January 2026 Yon Hardisty

Issue #19: Get Ready, Get Set, and Reset?

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The January Reset That Actually Matters

Let's be honest—you made it to 2026, but the journey here wasn't exactly smooth. Between political whiplash that has half the country celebrating and the other half bracing for impact, economic uncertainty that's making everyone second-guess their next purchase, and workplace burnout that's turned "quiet quitting" into a lifestyle rather than a trend, it's no wonder we're all feeling a bit... fragile.

And here's what I've learned after decades in healthcare and technology: when everything around us feels uncertain, our mental reset becomes everything. Not the "new year, new you" nonsense that gyms sell us, but a genuine mental recalibration about what we can actually control.

So while everyone's talking about their New Year's resolutions, I want to have a different conversation with you, one about the building blocks of health that start before we're even born, and how organizing our mental approach to wellness might be the most powerful reset we can make this January.

In this newsletter we are going to focus on a couple of major topics. Tools to help us perform a real mental reset and the epidemic of a sudden rise in birth defects.

Can you believe that every 4½ minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States? That's more than 120,000 babies each year. And here's the thing that keeps me thinking: up to 70% of birth defects are preventable.

Think about that for a second. In a world where we can't control the news cycle, can't predict the next economic shift, and can't guarantee our jobs will look the same next quarter, we actually have the power to change lives before they even begin. Simply by organizing our mental approach to health and establishing routines that anchor us when everything else feels chaotic.

So let's get ready, get set, and reset our health for the new year.

​
Yon Hardisty

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In this issue:

The Organization That Saves Lives Staying Grounded When the World Feels Unsteady The Healthy Routine Ripple Effect The January That Changes Everything

Our Technical Roots Increase Engagement & Creativity

Did you know that Healthtek began as a gaming company decades ago and we are still making games. Why? Because our roots started in gaming and it's a big part of how we keep healthcare technology innovative. In early Q1 of 2026, we are going to relaunch Binx games to not only keep our competitive edge, but to continue to focus on engagement, creativity, and innovation.

Take a sneak peak into this fun, indie game called Bouncy Bean where players drop a bean into a play-field of ingredients to tumble down to gather everything needed to make a hot bowl of soup.

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Take a Sneak Peak >

The Organization

That Saves Lives

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and it's also Get Organized Month. At first glance, these might seem like strange bedfellows. Birth defects? Organization? But stay with me here—because this connection is everything.

When we talk about preventing birth defects, we're really talking about establishing organized, healthy routines before pregnancy even happens. We're talking about the kind of preparation that doesn't make headlines but saves lives. The daily vitamin. The pre-conception checkup. The conversation with your doctor about medications you're taking.

It's not sexy. It's not going to trend on social media. But it's profoundly important.

The Folic Acid Factor

Let's talk about something ridiculously simple yet incredibly powerful: folic acid. This B vitamin, when taken daily before and during early pregnancy, can reduce the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spine by up to 70%.

Seventy percent.

That's not a typo. We have a simple, safe, affordable intervention that can prevent 7 out of 10 cases of neural tube defects. Yet fewer than half of women of childbearing age take a daily vitamin containing folic acid.

Why? Because we haven't organized our health routines around prevention. We wait for problems instead of building systems that stop them before they start.

But here's what makes folic acid even more remarkable: it's not just for women of childbearing age. Studies show that adequate folate intake reduces the risk of stroke by up to 20% in adults, supports cognitive function in aging populations, and plays a crucial role in heart health across all age groups. Men benefit too and research indicates that folic acid supports healthy sperm production and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. Whether you're 25 or 75, whether you're planning a family or planning retirement, this simple B vitamin is working behind the scenes to protect your brain, heart, and overall cellular health. The beautiful thing about prevention? It doesn't discriminate by age—it just works.

Here's where Get Organized Month becomes your secret weapon. Forget organizing your closet or color-coding your pantry (though hey, if that brings you joy, go for it). Let's talk about organizing the systems that protect your health and the health of future generations.

The Pre-Pregnancy Checklist You Didn't Know You Needed

Whether you're planning a pregnancy now, later, or never, these organized health habits benefit everyone:

Morning Routine Hack: Place a multivitamin with folic acid next to your toothbrush. Seriously. You brush your teeth every day (I hope), so stack this new habit onto an existing one. Within two weeks, it becomes automatic.

The Healthcare File: Create a simple digital or physical folder with your medical history, current medications, and any chronic conditions. Update it quarterly. This isn't just for pregnancy—this is the kind of organization that saves time and potentially lives during any medical emergency.

Medication Review: Schedule an annual "medication check-in" with your doctor or pharmacist. Some medications can increase the risk of birth defects. Even if you're not planning a pregnancy right now, this conversation matters. Life doesn't always go according to plan, and 45% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned.

