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Dry January – a kick start to your goals

Post on 16th January 2023

At Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care, we have over 80 years of experience helping people care for their eye health. Using our knowledge and expertise, we have collated 3 reasons why taking part in Dry January will give you a great start to the year.

Many of us resolve to take better care of our health, vow to take up a new hobby or start saving more money. Dry January has become a popular way to kick start the year and help some people on the way to achieve their goals 

With an estimated nearly 9 million people in the UK participating in Dry January this year, take a look at how you can best utilise this month to create habits that will last not only throughout January, but continue to inform your decisions for 2023 and beyond.

  1. Take better care of my health

When choosing to participate in Dry January, looking after our health is often the number one goal. Better sleep, reduced blood sugar and heart rate are just some of the benefits of going alcohol-free. A month without alcohol can also help to reduce your blood pressure – a contributing factor of age related macular deterioration, a common condition that effects your eyesight as you age.

Being mindful about your relationship with alcohol throughout the month can be the best way to inform lasting changes in your lifestyle. You may discover that you don’t need a glass of wine to unwind after work and that actually, a cup of tea and a bubble bath do the trick the same way if not better.

  1. Take up a new hobby

A great way to ensure your dry month will help form changes that will surpass it, is to take up a new hobby. Perhaps you would like to read more books this year. Create yourself a relaxing environment to read in, however that looks for you – it might be lighting a candle or putting on your comfiest PJs. Remember – if you find yourself squinting more than usual while you’re reading, or if concentrating is leading to headaches or blurry vision, it’s probably time to get your eyes tested.

  1. Reaching your budgeting goals

Not only is skipping the alcohol good for the wallet, but it will undoubtedly leave you feeling more refreshed and well rested the next day, allowing you get back some of that precious time.

Why not use that time to health check your finances and see how you can reach your savings goals? Cancelling subscriptions that you don’t use anymore, finding a better phone contract or broadband deal – are just a few ways to reduce your bills. You could also check if there any services that you are entitled to use for free.

For example, if you wear glasses or contact lenses, you could be eligible for a free NHS eye test and even get money off your glasses with an optical voucher. To find out more about NHS eligibility and see how much you can save click here.

Whether you get involved in Dry January or resolve to make other changes in your life, we wish you a successful month and a prosperous year ahead.

If you found this blog useful, you may also be interested in learning about eye floaters – what are they and what should you do if you have them?

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