Five Simple Ways To Practice Mindfulness to Live Happier
Gabrielle Mastronardo
May 9, 2024
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Tips for wellness are oftentimes filled with lists of aspirational activities that are out of reach for the majority of us. However, it doesn’t take going to a luxury wellness retreat or signing up to a fancy yoga studio to incorporate mental and physical wellness into our days. The great thing about wellness is that it’s available to all of us and it’s not as difficult to cultivate as it may seem.
With a few simple switches in our daily behavior, we can find mental clarity and feel physically great. Once you get the ball rolling on wellness a domino effect occurs. Before you know it, positive well-being will become your normal state positively affecting every aspect of your life.
So how can you start incorporating wellness into your life right now? Here are 8 simple tips for wellness:
First and foremost drink more water. This might sound like an extremely simple thing to do, yet most of us are walking around dehydrated. The best thing you can do for your body is to give it lots and lots of water. I mean think about it, our body is 60% water, our body runs on water. We can go without food for days, but without water, our body shuts down.
By drinking more water, you’ll boost your energy throughout the day and flush out the toxins roaming your body. There are numerous health benefits from staying hydrated, like how it aids in healthy digestion. Not to mention that your skin will thank you with a natural glow.
I make sure to stay hydrated by drinking a glass of water first thing when I wake up, and then every time I walk into the kitchen, I make sure I drink a glass of water. If I leave home, I make sure to carry a reusable glass water bottle with me. If you need a little nudge in remembering to drink more water, there are numerous apps that will send you a notification throughout the day.
How much of what you’ve eaten today was packaged? Swapping out processed foods for whole foods makes a world of a difference. Whole foods are foods that have been processed as little as possible, such as grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits.
While ready to eat packaged food might save you cooking time, it often steals your energy by making you feel fatigued or bloated after eating. Swapping the readymades with whole foods, you’ll find that you not only feel lighter after eating, but you will also have more energy and be able to think more clearly. Whole foods stabilize our body, eliminating the extreme highs and lows of energy and mood swings that come with processed foods. You’ll be feeling lighter and ready to take on your day, rather than slouchy and lethargic.
Whole foods don’t have to be expensive, it’s not necessary to go to the luxury grocery stories and bio food markets. Discount grocery stores like Aldi offer a wide selection of organic fruits and veggies at a very low cost. Also, check out your local farmer’s markets for fresh produce that’s in season.
Sometimes we don’t even realize that we are spending most of our days in a stationary position. Hunched over a screen, our minds are active but our body is still. How many times have we gotten so caught up in our work that we didn’t realize that hours had passed and it’s already the end of the day?
It’s important to remember to move your body throughout the day, allowing oxygen to flow to all areas of the body. This can be something as simple as standing up and stretching your body every hour, Taking a walk around the block before you start work, or after lunch.
Getting out into the fresh air, or at the very least opening, the windows in your house gives us a surge of oxygen, which can revitalize our body and mind. The more oxygen we breathe in, the more serotonin our body can create, making us happier and more alert.
If you can get outside daily, do it! Even if it’s just for a couple of minutes, it’ll be worth it. This is more important than ever with most of the world working from home. Without the commute, we aren’t forced to leave the comfort of our homes, and while that’s great for saving time in the morning and evenings, it’s made it very easy for us to not go outside and breathe in the fresh air.
For those who aren’t regular mediators, this might seem intimidating at first. However it’s worth overcoming the resistance, research shows that setting five minutes aside each day for meditation can make a world of a difference for your mental wellbeing. It can help improve your mood, increase mental clarity, reduce stress, boost brain function, slow down the aging process and support a healthy metabolism.
You can meditate from anywhere, all it takes is sitting still, closing your eyes, and allowing yourself to simply notice and dismiss the thoughts that come to mind. At first, you might find that your mind is wandering to many places. This is completely normal, just notice it and then let it go. The idea is to elongate the space between thoughts, not completely eliminate them.
Sleep is essential to our well-being. One thing stopping us from a deep and restful slumber is the blue light that comes from our screens. It strains our body’s circadian rhythm which is what is responsible for our sleep schedule. Essentially the blue light signals to our body that it is still daytime, so our body doesn’t start to produce melatonin, which is what makes us sleepy. Putting our screens away about an hour before we go to sleep helps signal to our bodies that it’s time to unwind and get ready for rest.
Aside from the physical wellness that is gained with improved sleep, putting our screens away can aid in other wellness benefits. Scrolling endlessly on social media has been proven to be bad for our mental health. Its addictive nature caused by giving us bursts of serotonin increases anxiety and depression. When we eliminate the scroll time before we sleep, we can go to bed without the feeling that we didn’t have enough likes, or that our lives don’t live up to the highlight reel of others.
Instead of scrolling or binging, use the hour before bed as “you” time. This could be the moment to meditate, journal, or do some evening stretches.
The science behind practicing gratitude is incredible. This simple act of mindfully seeing the things in our lives that we can be grateful for can have a huge impact on our wellbeing and life satisfaction. People who actively choose to cultivate gratitude, be that through a gratitude journal or expressing gratitude in our day-to-day, not only feel happier and more alive overall, but also have stronger immune systems.
The most effective way to cultivate a practice of gratitude is through a gratitude journal. Don’t worry, you don’t have to write pages on-page of what you’re thankful for. Rather you can list three things that you are grateful for today. This works by shifting our perspective from the things that went wrong throughout the day, to the things that went right. Each day is different, some days it’s the little wins like still going to yoga when you felt like laying on the couch instead of cooking for yourself rather than grabbing takeout. It doesn’t matter what you’re thankful for as long as you’re starting to see the good in your life.
Human connection is one of the most important things we can do for our wellness, we are social creatures after all. Not only can deep connections improve wellness by boosting our immune systems, but social connections can also increase our chances of a longer life by 50%. That’s a pretty significant impact just from cultivating meaningful connections with others.
While it takes time to make a deep and meaningful relationship with someone, they can sprout from anywhere. Rather than just walking by your neighbor on a daily basis, make a point to say hello and ask how their day is going. Introduce yourself to the people you see over and over again, like the barista at your go-to coffee shop, or the person who seems to be at the dog park every time you are there. Put yourself out there, and connect with the people around you. You’ll be surprised by how uplifting it can be.
However, living consciously means acknowledging the importance of self-care and understanding that our own health and happiness are essential for a balanced life. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of self care, and share some practical tips to help you prioritize your well-being.
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