Today, you again looked in your mirror, and frowned at yourself! Didn’t you?
Don’t you look as good as you looked earlier in your favorite outfits? Doesn’t that georgette saree fall as gracefully on your curves as it used to be? You plan to get married soon, but you don’t find yourself ready for that dressy bridal lehenga or that revealing wedding gown??
You don’t eat well any more, and when you do, you face digestion issues. Don’t you look as radiant as you desire to (it’s not about the color of your skin!)? Do you face sleep issues? Have aging, hair fall, muscle pain or lack of regular exercise been your recent concerns? Do you feel tired and fatigued?
Most importantly, do you feel apathetic, anxious and/ or angry – on many occasions? Do you reach late to most places – including work?
Well, even if you answer yes to more than 2 or 3 of these questions and issues, it’s time you changed the way you live your life. Many of you may say, “But, I already eat well, exercise 4 times a week and try to eat healthy usually.”. Right! Even I had that retort!
If everything’s in place, why your life doesn’t seem so – sorted, balanced and relaxed? You may be doing everything right (from your own perspective), but you may still be missing out on something. And, here’s why you need to form and cultivate these vital 15 habits that will change your life – for better –
1. Sleep early and Sleep well
We all know this. But, it’s alarming to see that still innumerable people compromise on their sleep – almost regularly.
Blame work, lifestyles, long commutes or whatever, but find ways to sleep well (and early enough, so you get your complete quota).
Hint – Don’t go by set notions of sleeping at 10 pm or earlier, but find your personal Early – a viable time slot, when you can surely manage to hit the snooze button.
Must – Get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep everyday – preferably at one go.
*Naps – If you nap during the day, do not exceed the nap time over 30 minutes, unless you are unwell (or are trying to make up for the lost sleep time, which shouldn’t be on a regular basis).
2. Get up early
Cringe and cringe more, but ensure you don’t continue sleeping – way into the mid-morning hours – daily. Getting up early sets a great pace for the day ahead. The world is quieter and slower at this time; it’s a feeling you can’t re-create, at any other time of the day.
Remember – You will be able to cultivate this habit, only if you sleep in time, so Habit 2 is dependent on Habit 1.
3. Keep away that mobile phone
Electronic devices and digital interfaces like mobile phones, tablets and televisions have an endless supply of entertainment, news, activity options – whatever works for you. But, remember – you and your day have only limited options and time. So, keep that phone away, when you should!
Vital – Electronic devices emit white light, which makes our brain active. So, if you keep surfing Internet or playing games on your phone, right before the sleep time, you will find it difficult to sleep optimally and well.
Habit 1 and Habit 2 are dependent on Habit 3.
4. Breathe deeply
Take a deep, long breath, and exhale verrrrrrry slowly….How do you feel?
Now, you know why deep breathing is important.
The bad habit of shallow breathing eats up our health and peace. Ever wondered how you breathe when you are angry, worried or anxious? Well, you won’t wish to continue breathing like that – all the time! Would you?
5. Stretch EVERY DAY
Take a practical test, like the previous one, and see for yourself how better and more relaxed you feel – after a good stretch.
Tip – Don’t over-stretch, or else you may face nerve-issues. But, remember to stretch every muscle of your body – even the eyes, face, lips, fingers – everything.
6. Focus on positives
Life’s not easy…it was never meant to be! But, can we continue to crib about what we don’t have or what could have been?
If that’s the case, what about the things/ people we have, or what has already ‘been’? Do we value them sufficiently when we are thinking negatively?
Well, there’s great virtue and advantage in seeing the glass ‘half full’! Be grateful.
7. Don’t try finishing everything….
Yes! Chores are endless…they are cyclic. One huge load of washing won’t mean an end to washing for a month or year. Three essays at work won’t mean No essays the next day!
Be easy on yourself. Don’t try to finish everything…it doesn’t work like that.
Be sincere, be on time and be regular – that’s what matters.
And, bundle your chores….Combine the easy ones with tricky ones. For example, the day you do that strategy blog, keep the other story a short, sweet, witty one. Leave the serious, politic article for another day!
8. Manage kitchen time (or whatever takes up your maximum time and effort)
My mum won’t agree to this. Her retort – “We work to live, and to live, we must eat, so how can we not have cooking/ kitchen as our priority!”
Well, she has a point, but we live in a different era now. So, you must manage your kitchen time in such a way that it doesn’t eat up on your time for other productive things. But, you must not compromise on your eating habits too. In short, find what works for you – find a balance and work from there…
9. Prioritize
Make lists, decide what needs to go first and manage your bucket-list, whichever way it works for you – but get your priorities right.
Haven’t we heard about the need for this since ages? Find what’s most important to you, and keep it at the top of everything you do (or wish to do). For, if you do not enjoy or love what you have been doing, it will end up being only a drag!
10. Learn to say ‘NO’
We all have our limits, and there’s nothing wrong in that – we are humans, after all. So, say NO when you cannot, do not want to or will not rather….do/ say/ attempt/ commit something.
11. Spend time with kids (and people with ready smiles and fresh, positive perspectives) – every day…
Doesn’t the thought itself make you smile? Well, if yes, then you get the picture! It’s all about positive, relaxed and unbiased, unfiltered, innocent perspectives – we all need those…
12. Ignore ones who put you down
There is a clear (albeit, sometimes, thin) line of difference between constructive criticism/ genuine feedback and caustic sarcasm, jeering or destructive putting down (or insulting).
You know when that’s happening to you – Move away, leave that place and person! You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life – no one does…
13. Smile (even when you feel down)
Haven’t we all always heard – ‘smile is the best medicine’? It is!
Smiling relaxes facial muscles. It instantly puts you and others at ease. Very few people in this world may manage to ignore a genuine smile… So, it’s also the best accessory for success.
And, it’s a great conversation starter – even with the one, whom you may have been admiring secretly – since long.
14. Say Thank You often – even to the Almighty!
Saying thank you has almost the same apparent effects as smiling…Plus, it makes you a better, evolved and likeable person.
Inherently, saying ‘thank you’ genuinely and being grateful connects you with the supreme power – in some way or the other. Do that – if you haven’t being doing so – and see how centered and in-tune with the Universe you feel.
15. CURB your urge to argue
Everything is open to discussions, debates and arguments. But, if there are 100 reasons to debate, there are 1000 reasons to NOT bother arguing about anything.
For starters, no two people possess identical thought processes. So, we were made to disagree with each other. However, arguing (and disagreeing with every other thing) wastes time and effort, creates stress and negative vibes and, on most occasions, has no real benefit.
So, yes debate and discuss, when it’s about something important…when someone is invading your personal space, but on (most) other occasions – IGNORE and SMILE