It seems that in order to achieve changes in life, you need to do something grandiose, radically change everything. Burn bridges, start over from scratch. However, changes start with little things, with small steps that do not require serious preparation. You can make them today.
1. Putting Your Gadgets into Airplane Mode
The more time we spend in front of the screen of a laptop, smartphone and other gadgets, the greater the risk of depression, sleep problems, increased stress, anxiety, fatigue and lower self-esteem.
Therefore, during the day it is useful to put your phone into airplane mode at least a few times so that no one and nothing distracts you, so that you do not feel obligated to read notifications, open emails and respond to messages. This will help you concentrate better and stay “here and now” – alone with yourself, with family, friends, loved ones and what you are currently doing.
2. Correct fit
All day long we sit in one place, hunched over in front of a laptop. This inevitably leads to the appearance of clamps in the body and affects both physical health and mood and self-confidence. So, by straightening your shoulders and sitting more correctly and more comfortably, you can get rid of unnecessary tension and stress.
However, do not try to force yourself to straighten up – sooner or later the body will take its usual position. Better perform special exercises (a lot of video tutorials can be found on the Internet).
3. Proper breathing
On average, we take 20 breaths in and out a day. And if we breathe incorrectly, it can quickly lead to an increase in fatigue, stress and pain in the body. By finding a set of breathing exercises on YouTube, you can solve this problem.
Many of us are used to being in fight-or-flight mode and experiencing hyperventilation. Relaxation and proper breathing will lead to the fact that blood pressure will decrease, sleep will normalize. It will also help reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack.
Instead of constantly being distracted and looking at the clock, set yourself alarms and timers.
4. Refusal to watch the news
More than half of Americans say that watching the news makes them feel stressed. Many also report growing anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia. Finally, constantly staying abreast of bad news (which, by the way, is far from always true), we ourselves become more gloomy and begin to see everything in a negative light.
So it’s worth at least trying to give up all this – you’ll see, the effect will appear pretty quickly.
5. Walking
The benefits of walking for our physical and mental health, mood and creativity cannot be overestimated. And yet, many of us neglect this simple way to improve our lives and walk much less than we could.
Look for ways to bring walking back into your life. After a hearty meal, take a walk around the block. Make it a rule to walk while talking with colleagues and friends. And to make it even more beneficial, try to breathe only through your nose.
6. Setting timers
Instead of constantly getting distracted and looking at your watch to see if it’s time for you to do something (call a colleague, send a report, start going to the doctor), set yourself alarms and timers.
This will allow you to stop mentally jumping between different tasks and being in different places at the same time and free up your mental space for more important tasks.
We spend an average of 2 hours 25 minutes on social media every day. That’s almost 17 hours a week.
7. Thanks
Improved sleep, improved mental health, reduced irritability, anxiety, and depression are just some of the known effects of the practice of expressing gratitude. It also teaches our brains to notice the good around us and see the world in a more positive light.
To get started, try keeping a gratitude journal, writing down 3-5 things you are grateful for today (the main thing is to be as specific as possible and explain exactly why you are feeling this feeling).
8. Reduce time spent on social media
Many complain that they “just don’t have enough time” to read, exercise, and hang out with friends. With all this, we spend an average of 2 hours 25 minutes on social networks every day. And this, for a minute, almost 17 hours a week.
How would you like to use this time if you suddenly have it? Perhaps you would decide to spend it with those who are dear to you? It would improve the quality of your life.
In order not to feel completely out of touch with what is happening in the world, you can reduce the time you spend on social networks to a few minutes a day (again, you will need a timer), or go online only on certain days. Believe me, by implementing this practice in life, you will very soon realize that you have not lost anything, but only gained.
9. Cooking
During the pandemic, many have switched to food delivery. Looks like it’s time to get back to the stove.
- First, by choosing the right foods and using diet recipes, you can get your diet in order and possibly lose weight if you have any.
- Secondly, it is good for mental health too: cooking can be a kind of therapy, because it helps to switch off from pressing problems and stress.
If you do not know how to cook, it is not necessary to start with gourmet cuisine – master the simplest recipes step by step.
10. Automatic bank payments
Many of us know that it’s a good idea to start saving or even investing money, but few actually do it: there are always excuses or “important” expenses. The key is not to force yourself to save and save money, but to delegate this task to … algorithms.
Just set up the application so that part of the money from each salary is automatically transferred to a savings account, and spend the rest on daily needs.