Another new year has arrived, so make this one your healthiest to date. Here are a few practical ways to prioritize your own mental and physical well-being in 2025. 

Enter the year with intention. Create a few concrete goals (no more than three) and write them in a time capsule, to be opened at the end of 2025. Clean as much of your living space as you can without becoming too obsessive about it. Clear your environment and cultivate some new habits around your nutrition, fitness, screen time, and more.  

Make a plan for your work, home, free time, self-care, and family commitments. Learn something new this year—whether it’s doing a creative project, reading a book each month, or teaching yourself a second language, then traveling to that country at some point in the year. Be kind to those you cross paths with, even if they’re not kind to you. This will take discipline and intention. Smile more often and see how others might respond. 

Finally, set aside an hour each day just for yourself. Exercise, spend time in nature, or take a nap. It doesn’t matter what you do, but put your name on the calendar.  

Carol Roberts, M.D., is the lead practitioner at Best Medicine, Inc. Location: Full Spectrum Health, 2106 Bispham Rd., Sarasota. To schedule an appointment or reserve a spot in her classes, call 941-404-8030. For more information, visit https://bestmedicine.us/