The crazy pace many of us live by is making it nearly impossible to take good care of ourselves. While we’re chasing career advancements or money to pay the bills, our health can deteriorate, and so can our cognitive abilities. No matter how hectic lives can get, it’s always important to find ways to balance it out by taking good care of ourselves. And if you’re wondering about some simple ways you can start doing it, here are a couple to get you started.
- Practice Meditation
Meditation is being lauded for its stress-relieving abilities. You don’t need any props to meditate, you don’t need a special room for it, you don’t even need a lot of time. Learn meditation because it will be your secret weapon for a less stressful life you can always have with you and you can use whenever and wherever you want.
- Work Out
There’s nothing like physical activities to counter the detriments of a sedentary lifestyle. Your body is made so that it can move, and you should move it as much and as often as you can. If you’re so out of shape you can’t do heavy cardio, take a couple of nice walks every week. From there, move up to more serious workout that’s appropriate for your health status.
- Get Enough Sleep
If you want peak performance, you need to get enough sleep. Being well-rested will help you perform better at work, and it will ensure you have some leftover energy for when you’re not working. Don’t try to get a couple of extra hours of your day by sleeping less. Try to get them by being more efficient while you’re awake.
- Pick Your Food Carefully
You are what you eat. If you stuff your face with large quantities of low-quality food, you’re actively doing something bad for you. Learn a thing or two about nutrition — there are some great resources online. Speak with a nutritionist. Find a diet that will keep you energized and healthy and not clog your arteries.
- Be Open to New Ideas and Points of View
There are no benefits to being closeminded. Being open to new ideas and points of view will make you a better friend or coworker, and it will help you gain useful knowledge you can later apply to better yourself. You don’t have to jump on every new trend that comes along. But give them a fair shake and learn how to critically assess them and extract the beneficial things from them.
- Engage Your Brain
Engaging your brain is part being open to new ideas, and part physical and mental workout. That alone will make your wit sharper for a longer time, even in old age. However, it’s important to remember that you need to vary your activities if you want to fully engage your brain. Work out. Do brain teasers. Learn to play an instrument. Learn to juggle. Read philosophical works. Roller-skate. Engage in a wide variety of activities.
- Set Aside Time for Yourself
No matter how much time you have to devote to your work, family, or whatever else that fills your time, always remember to set aside some time that will be your own. You’re of no use to others, let alone yourself, if you don’t take the time to recharge your batteries.
- Treat Yourself
You might be familiar with the practice of having a cheat day when on a restrictive diet. Cheat days are fun. They are the time when you get the treats you like the most. Whether it’s a food you like but can’t really eat every day, or another guilty pleasure, treat yourself to it occasionally.
- Spend Time with the People You Like
You can’t always choose your company. But in your spare time, when you can, don’t be afraid to be picky. Surround yourself with the people whose company you enjoy. Use the time you spend with them to counter the time you have to spend with the people you don’t like too much.