Looking after your health is so important, from your mental health to your physical health. If you’re looking to improve your health routine today, check out these ten unique ideas.

1 . Learn new recipes

If you want to get healthier why not try learning some new recipes? There are so many places that you can find healthy recipes, from food blogs to healthy eating apps. When you learn new recipes regularly you’ll gradually improve your cooking skills. The better you get at cooking the more likely you’ll be to experiment with nutritious ingredients. Check out apps like Green Kitchen for a huge range of delicious and healthy recipes. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring, there’s so much variety out there!

2. Write in a journal 

Writing in a journal can help you to support your mental health and practice self-care. There are so many ways that you can use a journal, here are a few examples:

• You can use a journal to write an account of what you do each day, focusing on memories and reflections.
• Perhaps you’d like to use a journal to work through difficult emotions or problems you are facing.
• You might use your journal as a poetry journal, or a space to practice creative writing.

3. Practice positive affirmations

Practicing positive affirmations is a great way to boost your health but what exactly are positive affirmations? These are positive statements, they are designed to dismiss negative thoughts and focus on optimism. You can write down positive affirmations, or speak them out loud. The idea is to lift your spirits and improve your mental health by channeling positive energy. Here are some examples from Moreland:

‘I am full of energy and optimism.

I am ready to find joy.

I can overcome negative thoughts & situations.

I possess the qualities I need to be successful.’

4. Go wild swimming

Wild swimming is a fantastic way to boost your health, you’ll get a great workout, raise your endorphin levels and explore nature. Swimming has so many health benefits, from improved cardiovascular health to relaxation. If you choose to try cold water swimming you’ll get even more health benefits. Here are a few of the benefits of cold water swimming:

• Can help to improve your circulation.
• Can boost the immune system by raising your white blood cell count.
• Coldwater swimming helps to raise your metabolism levels.

5. Help others

If you’re looking to improve your health the key is helping others. Studies have shown that helping others can help to improve your mental health. There are so many charitable schemes that you can get involved with. If you’d like to volunteer to support a good cause try the volunteer match site. Volunteer Match This is a great place to find volunteer roles, both online and in person. You can browse thousands of different opportunities, using the search filters to focus on your interests. A few app-based opportunities include:

• Be My Eyes
• Run For A Reason
• Golden Volunteer Opportunities.

6. Set goals

If you’re serious about improving your health it can be useful to set a few goals. The right health goals can serve as a great motivational tool. You might be looking to improve your diet, try new things or improve your self-care regime? When you’re setting goals, be honest with yourself and keep your goals realistic. Writing down your goals is a great way to motivate yourself. It’s also a good idea to keep your goals time-specific and break them down into smaller steps.

7. Niche exercise activities

We all know that exercise is the key to staying healthy. The problem is gym sessions can get a little dull! Challenge yourself to try out a few niche exercise activities. You might try SUP yoga, Kung Fu, or swing dancing? You might like to find exercise classes that also have a social element (for example hiking groups). Meetup is a great place to search for groups, there is a range of categories to choose from, including sports, wellness, arts, and culture.

8. Try new supplements

Want a quick way to boost your health? Consider trying a few new supplements. Plants and herbs can support the body in so many different ways. If you’re looking to reduce stress and anxiety try using supplements like valerian, St John’s Wort, or CBD oil. Looking for some supplements to boost the immune system? Consider using ashadwagana or elderberry. If you’d like to lose weight check out Dao Drops for boosting metabolism, these are made from plant-based ingredients including green tea extract and dandelion root.

9. Try sleep apps

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important, a lack of sleep can affect your immune system and your mental health. To help you improve your sleep try using these apps:

Slumber

This is a fantastic app for sleep, it includes audios that play soothing music and sounds from nature. There are also sleep stories to choose from. Simply choose a sleep track you like, and feel yourself drift off. The app allows you to customize your sleep stories and music, you can change the background noises to find the right ambiance.

Calm

Using this app you can choose from meditation or sleep tracks, the sleep tracks are relaxing stories that will help you to drift off. If you experience stress or anxiety, calm is a fantastic tool.

10. Connect with nature

Connecting with nature is an amazing way to boost your health. Studies show that being in the natural world raises our endorphin levels, helping us to feel happy and energized. There are so many ways that you can connect with nature. You might try hiking, foraging, or swimming.

With lots of ways to perfect your health regime, you’ll soon get on a positive track. From journaling to goal setting and learning new recipes there are so many ways to nourish your body and mind.

Do you have habits that you would like to stop but can’t seem to break? Don’t worry, there’s a way out of this pattern! 

