Healthy habits to adopt – As 2019 draws to a close, it’s important to make sure you end the year on a good note. After all, the best way to start 2020 is by forming new habits right now! You don’t have to wait until New Year’s Eve to start making positive life changes. Below, we’ve gathered some ideas for how to make the most of the last few months of 2019 and kick off the new year as a healthier, happier you.
- Get your sleeping schedule and quality under control.
If you have difficulty sleeping, this is one of the easiest parts of your everyday life you can immediately work on. Consider investing in a Fitbit or another fitness tracker like Leaf to see what’s actually going on when you sleep. Fitness trackers can effectively tell you if you’re getting enough sleep, waking up a lot, and most importantly, going into the deepest, most restorative phase of sleep. It’s a great way to monitor if the changes you’re making to your sleeping area are actually making a difference.
Here’s a few other tips to help battle insomnia and go gently into dreamland:
- Download a white noise app like Ocean Wave Sounds for Sleep: For many people, white noise is incredibly relaxing. It provides just enough distraction to go to sleep – without counting sheep.
- Invest in a diffuser: Filling an essential oil diffuser with relaxing scents like vanilla or lavender is a lot safer than using a candle for some aromatherapy.
- Get a gel pillow: If you’re too hot when you’re sleeping, it can result in a lack of deep sleep. A gel pillow helps combat uncomfortable heat.
- Get on a sleep schedule: An erratic sleep schedule can make for a poor night of rest. Try to go to bed within a thirty-minute window each night. You might find you start to naturally wake up before your alarm if you get into a solid routine!
- Try a light-up alarm clock: If you struggle with forcing yourself to get moving in the morning if it’s too dark, a gentle light emanating from your alarm clock might be just the thing you need to get up in the early hours.
- Try to get your eating habits under control
Just like your sleep schedule, your eating habits have a huge effect on the rest of your health. If you find yourself barely eating throughout the day or, eating out of boredom instead. To avoid this, you might want to consider meal prepping and planning out when your main snacks and main meals are. Hate cooking? Look into a meal prep service like Freshly, which will send you fully-cooked meals you simply need to heat up. Or, motivate yourself to get into the kitchen by taking a cooking class with friends or investing in cute reusable plastic containers that encourages you to fill them with delicious foods.
- Take time to meditate
Finding yourself stressed out by work and family obligations? Life can be a lot sometimes. If you can, carve out 10-20 minutes to yourself each day to find out what how you really feel. Invest in an aura camera to learn some deeper truths about yourself or download a meditation app like Calm to enjoy some guided meditation.
Or, perhaps you enjoy painting or yoga. Whatever quiet activity you prefer, you can use it to quiet an overly-anxious mind and get back to a healthier, happier self. You might be the most physically healthy person on the planet, but without your mental health, you won’t be truly happy.
- Do less.
People sometimes say yes out of a feeling of obligation. The last few months of the year, practice saying, no, more. Don’t take this to the extreme and alienate yourself, however. Instead, commit to fewer social gatherings, don’t stay late at the office if you can avoid it, and keep travel to a minimum.
Sometimes, all you need to feel a little more optimistic about life is by having an empty calendar. It’s important to rest and relax and do nothing. You might feel the pressure to be productive but by doing nothing and truly taking a break, you might be surprised by how much mental clarity you gain.
Conclusion
The New Year will be here before you know but don’t wait until the end of the year to start implementing changes. With these tips, you’ll be on your way to crushing a New Year’s resolution before it even starts!
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