Improving Your Overall Wellness For The New Year
The holiday season can bring a lot of stress and it is common that we end up catching colds and different bugs which can leave us feeling run down and a bit rubbish. With so much going on and needing to look after so many others, we sometimes forget that we also need to look after ourselves. There are some things we can put into place to boost this and make sure that our needs are being met. Here are some things you can put into practice and start improving your overall wellness and making sure you are being looked after too.
Eating The Right Foods
With all the holidays that we go through at the end of the year, there also comes a lot of food and it isn’t always the healthiest option either. It’s all about balance and not depriving yourself of things you love. But one of the main focuses you should have is to eat from the earth. This is in a sense of eating fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes as the main foods. This will then give you the right nutrients, energy and goodness you need to help your body stay healthy. It will make you feel so much better overall and if you do it consistently you won’t need to diet or restrict anything as you will have good habits as a baseline.
If you struggle to make big changes to your eating habits you could try some changes slowly. These could be simple things like swapping white bread to brown or making sure you start your day with a glass of water and a piece of fruit. These small changes will eventually become habits and you will do them without thinking about it.
Look After Body And Do Preventative Checks
We only get one body, so it is something we need to look after and keep an eye on regularly. Exercise is an important part of this as it not only helps us stay in shape but it contributes towards a healthier heart, organs and helps us live longer and in a better condition. There are also preventative things we need to get checked. Things like going to the dentist to make sure our teeth are healthy, going for a smear test and checking ourselves for breast cancer symptoms and being aware of what they are. By knowing these and checking them on a regular basis if anything was to arise it can be caught early and more likely to be treatable.
Reducing Time On Technology And Screens
We can sometimes end up sitting on our phones, scrolling through Instagram and TikTok and suddenly an hour has gone by without even a blink. Technology is just a natural part of life but it is also something we need to make sure we are not at all hours of the day. It is important to take time away from it not only to live your life but also it can negatively affect your health in ways too. People who are on their phones right before bed have a tendency of having trouble getting to sleep. So make sure you take time away from your computer regularly at work, you spend time doing something not screen-related before bed and being in nature is a great option. Being in nature can help you feel more calm and relaxed, as well as reduce anxiety and be good for you with all the fresh air.
Mental Health Matters
Another area you want to stay on the ball with is your mental health. After the pandemic, we saw a huge surge in mental health issues and that meant waiting lists were getting longer and longer and people were struggling on getting the help they needed. There are things we can do to help our mental health in different ways. Obviously, sometimes you will need professional help as well, especially if you feel things are bad. But these are things that can contribute towards better mental health and being more mindful. You can try things like meditation. This is where you are thinking mindfully and focusing on your breath. It can be quite hard to master at first but that is completely normal. There are videos on YouTube you can follow as well as apps that offer free meditation guided sessions like headspace. Having guided meditation sessions also teaches you how to meditate to best serve you.
Keep A Clean And Tidy Space
Where you live and what state you live in can very much affect your health in a number of ways. If you live in a cluttered house with things everywhere and it’s all a bit of a mess it can make your head feel messy and cluttered too. If you also have things lying around you could have mould growing in old cups or with old bits of food which has a negative impact on your health and could even attract pests into the house. People who struggle with this have found that having Sunday as a reset day gives you a chance to get everything ready for the week ahead. So you would do things like washing the bedsheets, doing deep cleans and making sure there is no clutter or mess about.
Take Time To Work On Yourself
As humans, we naturally like to learn things. We are curious beings and always want to know why things work the way they do or want to learn a new subject just for the sake of it. There are different ways in which you can do this depending on your desires. You can learn a new language and use an app like Duolingo where you can do this for free. You can take online courses, of which there are hundreds of free ones online, sometimes even with certificates and you can also read self-improvement books with all different focuses. So you can choose a book that really speaks to you and your needs. Even with a small amount of time each day you will see progress.