Strengthening our mindset is just as important as strengthening our body and muscles, but, unfortunately, too many of us are guilty of letting that type of exercise go overlooked. Our mental health is equally as important as our physical health, and when we begin adopting healthy habits as part of a lifestyle change, we should include adopting daily habits for a healthy mindset right along with all the physical aspects on that priority list.
So how do you develop a new habit?
New habits taken time, and consistency to develop and have them actually stick. If the idea of focusing on new, healthy habits feels foreign to you or you’re not sure where to start, you can click the photo below and sign up to get my full Creating Habits That Last series for free, straight to your inbox.
5 Daily Habits for a Healthy Mindset
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Move
Make it a priority to move your body for at least 30 minutes every day. These minutes don’t have to be consecutive; if you can move for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes over lunch, and 10 minutes in the evening, consider that a win. But make movement a priority.
Not only does movement have physical health benefits like improving our cardiovascular health, aiding in weight management, and strengthens your bones, muscles, and joints, but regular exercise can also help reduce stress levels and improve mood. And, according to the NCBI, It’s also been found to boost self-confidence and aide in social withdrawal.
Fuel Your Body
There is some truth to the saying “we are what we eat.” When we consume a diet full of sugar, or fatty-fried foods, we start to feel bad both mentally and physically. There has also been a lot of research over the past few years about the effects sugar has on our brain. It’s been found that sugar triggers a response from the same pathways in our brain that an addictive drug triggers; causing us to crave sugar the more we eat it. Which we all know can turn into a vicious cycle.
Instead of grabbing processed foods, or quick (often unhealthy) snacks, fuel your body with whole foods. Plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Doing so can help boost your energy levels, help you feel fuller, longer, while understanding how to eat intuitively, curb cravings, and even promote a healthy weight.
Sometimes if you find that you’re craving specific foods, it could be your body’s way of trying to tell you something. Learn more about what your food cravings may mean here.
Digital Detox
Put down your phone! We are living in a digital age, which means most of the time we can be found staring at some sort of screen; whether it’s our phone, computer, tablet, you name it. Making time each day to digitally detox and take a break from the screens demanding so much of our attention can help both physically and mentally.
I recommend creating “business hours” for your screen time. This gives you an excuse to walk away at the end of each day. I know it can feel daunting in the beginning, but time away from your phone has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, memory, the ability to focus, and more.
This same principle can also apply to limiting the types of content we view when we are on social media. Paying attention to how we feel when we follow certain people or pages, and how we start to view our own situation. Comparison is truly the thief of joy, so if certain accounts are causing you to feel less than, instead of lifting you up, it may be time to click that “unfollow” button.
Set Intentions
Get into the habit of setting daily intentions. You can do this the night before, or you can set your alarm and get up 10 minutes earlier. But write down a priority list for the day. What are the top five things you want to accomplish? Sometimes when we can put pen to paper and see those things written down, we’ll feel more focused, we’ll stay productive, and it will help us accomplish what it is we set out to do for the day. This can be as small as writing down that you want to make time to for a walk after dinner, or as big as finishing a project at work.
Need a new planner? Check out this You Are Worthy Planner on Amazon Prime – a reader favorite!
Breathe
Breathing is automatic, right? So automatic that most of the time we don’t even realize that we’re doing it. It’s one of those beautiful, glorious things that we take for granted day after day. But, stopping to be present in our breath, to take a moment and focus on our breathing, can help reduce stress and anxiety, and help us feel more present. This is a great way to feel centered and reconnect with ourselves, making time to check in and see how we’re feeling in regards to our workday, our to-do lists, and just with our life in general.
When we stop to take a couple deep breaths and focus on breathing itself, this sends a message to our brain to calm down and relax. Even if you feel your day is going well and you’re not feeling stressed, getting into the habit of this can help for when your days do tend to get a little overwhelming.