The Environmental Scan: Take 30 minutes to audit your daily environment. What chemicals are in your cleaning products? What's in your skincare routine? What workplace exposures might you face? Knowledge is power, and organization gives you the structure to act on that knowledge.

This year, take the time to organize your health in ways that you may not have considered.

Join a Wellness Challenge

By Downloading the App

Where iPhone or Android App Store Search +Health Challenges Download Press Download Create A Username and Password

+Health Wellness Challenges helps you build lasting health habits through simple, effective challenges you can share with the people who matter most. The public app is FREE, so what are you waiting for, go download the app today.

Learn More →

Get Organized:

At Home, Work, and for your Health

Getting organized can sound like a huge task. It often brings to mind perfectly clean homes, packed planners, and strict routines that feel hard to maintain. In reality, organization doesn’t have to look like that. It’s not about perfection or doing more. It’s about creating simple systems that make daily life feel easier and less stressful.

Read More →

Staying Grounded

When the World Feels Unsteady

I need to be honest with you. As I sit down to write this, my phone is buzzing with news alerts. Another tragic incident. Another geopolitical crisis. Another reason to feel the weight of a world that seems increasingly heavy on our shoulders.

And I know you feel it too.

You're trying to focus on work while processing news of ICE enforcement actions that resulted in deaths. You're attempting to be present with your family at dinner while your mind drifts to conflicts happening thousands of miles away. What makes matters worse, you have close friends in these cities that are experiencing this firsthand. You're scrolling through your feed before bed, something we all know we shouldn't do, and wondering how you're supposed to sleep when the world feels like it's unraveling.

Here's what I've learned after years of working in mental health technology: You are not weak for feeling overwhelmed. You are human for caring deeply.

But caring deeply in a world that never stops broadcasting tragedy requires a new kind of mental resilience. Not the "tough it out" kind. Not the "just think positive" kind. But a grounded, intelligent, scientifically-backed approach to protecting your mental health while staying connected to the world around you.

Your Brain Wasn't Built for This

Your brain evolved to process threats in your immediate environment—the rustling in the bushes, the stranger approaching your village. But now that same alarm system is being triggered by tragedies happening on the other side of the world, delivered directly to the device in your pocket.

Research from the American Psychological Association shows that 56% of people say following the news causes them stress. Among those who consume news constantly throughout the day, rates of anxiety and depression are significantly higher than those who limit their consumption to specific times.

There's also something we need to name: compassion fatigue. A study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that even indirect exposure to traumatic events through media can lead to symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress—intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, and emotional numbing.

This isn't about being "too sensitive." This is about being a human being with a nervous system processing more collective trauma than any generation before us.

Evidence-Based Strategies That Actually Work

1. Establish Sacred News Boundaries

A 2023 University of Pennsylvania study found that participants who limited news consumption to 30 minutes per day showed significant decreases in anxiety and depression compared to unlimited exposure.

How to implement:

• Choose two specific times daily to check news (morning and early evening)
• Set a timer for 30 minutes maximum
• Turn off all news notifications
• Create phone-free zones—bedroom, dinner table, first hour after waking

You're still informed, but you're no longer allowing your nervous system to be hijacked every time an algorithm decides you need to know something RIGHT NOW.

2. Distinguish Between Circles of Concern and Circles of Influence

Your Circle of Concern includes everything you care about but can't directly control: wars overseas, political decisions, global crises.

Your Circle of Influence includes what you can actually affect: your local community, your voting choices, your donations, how you treat people daily, the conversations you have.

The practice: When overwhelmed by something in your Circle of Concern, immediately identify one action in your Circle of Influence. Feeling helpless about immigration enforcement? Research local organizations supporting immigrant families. Overwhelmed by international conflicts? Write to your representatives. Support refugee organizations.

Research on learned helplessness shows that taking even small actions in areas where we have control dramatically reduces anxiety and depression.

3. Build Your Grounding Practice

When the world feels chaotic, you need an anchor.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique:

• Name 5 things you can see
• Name 4 things you can touch
• Name 3 things you can hear
• Name 2 things you can smell
• Name 1 thing you can taste

This engages your sensory system to bring your brain out of fight-or-flight and back into the present moment.

Box Breathing (used by Navy SEALs and trauma therapists):

• Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4
• Repeat for 2-3 minutes

This activates your parasympathetic nervous system and lowers cortisol levels within minutes.

4. Connect in Real Life

Harvard's 80-year study on adult development shows that the quality of our relationships is the single biggest predictor of happiness and health. Yet rates of loneliness have doubled in the past two decades.

The practice:

• Schedule regular in-person time with friends or family
• Join a local group around something you care about
• Have phone conversations instead of text threads
• Practice full presence—no phone checking—during meals

Real connection is one of the most powerful buffers against anxiety and depression we have.

5. Practice Self-Compassion

Research from Dr. Kristin Neff at University of Texas shows that people who treat themselves with the same kindness they'd offer a struggling friend actually recover faster from setbacks and show greater emotional resilience.

