It's no mystery that mental and physical health go hand-in-hand when it comes to improvement and growth. The cycle of ups and downs typically takes a toll on both aspects, making it more difficult to navigate the plan towards recovery. The following list is my personal tips that I use daily to ensure I continually step towards improvement.
Read at least 15 minutes a day.
Many people, including myself, constantly make excuses as to why they can't do something. I don't have the time, I don't know what books to read, I have better things to do. I'm aware that sometimes we can face unexpected situations that prevent us from staying on track, however, most of the time we can set aside 15 minutes to do something beneficial for ourselves. After all, there are 24 hours a day and setting aside 15 minutes only takes up about 1.04% of your entire day. That's nothing compared to the average screen time of a phone user, which takes up over 30-40% of our entire day.
There is no specific book or genre that I believe is more beneficial than the other, because reading itself already provides multiple benefits. My personal favorite books to read are psychology and sociology books, and mystery/thriller books. With hectic everyday life, it is undoubtedly important to set some quiet time aside to indulge in knowledge or interest.
In my personal perspective, I noticed a big change in my mental health as I stepped away from my phone and picked up a book, even if it was for a short amount of time. I'm sure many of you can relate to the bad habit of doom scrolling, not realizing that hours of your day are whirling by in the blink of an eye. Taking a break from this habit can make you spend time more productively, and less likely to go through the depressing habit of endlessly scrolling until your eyes dry out.
Sauna
The sauna has long been praised as a health improver, but I didn't realize how big of a difference it made on my life until I started using it. I typically go to the gym 4-5 times a week, and after my sessions I would just head straight home. However, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try to go to the sauna every day for 10-15 minutes. What's the harm in trying? Within just a week, I noticed tremendous differences in my everyday life.
My energy levels have soared. I used to sleep an average of 9-10 hours a day, and be tired the whole day and take naps whenever I could. Saunas are excellent in improvement of sleep, since the warm temperature increases the melatonin release in your body. Through this, I was able to sleep more soundly and wake up feeling refreshed rather than groggy.
I cannot emphasize this enough. Go to the sauna! Within a week, I promise you will notice improvement in your wellbeing.
List what you're grateful for
The comparison and envy that we endure can take away from the gratitude we have towards our life. Especially with the rise in social media usage, it can be difficult to take a step back and remember how lucky we are. Various studies show that happiness cannot be truly fulfilled without gratitude.
To remind myself of what I'm grateful for, I regularly write it down in my journal or even say it aloud. If you don't know where to start, or want a prompt to base your answers off of, I would recommend using Pinterest and searching up journal prompts and going from there! As I began this habit of gratitude, I realized how much happiness and positivity is around me that I didn't see before because I was too focused on the negatives of life.
Walk by a body of water
The sight of a horizon naturally calms down the body, and walking by the beach was the perfect way to decompress and gather my thoughts during difficult times. Just the sight of water moving back and forth helped me relieve stress. If there's no beach near you, try going to the lake or river! Even just stepping outside is helpful towards mental health.
Listen to "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter
No explanation needed.
Comments