Tiny habits for a healthy life

We are the prisoners of our habits: we have our morning routines, our tried-and-true routes, our frequently cooked recipes, and so on. Introduce small changes for healthy habits and your life will be better!

1. Your sleep

There is a lot of talk about the quality of sleep and the amount of sleep, but actually there is nothing new under the sun: every expert repeats the same advice over and over again. First of all: have a sleep routine that you stick to more or less, even if it’s not a working day, but a weekend or vacation, i.e. go to bed at roughly the same time every day, and wake up more or less the same time every day. Because of this, you should shape your sleep routine into something that can be maintained long term. It goes without saying: get enough sleep, i.e. at least seven, preferably eight hours. Be skeptical of any lifestyle trick that promises to lead to less sleep, because that shouldn’t be the goal. Your body can’t function without enough sleep, but it functions exponentially better when you give it that. And speaking of habits: if you snore or have sleep apnea, look for the causes and try to improve the situation. There is no quality sleep if you snore.

2. Your food

We know that food is both a communal ritual and an experience, yet remind yourself that its primary function is to provide fuel for the body. If the foundations are stable, experiential meals for dates, company dinners, large lunches with the extended family or friends fit perfectly into a healthy diet. Your meal should be simple and nutrient-rich, i.e. not only consist of carbohydrates, but should also contain protein and healthy fats. Eat as many vegetables as possible – potatoes and corn are not enough – and strive for seasonality: your body, your wallet and the planet Earth will thank you for it. Give eating the respect it deserves: sit down, chew thoroughly, and pay attention to the food. As a new habit, for example, try eating without distractions – books, TV, surfing the Internet – for a week. You will be surprised how different the experience is, the flavors are more intense, and you will notice the feeling of satiety sooner.

3. Your relationships

There is no well-being without well-maintained relationships. The first of these relationships is the relationship you have with yourself: every step you take for your mental health can be a part of this, for example therapy, but it is already an important step if you get your me-time every single day, even if it’s only ten minutes. In such cases, only be with yourself, neither work, nor the needs of others, nor the tasks that await you are important – how are you? Familiarize yourself with some habits that help you turn inward, hopefully some of them will stick: journaling, meditation, but even a little moving exercise, stretching, walking outdoors can be part of your me-time. If you have regular me-time, your social relationships will also improve, as you will have resources from which you can give to your environment. If you are in a relationship, there should be a time in your day when you talk privately, if you live alone, organize regular meetings with friends, if you live far from your friends, regular video calls can also work. Find a hobby that has a community component, go to social gatherings. Even if you are az introvert, there is no real well-being without a healthy social network.

4. Your physical activity

We live in an age in which exercise is often seen as a compulsion, as a counterbalance to the harms of modern life, and as the means of shaping the body. Of course, it has such functions, but let’s offer a change of perspective: your body is designed for movement, and movement holds so many different pleasures that it is really unworthy to strip it down to just a fight against obesity. Let go of social pressure regarding trendy forms of exercise and experiment with what really gives you pleasure: maybe you’re a person who likes lifting weights, or maybe tango is your movement, or even walking, the trip. If you haven’t found your favorite activity yet, take your curiosity and an experimental friend and go try something new every month! In most places the first training session is free.

5. Your stress level

When it comes to stress, it is easy to pass the blame – saying that the world of work, modern life is a stressful thing. This is undeniable, yet it is important to remind ourselves that we are not victims of the circumstances, the possibility of change is almost always there. You can move to a quieter, less bustling neighborhood, leave a toxic workplace for the better, and organize your days in such a way that there is a fixed place for stress relief, release and recharge of the nervous system. A tip: all of the previous paragraphs of this article talked about the path to a more relaxed, stress-free life.