The practice: When you notice self-criticism ("I should be handling this better," "I'm being too sensitive"), pause and ask: "What would I say to a friend in this situation?" Then say that to yourself.

The Sustainable Path Forward

If you care about social justice, if you want to be part of positive change, that's beautiful. The world needs people who care.

But the world doesn't need you to burn yourself out. It doesn't need you depleted, anxious, and unable to function.

Sustainable resistance means taking care of yourself so you can show up for others. Playing the long game instead of sprinting until you collapse. Remembering that your well-being is not separate from collective well-being—it's part of it.

Your Action Plan for This Week

Choose just one or two practices and commit to them for one week:

Days 1-2: Establish your news boundaries. Pick your two check-in times. Turn off notifications.

Days 3-4: When difficult emotions arise, use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.

Days 5-6: Identify one action in your Circle of Influence. Then take it.

Day 7: Do something that replenishes you. No productivity required.

That's it. Not perfect implementation. Just small, sustainable steps toward resilience.

The Truth About Resilience

Resilience isn't about being unbreakable. It's about knowing you'll break sometimes and being willing to put yourself back together.

It's not about never feeling overwhelmed. It's about having tools to navigate overwhelm when it comes.

You're doing better than you think you are. The world needs you. Not a depleted, burnt-out version of you. It needs you at your most grounded, most present, most sustainable.

And that starts with giving yourself permission to protect your peace, even when the world feels anything but peaceful.

Healthtek has known for years that as humans, we strive for resilience in everything we do. That's why we established the Resiliency Network where people of all walks of life can find methods and tools to maintain a life that is grounded and balanced.

The Healthy Routine Ripple Effect

Here's what nobody tells you about establishing healthy routines: they're contagious. In the best possible way.

When you start taking a daily vitamin, you're not just protecting yourself. You're modeling behavior. You're creating a culture of prevention. You're building habits that ripple through your family, your workplace, your community.

Research shows that people who establish one healthy routine are significantly more likely to add others. Start with that daily vitamin, and suddenly you're more aware of nutrition. You're scheduling that overdue checkup. You're having conversations about health that you've been putting off.

This is how change happens—not through dramatic transformations, but through small, organized, consistent actions.

Making Prevention Personal

I get it. Birth defects prevention might feel abstract if you're not currently planning a pregnancy. But here's the reality: this isn't just about babies. It's about a fundamental shift in how we think about health.

We live in a culture that's obsessed with treatment and recovery. But what if we got equally excited about prevention? What if we celebrated the invisible victories—the problems that never happened because someone took a vitamin, scheduled a checkup, or organized their health information?

Action Steps for This January

Whether you're 18 or 80, here's how to make this January count:

1. Start the vitamin habit: Get a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid. Not planning a pregnancy? Still take it. Your body needs it, and if plans change, you're already protected.
2. Schedule pre-conception care: If pregnancy is in your future plans, schedule a pre-conception visit with your healthcare provider. Do this before trying to conceive. This visit can identify and address potential risks early.
3. Organize your health story: Create that medical information file. Include family health history—birth defects often have genetic components, and knowing your family history helps healthcare providers give you better guidance.
4. Have the conversation: Talk to your partner, your family, your friends about prevention. Normalize these discussions. Make folic acid as routine a topic as which streaming service has the best shows.
5. Support research and awareness: Organizations like the March of Dimes are doing incredible work in birth defects prevention. Learn more, support their work, and spread awareness.

The January That Changes Everything

New Year's resolutions fail at alarming rates. By February, gym parking lots are empty again. Meal prep containers gather dust. But organizing your health routines? That's different. That's establishing systems that work for you, not goals that work against your natural rhythms.

This January, while everyone else is focused on losing weight or learning a language, you can do something truly revolutionary: organize your health habits in ways that protect not just yourself, but potentially the next generation.

Because here's the truth they don't put on motivational posters: The most powerful changes are often the ones nobody sees.

That daily vitamin. That organized medical file. That conversation with your doctor. These aren't Instagram-worthy moments. But they're the building blocks of prevention, the foundation of health, the organized routines that change everything.

Your Next Steps

Ready to make this January/February matter? Here's your challenge:

• This week: Get that multivitamin and set up your morning routine
• This month: Schedule a preconception or annual wellness visit
• This year: Make prevention and organized health routines your new normal

Need more information? The CDC's "Treat Me Right" campaign offers excellent resources on birth defects prevention. The National Birth Defects Prevention Network provides support and education. Your healthcare provider is your best resource for personalized advice.

And remember: every routine starts with a single action. Every organized system begins with one file. Every prevention success story starts with someone who decided that invisible victories matter just as much as visible transformations.

This year, let's build something that lasts—healthy routines that protect, organize systems that prevent, and a culture that values the problems we never have to face.

To your health,

Yon Hardisty