7. Get enough sleep
Not feeling fully
rested can make you feel grumpy and unproductive throughout the day. Try to
get seven to
eight hours of sleep each night.
Find ways to improve
the quality of your sleep by reducing your caffeine consumption late in the
day, taking a melatonin supplement, or relaxing in a warm bath or shower before
bedtime.
Check out
these other tips for getting a better night’s rest.
8. Breathe consciously
Take a moment at the
bus stop, in line at the grocery store, or before nodding off to sleep to focus
on your breathing. Practicing even a few minutes a day of deep breathing has been shown to jumpstart our body’s
relaxation response and regulate stress.
DEEP BREATHING 101
Roantree suggests trying the following technique:
- Inhale as you normally would.
- Exhale, making sure you take longer than you did to inhale.
- Repeat this process until you start to feel relaxed. If you prefer
to count, try breathing in for the count of 4, holding for the count of 7,
and exhaling for the count of 8.
9. Clean for 30 minutes
The way you feel
about your home can influence whether your time there is restorative or
stressful.
The next time you
have a spare 30 minutes, set a timer and tackle some quick household chores
that’ll add a little brightness to your day, such as:
- cleaning your bathroom
mirror
- hanging that picture you
love but haven’t gotten around to displaying
- clearing off your desk
Reward yourself by
taking some time to enjoy your refreshed space — do a face mask in your newly
clean bathroom, for example.
10. Forgive yourself and others
Holding on to regret,
pain, and resentment hurts others. But it also hurts you. When you feel any of
these emotions, it affects your mood and how you treat everyone, including
yourself.
Check out our tips for letting go of
the past.
11. Engage in self-care
We often think
of self-care as
manicures and spa treatments (which are all great ways to destress). But
according to Jackson, daily self-care goes way beyond pampering. “It’s also
about eating well and getting enough nutrition to support your brain and body,”
she explains.
Similarly, make sure
you’re exercising or mindfully moving your body, taking time to connect with
others, and having some relaxation or down time for yourself.
These don’t need to
be time-consuming endeavors. Look for quick 10- or 20-minute pockets of time in
your day where you can head outside for a walk or prepare yourself a bowl of
fresh fruit.
12. Be kind to yourself
Many of us have the
habit of lingering on something that was said to us, replaying it often in our
minds. Instead of taking things personally and being self-critical, Jackson
recommends offering empathy and understanding to the other person, as well as
ourselves.
Think of all the ways
you make a positive impact to those around you and try writing them down each
day. Again, these don’t have to be grand gestures.
Maybe you held the
door open for someone carrying some heavy bags. Or started brewing a fresh pot
of coffee at work when you noticed it was getting low.
If you find you’re
still struggling to change your frame of mind, Jackson advises to think of it
this way: “Tomorrow is a new day, so if you beat yourself up today about
something, let yourself off the hook and start fresh tomorrow.”
BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND
Try to treat yourself the same way you would a loved one. Would you
constantly talk down to your best friend if they had an “off” day and dropped
the ball on something?
Hopefully not. And you shouldn’t talk to yourself that way, either.
The bottom line
It’s normal to get
caught up in trying to become the best version of yourself. But being a better
person starts with treating yourself with the same loving kindness as you do
others.
This means not
judging yourself harshly when your fall short of your goals and showing
yourself patience and compassion on your bad days.
Keep in mind that
there are many ways to become a better person, and those offered here are just
a few. Find what feels most joyous and nurturing and try to build them into
your daily life.
Source: https://bit.ly/3r7RTmH
About the authors
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D.,
CRNP — Written by Cindy Lamothe
Cindy Lamothe
is a freelance journalist based in Guatemala. She writes often about the
intersections between health, wellness, and the science of human behavior.
She’s written for The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, Quartz, The
Washington Post, and many more. Find her at cindylamothe.com.
Dr. Timothy Legg
is board-certified as both a geriatric and psychiatric mental health nurse
practitioner and is also a licensed psychologist. He graduated from Touro
College in New York with a doctorate in health sciences research and education
and from California Southern University in Irvine, CA, with a doctorate in
clinical psychology. He’s currently a university professor and clinician in
private practice. He’s certified in addiction counseling, public health, health
education, and is also an AIDS-certified registered nurse. Tim is a vegetarian,
and in his free time, he’s an avid weight lifter and jogger.
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