It’s the start of the new year, a time when many recommit to healthy habits.
What are you doing that’s good for your health right now? Think about everything from your diet and exercise routine to the habits you have that take care of your mental health and well-being.
For instance, do you regularly stretch? Write in a journal? Eat a balanced diet? Make time for family and friends? Manage your screen time?
What health goals do you have for 2025? Is building healthier habits something you’d like to do in the new year?
In “35 Simple Health Tips Experts Swear By,” The Times Well desk asked experts to share one health trick, life hack, rule or reminder that they have learned through their work that they swear by. Here are a few of their tips:
When I find myself stuck in a pattern of negative thinking, I try not to complain for seven days. It retrains your brain to stop going down a negative path. I write “Don’t complain!” on a sticky note right by my bed so I see it when I wake up. — Dr. Kali D. Cyrus, psychiatrist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Dark-chocolate-covered nuts (at least 70 percent cocoa) are almost a perfect food. They combine two remarkable nutrient-rich foods — nuts and cocoa — and are high in phenolics, minerals, healthy fats and fiber. — Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University
My second-grade teacher, Ms. Edson, told us: If something feels too hard to do, it just means that the first step isn’t small enough. So often when we’re struggling, we tell ourselves that it’s a sign that we’re broken or that something is our fault, and then we freeze. But when something is too hard in the moment, tell yourself Ms. Edson’s advice. — Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist, parenting expert and founder of Good Inside
In the world we live in, usually the phone is the last thing we see and the first thing we see. It’s the bookend to our sleep, which is terrible. At night, I shut my phone down and meditate before I go to bed. In the morning, I meditate when I wake up — before looking at my phone. — Peter Economou, assistant professor of applied psychology at Rutgers University
“Stop, Breathe, Be” is a three-second brain reset to help manage anxiety in the moment. The instructions are in the name: Stop whatever you’re doing, take a brief pause. Take a deep breath in and out. Be grounded in the present moment. “Stop, Breathe, Be” gets you out of “What if?” thinking and back to what is, in the here and now. — Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, Harvard physician specializing in stress and burnout
I’m a big fan of making fancy ice cubes by freezing lemon or lime juice with chopped berries or pineapple and herbs. These little flavor-packed cubes turn plain water into a refreshing, luxurious treat — with added vitamin C. — Emily Haller, dietitian
During my workday, one of the most restorative things I can do is listen to a song I love between clients. If I listen to some Snoop Dogg, I’m going to feel a little recharged. It puts you in a different zone. I have a playlist that has gospel music and Megan Thee Stallion and all sorts of stuff. — Nedra Glover Tawwab, licensed clinical social worker
A couple of times a day, I consciously drop my shoulders, sigh and think to myself: “Let go.” — Sherry Cormier, psychologist and bereavement trauma expert
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.