Small Changes That Will Boost Your Mental and Physical Health
While big changes play an important role in everyone’s life, small ones can also leave a significant impact. These are things that only take a portion of your time and make your life more interesting, fun and better. Moreover, these small changes will boost your mental and physical health improving the quality of your life without too much fuss.
Table of Contents
Spend more time in nature
Nature is all around you, it’s just the matter of how you are going to take advantage of that opportunity. Spending time outdoors helps you clear your head, improves creativity and reduces stress. Going camping or hiking for a weekend is an excellent way to recharge and move your muscles. If you can’t travel outside of town then go for a walk in the park or ride a bicycle by the river.
Opt for morning stretching
If you have trouble to start exercising, then start doing stretches every morning. Stretching improves the blood flow and brings more oxygen to the brain helping you wake up and feel energized. Also, it’s a great way to lose stiffness from sleeping and improve the musculoskeletal system, especially if you spend a lot of time in a sedentary position. Moreover, morning stretching may motivate you to go for something more serious like yoga or pilates with widely known benefits to mental and physical health.
Have a nice breakfast
People sacrifice breakfast for extra minutes of sleep or because they hurry to work. Some even don’t feel hungry in the morning at all so they opt for coffee which can seriously upset the stomach. But breakfast doesn’t have to be a burden and you can easily have one every morning. Make a smoothie from your favorite veggies, fruits, nuts, and oats by adding dairy products or their substitutes like almond milk. Also, preparing an oatmeal bowl in the evening and then simply adding fresh fruits in the morning will give you a nutritious breakfast for an energizing day.
Read as little as one book every month
Books are a wonderful way to relax your brain and find comfort from day-to-day stress. And since there are so many genres to choose from, you will find something that is perfect for you. Thanks to new technologies, you can get any book you want straight to your e-book reader, tablet or smartphone and read anywhere. Reading will boost your creativity, help you get new ideas and enhance your emotional intelligence – all of which are perfect to fight off stress and feel inspired professionally and personally.
Saying “no” is okay
Sometimes you will have to agree to things that don’t make you happy or satisfied, but the key is to know when it is okay to say “no” and do it. People are afraid to decline something for various reasons – from worrying others will think less of them to having fear of missing out. Saying “no” to things is a good start to control your life, organize your time and be more determined. It’s also one of the ways to decrease stress and keep yourself healthy in body and mind. Always think through the situation before saying “yes” or “no”, and if you have to decline, do it politely.
Spend less time on social media
While social media is great to stay on top of things and connected, it can also cause a lot of discomforts. One of them is depression which many studies found to be a common side effect of spending too much time on social media. Also, this behavior will cause sleep disorder, anxiety, shatter your confidence and take a significant portion of your time you could spend more beneficially. One of the ways to deal with this is to install an app that will warn you of the amount of time spent on social media. Another one is to delete the apps from your phone and use them only on your computer.
Step out of your comfort zone
Once in a while, give yourself a chance to try something new and leave your comfort zone. If you believe you have two left feet, enroll in a dancing class. Or, if you are shy, grab your friends and have a photoshoot with special effects makeup and costumes leaving you with fun and lasting memories. This newness will get your spirits up, boost your confidence and lower your stress levels so you will feel better both mentally and physically.
Add more time to social life
Having a social life is important to deal with problems, manage stress, learn new experiences and simply have fun. Also, being surrounded by loved ones will increase the production of feel-good hormones like serotonin and oxytocin which will make you feel better and happier. However, a quality get-together doesn’t mean chats and video calls, but rather seeing your friends and family in person. Designate one day a week like Sunday to have lunch with your parents or Friday night to hang out with your friends. That way it will become a tradition you can look forward to and one easily included in your busy schedule.
Improve your sleep
For the body and mind to function properly, you need to have a goodnight’s sleep of at least seven hours. This is something people gladly sacrifice not knowing that this behavior prevents cells from regenerating and memories to be processed. However, a lot of people suffer from insomnia or have trouble falling asleep which can seriously impair their performance during the day like productivity and concentration. There are simple ways to improve your sleep like removing electronic devices from the bedroom or at least keeping them away from the bed. Also, if your partner snores or you live in a busy street, use earplugs to minimize the noise and wear an eye mask to eliminate the slightest light.
Finally
If you want to make your life better, concentrate on the little things. Small changes will boost your mental and physical health without disrupting your life and turning into additional obligations. Moreover, they will bring fun and joy into your life, as well as improve the way you feel about yourself.