When one thinks of healthy lifestyle, they picture running before dawn, the perfect diet, or a positive mindset. Although those are all part of healthy living, It's important to have a solid foundation before reaching those heights. In this article I will be listing a few things that are crucial for a healthier life, both mentally and physically.
1. Ending negative relationships
I know first- hand that ending relationships can be dreadful especially if you have history, but if someone is not applauding you whenever you succeed, going out of their way to spend time with you, and supporting you during hardships, then they are doing more harm to your life than good. For example, “energy vampires” are people who take advantage of your kindness and leave you exhausted and drained after hanging out with them. Many use the fear of being alone as a reason to accept this behavior. I guarantee that nobody is worth sacrificing your mental health. Once you master how to wisely choose people that deserve your energy it will lead to a healthier mindset.
2. Self – awareness of toxic habits
It may be hard to believe, but you are the only one holding you back from the life you deserve. Once you become aware of those things holding you back, it will make any goal achievable. The first tip that has helped me practice self-awareness is staying in the present moment. One of the ways to achieve this is by observing your thoughts and actions without judgment and criticism as if you were someone else. Once you are aware of the actions you take it will be easier to spot the lack of water you are drinking or negative self-talk. Not also forgetting that drifting into the land of the past or future is a rocking chair that will get you nowhere. Another way to be aware of toxic habits is to find your trigger. Finding your trigger is finding out why you run back to those negative habits. Comparison to others may be triggered by endless scrolling on social media or procrastination may be triggered by a fear of failure. It may take some work to become self – aware but once you do, it is worth the effort.
3. Preventing procrastination
Even though many of us are aware of our procrastination habits and intentionally support them, procrastination should be avoided at all costs. It may seem smart in the moment but will always come back to bite. A common trick to defeating procrastination, especially with a fear of failure, is the 5-minute rule. Work for 5 minutes and afterwards you can decide if you want to continue or stop. Concentration on those 5 minutes and not fear is the reason you most likely want to continue. Not only is stress harmful for your body, but nothing beats working in tranquility with extra time on your hands. Just imagine future you regretful and know you have the power to change that.
4. Creating positive habits
Once we are aware of our self – sabotaging habits, we can use this knowledge to change the negative habits we have instilled and create a better version of ourselves. A way to create positive habits is to make the job easy to see and do. If you want to drink more water throughout the day, carry around a water bottle to remind you to drink. After consistently seeing the water, our brain will take over without the reminder. If that is not encouraging enough, then add something fun with the undesirable task you need to do. For example, if exercising seems dreadful, listening to your favorite artist or podcast will make the gym tolerable. If wanting to eat healthier, then start a new diet with a friend. These make the task more appealing and motivating. Scientifically, creating a new habit takes on average 66 days (slightly longer than 2 months) and although it will take some time and lead to many up and downs, once we implement these ideals into our lives, it will lead to a healthier mind and body.
Without understanding of these topics, a healthy mind and body will be difficult to acquire. Not only will they provide a ladder to all your goals, but they will take you to great heights throughout your life.