How you feelin’ today? With all the sh*t going on, it’s easy to get distracted, annoyed or depressed. We need to learn how to change our mindset to put us back on track! Being intentional with our habits and taking time each day to focus on the positive things we can do to stay grounded, happy and healthy will dramatically enhance our life. We make time every day to scroll social media, grab a coffee or workout – we can make time for this!
Here are 5 Healthy Habits to Create a Happy and Mindful Life.
Walking
At the start of the pandemic, I began to walk to escape my house each day. I would walk 4 miles around my neighborhood, and with this practice, I found a new level of peace, calm, and perspective on the many things racing through my mind (my brain is nonstop like the Energizer Bunny!). Maybe it was the fresh air, or the time by myself or jump starting my blood circulation – whatever it was, I got a reset on my mindset that I needed. Keep it simple! It doesn’t have to be long – 5 minutes can work wonders! Take a break, put down your phone and step outside!
A Gratitude Jar
A gratitude jar is one of the easiest ways to intentionally inject more gratitude into your life. You simply grab a jar and add little slips of paper to it with things you are grateful for written out. You can make this a daily habit or something you do when you are not feeling so great and need to change your vibe. Typically you allow the slips of paper to build up over the year and read them in reflection at the end of the year, but you could also revisit these grateful things when you feel down or uninspired.
We talked about how to “Get Started with Gratitude” here if you wanna know more about an intentional gratitude practice for a happy life.
Deep Belly Breathing
The University of Michigan published an article on various breathing techniques to help with stress management and relaxation. Deep Belly Breathing was one of those suggested practices – follow these steps to try it out:
- Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
- Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
- Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
- Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath.
- Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.
5 Healthy Habits to Create for a Happy and Mindful Life
Eating Without Your Phone
Let’s face it, there is very little we currently do without our phones, and honestly, that can be a serious problem. Because we are so fixated on our phones, we are distracted and not present in a lot of our lives. Eating is an activity that you should be present for to make healthy decisions, have space to listen to your body when you are full, and truly reflect on how the foods you eat make you feel. Starting today, try to eat at least one meal a day without checking your phone. Instead, focus on chewing your food, tasting the flavors, and maybe thinking about your favorite moment from the day. This semi pause as you eat will help you clear your head and create calm, especially when days are chaotic.
Journaling
Journaling is a very personal and powerful tool to stay grounded and build confidence. Taking time to reflect on your thoughts and feelings while writing about them will create a safe space to support any positive habit or mindset shift you are trying to make. Journaling helps us to listen to ourselves, which has become increasingly hard in a world that is constantly campaigning for your attention. There is no right or wrong way to journal; whether you grab a book or start with a single sheet of paper, take some time and get to writing. Replacing 20 mins of social media scrolling with journaling will exponentially improve your quality of life.
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