Have you ever experienced a time when you feel like you’re barely alive? You do the same things every day, only to feel exhausted and emotionally drained by the end of the day. Many people get stuck in a rut from time to time. However, the longer you leave yourself in that lifestyle, the more it will negatively affect your body and mind.
If you’re looking for some ways to mix things up and improve your life so that it’s less mundane and more enjoyable, then you’ve come to the right place. These healthy lifestyle changes will not only help you get out of a rut, but also improve your physical and mental health.
1. Go for a Walk
Get outside and absorb that vitamin D! A short walk through the park or a wooded trail can give you some mindfulness that will stay with you for the rest of the day. While you get to spend some time in the calming presence of nature, you also get your daily dose of exercise. It’s a win-win situation.
2. Drink Plenty of Water
You’re probably tired of hearing it, but you should drink more water. Staying hydrated keeps you feeling and looking great. It’s known to promote weight loss, and it’s essential to keep your body functioning the way it should be. If you’re tired of gulping glasses of plain water, whip up a delicious smoothie for a tasty boost of energy or try adding fresh fruit to your water for extra flavor and essential vitamins.
3. Find a Hobby
No, Netflix is not a hobby. It’s nice to chill out and watch a rerun of The Office, but if you do that every weekend, it’s time for a change.
Instead of scrolling through social media posts and streaming Netflix, consider trying a new hobby or rehashing an old one. Want to get outside? Start a garden. Like electronics? Try building a computer. The possibilities are endless, and all of them are rewarding.
4. Focus on Yourself
When you find yourself continuously doing favors for friends, family members, and coworkers, you’ll find that you have no time left for yourself. Plus, you will feel too exhausted to do much else if you are constantly putting others first.
At least once a week, set aside some time to focus on yourself. You can go get a massage, take a relaxing bubble bath, or take yourself out for coffee. The point of this time is to relax and reconnect with yourself while doing something you find relaxing and fun.
If setting aside this time for yourself is hard, you can even schedule it as a calendar event like a date or a meeting. And, if you find that once a week isn’t enough, you can add self-care time into your daily time blocking.
5. Improve Your Diet
Although trying to eat a healthy diet isn’t always the easiest thing to do, it can help you feel more motivated throughout the day. Incorporating some fruits and vegetables into your diet can help you get into shape and won’t make you feel sluggish. A balanced diet will help ensure you get the right nutrients, and it will make it easier to avoid temptations that don’t offer any real nutritional benefit.
Everyone loves a good ice cream cone once in a while, so don’t think you have to cut out sweets completely when improving your diet. Also, it’s never good to just completely cut out an entire food group as part of a fad diet, so don’t stop eating all carbs or meats just because you are on diet.
6. Make Time to Talk
If you’re more of a listener and less of a talker, you probably remain trapped in your own head. This can lead to anxious, negative thoughts that ruminate in your mind. Obviously, this habit isn’t healthy, and it means that you need to speak your mind to someone, whether it’s a close friend, family member, or counselor. Making time to talk and branching out of your comfort zone can help you feel less isolated, and it may even help you improve your social life.
7. Get More Sleep
Getting anything less than six hours of sleep just isn’t ideal. A lack of sleep typically makes you feel groggy, cranky, and exhausted. Not to mention that waking up after a poor night’s sleep is a horrible start to your day.
A consistent nightly routine can really help improve your sleep quality. Once you get a little more than six hours of sleep for a few nights in a row, you’ll notice that you’ll wake up in a way better mood.
8. Limit Alcohol Consumption
We all enjoy a glass of wine or a beer from time to time. However, daily substance use can negatively affect both your physical and mental health, not to mention it’s an expensive habit to deal with. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should have no more than two drinks per day if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
9. Maintain a Better Work-Life Balance
It’s easy to focus on career success and the financial gains from working. Unfortunately, overworking can lead to burnout, chronic stress, and physical health issues. This is why work-life balance is such an important skill for your health and livelihood.
Try to maintain regular working hours, leave work at work, and say no to anything extra you can’t take on. If maintaining healthy work boundaries is a real struggle for you, check out our tips on how you can improve your work-life balance.
10. Reduce Stress
Work isn’t the thing in our lives that causes stress. There are many parts of everyday life that cause stress. This is why it’s important to work on ways to reduce your stress as much as possible. You can reduce stress by not over-scheduling yourself, easing into each day with an established morning routine, and practicing mindfulness.
11. Say ‘No’ When Needed
When you stretch yourself too think, you absolutely add stress and worry to your life. Although it’s nice to make people happy and help them out, you also need to know when to say “no.” If you learn to say no and set boundaries, you’ll feel much better and more able to care for your own needs.
12. Get Regular Checkups
No one likes going to the doctor or dentist. However, regular checkups can prevent health issues from getting out of hand. These checkups can also help you maintain health and learn how to better care for your body as you age. Most experts recommend seeing a primary care doctor at least once per year and a dentist every six months for optimum health. You should also consider regular eye exams and other types of wellness checks as needed.
Breaking Old Habits
You can’t expect to incorporate these suggestions into your routine in one day. It takes time to get used to lifestyle changes, so it’s best to try them one at a time.
In addition to engaging in these habits, you might want to consider trying these ways to boost your mood in the morning.
Image credit: Pexels
