As you know, doing inner work is one of the most important factors in mental health maintenance. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, and everyone has to find their own path. However, there are still some fool-proof ways to make your day-to-day easier. Let's dive into the six simple habits to improve your life.
1. Meditate to alleviate stress
Meditating has become the norm for anyone who's
looking to destress and find some peace in the chaos that's all around us. However, listening to popular videos that guide you through motivation might not be an ideal way to do this - although it's a good start.
Here are some tips to make your meditation habit even more effective:
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Get rid of the outside noise. Depending on where you live, this can be more or less challenging. Nevertheless, try to find a quiet and peaceful place for your meditation practice. Our minds are cluttered enough as is without the outside noise.
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Be mindful of your body. If you're unable to entirely cancel out the thoughts that come rushing in every time you close your eyes, maybe try a different approach? Instead of shutting off, try controlling what you let in. Focus on how your body works, feel your core, and focus on your breathing.
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Be patient. Getting into a state of blissful nothingness is really difficult. You need to be forgiving and patient with yourself. When you lose focus, just start over again with a clean slate.
2. A good night's sleep is a must
You'd be surprised at just how much sleep can influence our daily lives—
people who have trouble sleeping experience all kinds of physical and psychological hardships because of it. Try to get 7-9 hours each day. Ideally, you should have a pretty consistent sleeping pattern - meaning that you should go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Of course, you won't be perfect at this, and you'll fall off this pattern either due to unexpected life events or something else. This is where the forgiveness comes in again.
3. Follow a healthy diet and exercise
One of the most important and most neglected habits to improve your life is living an active lifestyle and nurturing your body. There's little that
healthy meals and exercise cannot fix. If you're not into cardio and other high-intensity forms of exercise, you can always
get into yoga or just daily walks. Avoid sitting for days on end at all costs. Additionally, there are
supplements that enhance energy and keep your immune system in check that you might want to check out.
4. Pamper yourself
Having a typical pamper routine might not be for everybody. However, contrary to what pop culture and today's influencers have us believe, there isn't just one right way to do this. You don't need to light up a candle, get into a bubble bath, apply a face mask, and have a glass of rose to enjoy some healing alone time (although that sounds divine, too). Not everyone is relaxed and nurtured by the same things. If your idea of pampering includes Cheetos and a Friends marathon, all the more power to you.
5. Read and stay educated
Reading, staying educated, and being in touch with what's going on in the world today are great habits to improve your life. Make sure to avoid overdoing it, though. Your brain needs rest too. Also, creating a balanced routine is the best way to stay happy, healthy, and sane. Especially with today's political climates, you don't want to stress yourself out more than is necessary.
Reading is a great life hack for improving health since you get to escape your reality for a while and immerse yourself in other worlds. That can be genuinely freeing and therapeutic in many ways. Forming healthy habits and making it a habit to always
think about your well-being and ways to improve it will pay off greatly. You just need to stick with it and avoid quick fixes and shortcuts.
6. Therapy offers you great tools
Although going to therapy has become much less stigmatized than in the past, it's still not completely mainstream and accepted. People often think that it'll make them weaker either in their own eyes or in the eyes of society. This, of course, couldn't be further from the truth.
Regardless of whether you want to work with a
life coach to improve more minor issues in your life slowly or you need
therapy for anxiety and other more serious problems, taking that first step takes a lot of strength. However, once you form the habit of attending therapy sessions, you'll get access to so much more.
Think of it this way - therapy will offer you the tools needed to lead a healthy and happy life you've always wanted - make sure to use them wisely. Self-work doesn't stop the moment you leave your therapist's office. In fact, it's just starting.
Additional small habits to improve your life
Apart from these life-changing habits that take quite a leap from what you're used to, there are also some smaller ones that you can easily implement. They might not make substantial life-altering changes, but they will, however, make your days a tiny bit better. After all, adding one success after another, no matter how small they may seem, will make for excellent results in the long run.
Learn to single-task
Stop for a second and think about how many things you do in a day. Do you ever really focus on something, or are you just multitasking your way through life? If the answer is the latter, that can be exhausting. Try to give each obligation time separately.
Affirmations
Having a five-item list of things you're grateful for and a five-item list of the things that you wish for is a life-changer for many people. Reading them aloud or repeating them will take you no time at all, and yet it'll make a big difference over time.
Detox from social media
It might sound impossible right now, but less screen time or even a total detox is one of the best habits to improve your life. You'll not only start to pay attention to the things you don't usually even see, but you'll also avoid all the triggers that the fake world of Instagram stories can bring.
