of wellbeing.
Top Tip: You don't have to go overboard to achieve this goal. You can start off small by scheduling more time to take daily walks, bike, and hike and even get more exposure to natural light in the morning.
Add more fibre to your diet
Are you getting your 5 a day? A high-fibre diet with lots of fruit and vegetables can help support your gut, heart, and metabolic health. Plus, fibre-filled fruits are very filling, making you feel fuller. This can control appetite and calorie intake, supporting other goals like weight loss.
Top Tip: To add more fibre to your diet in 2025, start with the simple things. Replace processed foods as snacks with fruits and vegetables. Select high-fibre cereals or have high-fibre breakfasts.
Practice mindful eating
As mentioned earlier, most of us live in a fast-paced, high-consuming world. With the rise in devices and habits, we tend to consume more calories than we realise due to quick eating. One healthy habit you can set is to practice being more mindful when eating. Plus, eating too fast makes you often swallow more air, which triggers bloating and gas. Therefore slowing your eating to chew your food can make you feel fuller and have a healthier metabolism.
Top Tip: To practice mindful eating, you might want to try eating more slowly in a focused environment. This means removing the TV, tablet, laptop, and mobile phone to fully concentrate. You can also try eating in silence to help you focus on the sensory experience, enhancing the connection between your food.
Conclusion
Overall, you should try these five effective healthy habits for 2025 this year. Of course, you can practice new ones that contribute to your life in a positive way. When setting any habit goal, following the SMART rule is important. Keep them specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound.
Remember, the key is not to overwhelm yourself with big healthy habits to set. Focus on small and sustainable ones and stay consistent with them!
Want to tackle your healthy habits with zest? Learn our tips on how to have more energy.