Understand the Reason for Your Habit

Understanding the reason behind your habit is the first step to changing it. For example, let’s say your habit is snacking on sweets in the afternoon. You know that this causes you not to lose weight effectively. Understanding why a good place might start. 

Maybe the reason for your sweet tooth is because you’re feeling down or anxious about something else. Looking at what triggers these feelings can help with determining how to change them. For human beings to reason, you need time to mull over information. But ideally not when you’re raging hungry! 

Here’s an idea: get up from your desk. Take a walk around the block. Come back and see if those cravings have subsided. If they haven’t, try drinking some water before you resume your work. This way you don’t end up eating a whole bag of chips because you’re frustrated.

Talk to Someone

Talking will help you to get your feelings out of the way. If you’re feeling depressed, chat with someone who can listen attentively and offer their support. You can also enroll in different support groups and programs like mental health treatment programs. This will help you share and grow in your journey. 

If you’re trying to quit something harmful like drugs or alcohol, talk about it with any supportive person in your life. Seek someone willing to help you hold yourself accountable for what is good for your health.

The important thing here is that if talking doesn’t work, there might be other more serious underlying issues at hand. You may need professional attention from an expert on this subject matter, such as a therapist or counselor. Seeking their help could very well save your life!

Accept and Embrace the Change

Accepting and embracing these habits may be difficult. But it is the first step to making a change and leaving your old ways behind. Realize that these habits are not permanent but temporary. They will eventually go away if you try hard enough to make the change. It may be challenging at first, but anyone can do it.

Acceptance is the first step to moving forward. However, sometimes you have to let go of the past and embrace that it will never be what you want or expected. It is hard but sometimes necessary!

Surround Yourself With Positivity

The fourth method to stop creating habits is to surround yourself with positivity.  When positive and uplifting people surround you, it can help you escape your negative patterns. Focusing on what you like about yourself and those around you helps push the negativity out of life. 

It is okay if someone else does something that makes you feel bad. Remember, there is a difference between feeling angry or justified in your anger. If you need support after experiencing an emotionally draining situation, reach out for assistance from those who love and care about you. They can remind you how strong and capable you are.

Conclusion

You cannot control everything that happens. You’ll always have triggers and emotions that affect your behavior. However, by understanding this, you can try to change habits little by little in a healthy way so they don’t overwhelm you.

You may not be able to stop repeating negative patterns entirely. Still, with some self-awareness, support from others, and surrounding ourselves with positivity, you can begin the process of creating new positive habits for life!

For most of us, life completely changed during the COVID pandemic as we were confined to our houses. Even though the lockdowns are coming to an end and life is slowly starting to return to normal, that doesn’t mean that things are going to be exactly the same as they were before. 

During the lockdowns, many of us picked up bad habits. We have carried them with us, even as we head outside again. If you want to protect your physical and mental health during this transitional period, it’s important that you look at these behaviors and take steps to change them. These are some of the bad habits that you need to undo after the COVID lockdown. 

Excessive Drinking 

When you’re cooped up in your house for days, it’s hard not to get cabin fever. Much of the time, this led to excessive drinking for people who wanted to pass the time or calm their nerves. When you didn’t have to get up for work or go out anywhere, it was easier to convince yourself that it’s fine to drink more regularly.  Unfortunately, if you got used to drinking excessively during the lockdowns, your brain can easily rewire itself to crave alcohol. If you are seriously concerned, you should get in touch with American Addiction Centers for some advice on how to cut down again. If you don’t tackle this habit now, it will only get worse and start causing serious health problems for you. 

Unhealthy Eating  

With so many people locked up in their houses with only takeout to eat, it’s not surprising that over half of the United States population gained at least ten pounds during the COVID pandemic. Even when supermarkets started opening again, most people didn’t want to go out and start running errands all over again. A lot of people also got into the habit of comfort eating because they were anxious about the situation. So, as things get back to normal, take a look at your diet and make some positive changes. This is especially important because an improved diet can protect you from the more serious symptoms of COVID. 

Overusing Social Media  

With so many apps to allow you to talk to your friends during the COVID lockdown, it’s not surprising that so many people increased the amount of time they spent on social media. However, excessive social media use can have a huge impact on your mental health and your productivity. So, as you start heading outside and getting back to normal again, try to keep your social media use to a minimum. You can get some great apps to limit screen time if you are finding it difficult. 

Lack Of Structure and Routine 

When you are stuck at home, it can be easy to let your day-to-day routine slide. When people were out of work for months due to the pandemic, their normal routine went out of the window. But routine is important if you want to stay happy and healthy. You should pay attention to the way that you break up your days and even if it seems a bit rigid, start planning your time so you can develop a good routine. 

We’ve all picked up bad habits during the lockdown and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. However, you do need to focus on breaking those habits before they get worse.