If I had to choose 5 wellness practices to always make time for, these would be the ones that I would definitely not want to lose!
1. Journaling
The benefits of journaling are indescribable. It is one of the wellness practices that I can’t live without!
You are working through your thoughts, just like you would when you are talking to someone (but without feeling like you need to hold back out of fear of judgement).
How to journal
There is no one way, and no wrong or right way to journal. It is whatever YOU feel the most comfortable doing.
Here’s some ways you can journal:
- Bullet journal. If you prefer to work through your feelings in short and concise ways, then bullet journaling would be good for you. You could ask yourself questions about how you are feeling, and answer them in bullet journal form!
- Free writing. This one is my personal favourite, because there is no expectations or limits, you literally just talk about anything and everything you want. This is good if you have an active mind, or are an over thinker, because you can work through and dump all of your thoughts onto paper.
- Guides / prompts. If you struggle to know what to write about and would prefer to answer questions rather than free write, then following a guide / prompts is perfect. There will be tons of prompts online, about whatever problem / issue you need to work through.
The benefits of journaling:
- Releases stress and anxiety.
- You can work through your problems.
- You learn more about yourself.
- You learn how to deal with situations better in the future.
- You will be able to look back and read all of your memories, good and bad.
- It allows you to work through your feelings before speaking (in case you say things you sometimes don’t mean).
2. Working out / movement
There are so many benefits of working out, and they don’t always have to be physical.
Keeping a healthy body is a huge priority, because I want to be able to live my life till a very old age.
Aside from having a nice looking physique, you have so many more physical benefits of working out. This is one of the wellness practices you do not want to skip!
Physical benefits of working out:
- You will be stronger. You want to be able to pick your kids up when you have them, and you want to be able to complete tasks such as moving heavy boxes and being able to defend yourself.
- You will be able to do everyday activities easier. Things such as playing with your dog, walking around new cities, walking up the stairs at work.
- Reduces the risk of injury during everyday activities.
- Strengthens your bones and muscles. When you’re older, you won’t have brittle bones.
- Better sleep. Better sleep means an overall better day, and an overall better life.
- Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
Overall, the physical benefits of working out really makes you question why you wouldn’t want to workout!
Mental benefits of working out:
- Improves focus. A fitter body supplies more oxygen to the brain, making you think clearer and perform better not only in the gym, but at work too!
- Improves self esteem. Aside from changing the way your body looks, your self esteem will increase because you feel better and more confident when you’re fitter!
- It reduces anxiety and depression. Exercise gives you endorphins (your happy hormone), therefore making you happier! A happy life is what we’re striving for right?
- Increases your confidence. When you are able to perform better in every areas of your life, you will start to feel more confident!
- It’s something to be proud of. When you make the time to work on yourself and get better at something, that’s something you should really be proud of yourself. You may not have any goals outside the gym, so setting goals for yourself in the gym will make you feel accomplished.
I know I always feel my best when I plan workouts into my week. It helps me feel productive and it always makes my day better and makes me feel really good about myself.
3. Doing something you enjoy everyday
Why save everything good just for the weekend?
The average person has 8,560 weekend days in their life. It sounds like a lot, right?
Well, the average person has 28,000 days in their life. So you want to waste 19,440 days of your life waiting for the weekend to do something fun?
You deserve to do something that you enjoy every single day, 365 days of the year.
Now, I’m not saying that you have to do something absolutely wild and spontaneous every single day. But you deserve to have something to look forward to every single day.
Maybe you have a hectic day at work that you are dreading. Instead of writing the full day off, plan something fun to do afterwards that you can look forward to all day!
What ‘fun’ things can I do everyday?
*everyone has different ideas of fun, so you will really have to tailor this toward you and your life*
- Reading. When I know I can curl up with a good book and turn my phone off, I know I will look forward to it!
- Working out. For some people, working out is something they look forward to everyday.
- Food. Honouring a food craving is one of the best feelings EVER. If you really fancy a certain food, treat yourself!
- Bake. Divulging into a treat that you’ve made yourself sounds like heaven.
- Watch the sunrise / sunset.
- Pamper night. Self care always.
- Movie night. Romanticising the things you might do everyday, but making it special.
- Have your favourite drink in a special glass. Why save the special glasses for ‘special occasions’? Everyday is special!
- Paint some rocks and leave them in random places for people to find. Imagine how many peoples day you will make!
- Write random kind notes and leave them in random places. You will probably impact someone’s day in the best way!
Wellness practices don’t always have to be so… healthy.
Sometimes it is healthier for you to do these fun things rather than worry about reaching a certain step goal or sticking to your diet!
4. Get enough sleep
I can’t stress enough the importance of sleep.
Making sure you get enough sleep and have a good circadian rhythm will change your life!
You know in yourself that when you have a later night than usual, you can definitely feel the difference in the morning!
The benefits of good sleep:
- It improves your mental health
- You are more productive throughout the day
- It helps aid in muscle recovery
- It’s actually proven to make you live longer
- It reduces stress and anxiety
The benefits of a consistent circadian rhythm:
- It means your body can start naturally getting up at the same time
- You will feel less groggy when waking up
- Your body will perform better
- You will understand your body cues better, so planning will become easier!
- Consistency = key in most things in life
5. Having routines / planning
Having routines has changed my life and my overall wellness for the better.
It helps me stay consistent in many areas of my life!
You can fit different wellness practices into your routine when you plan everything out!
How does this help your life?
- Allows you to reach your goals
- Allows you to stay consistent
- You can plan ahead
- Gives you less stress and anxiety because you already know what’s coming up in the week
Different types of routines:
- Morning routine. Having a solid morning routine will set you up for success for the rest of the day! It’s also time that you are filling up your own cup before anyone else’s. (How to have the best morning routine: http://bigsisterera.com/a-morning-routine-that-will-help-you-feel-your-best/)
- Night routine. A good night routine allows you to make time for yourself, do the things you enjoy, practice self care, and will mean you have a good night sleep. Not only does your night routine set you up for good sleep, it sets you up for an amazing morning.
- Workout routine. Having a pre planned workout routine means that you don’t even have to think about it. Obviously sometimes you wake up and you need to rest, it’s best to listen to your body. But a routine helps you reach your goals faster!
- Self care routine. Following a self care routine consistently is amazing for making sure you’re taking care of yourself! It allows you to feel your best every single day!
Thank you for reading <3
I hope this post helped you with your wellness journey. Whether you are just starting out, and wanted some guidance as to which wellness practices to choose from, or you want to expand on your wellness journey, you are doing amazing!
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