It is quite common for our lives to start running on autopilot while forgetting the impact that our actions have on our overall mood. The purpose of this article is to explain the importance of certain lifestyle habits that can greatly improve your mood, happiness, and overall quality of life.
When reading below, remember these may seem like obvious tips, but how many of these tips are you actually following? Are you not following them because it seems like a lot of effort to be a little healthier? Are you too busy? Do you feel that these are sacrifices and you’d rather just enjoy your life?
You may think you are too busy to implement these changes, but, these suggestions will all improve your productivity and should indirectly help you better manage your time. These tips are not just about being “healthier” but will also improve your daily mood, make you feel better mentally and physically, and help you better enjoy daily life. This is the reason that many of the most successful people (whether in a professional or personal sense), implement similar strategies. It’s not just because they want to be “healthy” but also because they want to be mentally and physically stronger, happier, and more fulfilled. When your mental and physical functions are at optimal levels, you won’t only notice this in your health, you’ll also notice it in every aspect of your daily life. When you start to prioritize yourself, it helps bring you back to what’s truly important in life: your happiness and perception of the world around you.
It may take a little work to adjust your habits, but isn’t that worth living each moment happier, more comfortably, and with more mental fortitude? You are in your own company at every moment of your life, so let’s make it as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
These 4 tips are a great starting point, combine them with goals towards improving your quality of life and you will have a perfect foundation for how to live a happy life.
4 Simple, Yet Highly Effective, Tips for Happier Living:
Exercise
Besides indirectly promoting mindfulness by distracting you from your regular routine, exercising also takes advantage of the body’s natural pain-relieving abilities. When you exercise, the body produces hormones called endorphins, natural substances often referred to as “feel-good” chemicals, inciting euphoria and enhanced mood. You may be surprised to find yourself actually enjoy adding exercise to your daily regimen, providing a healthy outlet for some of that built-up stress.
It can be equally surprising to see how much more productive and content you feel during other parts of your day. Exercise also helps you feel more accomplished each day, which boost your feelings of fulfillment. Exhaustive exercise can also help with occasional sleeplessness and agitation, but it is important to avoid injury in the process. It’s important that you give it time and stay committed. It will often take a few sessions to really start seeing the difference in your mood but once you do, it just gets easier and easier to continue this habit.
Although exercise alone won’t fix all your issues, it can help a great deal.
Proper Sleep Schedule
Establishing a disciplined sleep schedule and daily routine is one of the most important steps you can take in your life. Getting adequate sleep not only affects how your mind and body function each day but can drastically affect the way you feel. Lack of sleep and sleep deficits can take their toll on all aspects of your life. Also remember, the body and mind need a lot more time to recover during times of high stress. With too little sleep, individuals tend to experience low energy and body pain, and the mind can grow cloudy and confused as well. One step you can take is to get to bed at the same hour each night and avoid late-night stimulation such as television. Following the other tips in this article will also help your quality of sleep. Sleep aids can be a great help during this time. Short naps throughout the day may be another option.
Hot Baths / Showers or Cold Baths / Showers
This tip will be split between two options (hot vs cold), as both have their benefits. Experiment and find what works best for you:
- Hot Shower / Bath — The hot water itself brings a number of benefits. Hot baths or showers will help reduce feelings of anxiety, while also relaxing your nervous system. Epsom salt baths in particular help improve circulation, thus reducing inflammation and muscle cramps. The salt can also lock moisture in the skin, as can in-shower lotions, making it easier to stay hydrated throughout the day.
- Cold Shower / Bath — While the thought may immediately turn you off, there are many powerful reasons people take them. Cold showers (temperature below 70 degrees), may have health benefits ranging from adapting your body to harsher conditions (thereby becoming more resistant to stress), to improvements in your overall well-being. Starting your day with a cold-shower also has the added benefit of contentment and increased will-power, arising from accomplishing a difficult task. Fortunately, after a few minutes of cold water, your body will adapt to the temperature and you will start to feel comfortable. There are many supposed benefits to cold showers such as: improving metabolism, circulation, immune system support, endorphin support, and boosting your overall mood. It’s suggested that you try for at least 1-2 weeks to fully allow your body to adjust to the change. It may initially sound like a radical idea, but don’t be surprised if you start to actually look forward to your cold showers.
Healthy Diet & Hydration
The effects that food and water have on our mental and physical well-being are obvious, yet still highly underestimated. Every aspect of our body, mind, and outlook are influenced by the fuel we provide our bodies. Not just the quantity, but more importantly: the quality.
Busy schedules can make it difficult to eat or drink properly, resorting instead to quick options that typically lack essential nutrients. This can be avoided with some simple planning ahead. Look up some quick recipes (many recipe apps allow you to sort by time to prepare), use a slow cooker or pressure cooker, and if you find it hard to incorporate enough vegetables or fruit in your diet then try making smoothies so you can have them on the go.
The importance of balanced meals, vitamins, and water cannot be overstated. Changing your habits towards healthier eating and drinking will not only lead to a healthier lifestyle but also a happier lifestyle. The impact nutrients have on your mental and physical comfort and overall mood are significant.
We recommend starting slow so that you can keep your goals realistic, thereby ensuring you stick to your plan. Perhaps you want to start by just adding more vegetables for the first week, then more fruit in the second week, then more balanced meals with less snacking in between, and so forth. You might want to consider keeping a journal to track your food and water intake initially, setting a goal to meet or exceed weekly. Proteins, vegetables, and fruits should make up the bulk of your diet to optimally fuel your body and mind. All food is not equal, however, make sure to prioritize healthy foods and try to avoid greasy fast foods. You can also read out our article on great mood boosting foods to learn about 7 foods that will help towards a happy lifestyle.
It’s equally important that you are having an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Many of us don’t realize just how little water we are actually drinking when moving through our day on autopilot. A good strategy to ensure hydration is to fill a gallon jug each morning and try to drink all of its contents by nightfall.
If you commit to improving your diet and hydration, you will notice a difference in all aspects of your mental and physical well-being. Again, that cannot be overstated. It may take time for you to notice the most significant impacts on your mood, but as you do, it will be easier to stick to eating healthier meals. Your choice in food quality essentially determines the type of fuel available to your body and brain. Keep it optimal not just for healthier living, but also happier living.
