Healthy habits are hard to start but they are vital for your mental health. People get so caught up in their hectic lives that they don’t address some important aspects of their lives. Many think they don’t have time or energy to focus on their mental health. With these 5 easy healthy habits, you can strengthen your mind and body.
1. 5-Minute Journaling Session
Writing is a really great healthy habit to get into. Get into the routine of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You can do this in an organized manner.
First, write down five things that happened during the day that had a positive impact on you. Reflect on these events as they occur and make a note of what made them significant for you. If it was a boring day, try picking one thing or event that has been bothering you. An unresolved issue to address. This can be a relationship problem even being stuck in traffic. This gives us something specific to focus our attention on. That way we are not ruminating over vague worries like, “I’m not doing enough today.”
2. 10-Minute Meditation Session
Meditation is a great way to relax and one of the easiest healthy habits to try. It can relieve stress and anxiety, improve focus, and help you sleep better. There are many different types of meditation that you can try. Here are a few ideas:
- Counting Breaths: While sitting in a comfortable position. Inhale through your nose for four seconds. Then exhale through your mouth for four seconds. Repeat this cycle 10 times, or until you feel relaxed enough to sit up straight again! You should feel more at ease as the minutes wear on. If not, change it up until you find something that works well with your body type. (e.g., counting breaths while standing may help ease muscle tension).
- Mantra Meditation: Chant any word or phrase over and over again in rhythm with your breath. Make sure you are comfortable while doing this. Sitting upright with eyes closed is helpful. When thoughts come into mind—and they will—return focus. Concentrate on your word or phrase. Keep practicing this, and your concentration will be more focused and less distracted.
3. 30 minutes of exercise
If you want to improve your mental health and wellness, it’s important to exercise regularly. Not only is this a healthy habit for your mind, but also your body.
Walking is a great way to start exercising. 3-5 times per week is a good beginning. You can choose to do this at the same time each day, this also helps to build a regular routine.
Make it fun! If you’re not a fan of walking, try running, cycling, swimming, or working out with friends. Try as many different kinds of exercise until you find one that works.
For more effective exercises experts recommend resistance training twice a week. Along with aerobic exercise; if weight loss is your goal. Aim for five times as much strength training as cardio work. Mix up both high-intensity and low-intensity workouts. Stretching is also important so consider adding yoga or Pilates into your routine. These exercises also reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality.
Make exercise something that happens on autopilot. Before going to bed at night, lay out your workout clothes so all you have to do in the morning is throw them on. If possible, pack your bag the night before so that all you have to do is grab it in the morning and go. This helps ensure that there won’t be any excuses or delays in getting started with exercise when it’s time!
4. Review Your Goals and Your Progress
Reviewing your goals every day will help stay focused on what is important. This also helps keep stress down. It helps you to see how much progress you’ve made and how close you are getting to your goals. You can use a journal or an app to tailor the experience based on what works best for your lifestyle. Whatever works!
Reviewing your progress every day ensures life is moving in a positive direction, instead of stagnating at any point along the way.
5. Listen To Inspirational Songs
Music can be a powerful tool for encouraging your mental health. Listen to songs that make you feel happy, or help motivate and inspire you to do something positive.
If there’s a specific goal in mind, listen to music that helps you focus. Or gets your energy up. This type of music might help when exercising or working out.
Hope these healthy habits are useful!
In a world constantly pushing us to do more and be more. It’s easy to forget how important it is to take time for ourselves. These healthy habits may seem simple, but they can make a big difference in your life. They can help you focus on what matters most—your mental health.
Be sure to check out the rest of my blog at Mad Mental Health. It has more tips on wellness and also some fun articles.
There’s even an article on How to Relax in a Mad World.
For resources and information visit https://www.nami.org.
Another great source is https://www.nimh.nih.gov/