Where does all the time go? Finding time for yourself is near impossible when you are trying to juggle work and family commitments, but to keep functioning and maintain the status quo, you need to be fit, healthy and happy to be effective at this game called life. Here are some areas of your life to review so that you can be the best version of you.
Sleep
Yes, you may be time-strapped and it may seem counter-intuitive that sleep can help you achieve more during your waking hours, but a good night’s sleep is the answer. Sleep deprivation doesn’t just happen from one night of bad sleep, rather it is the cumulative effect of many nights of poor quality sleep – which can be from waking children, too much screen time before bed, drinking excess alcohol and caffeine. Aim to be screen free for the hour before bedtime – read a book instead. Limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine you drink and encourage your children to stay quietly in their bed until an appropriate hour.
Healthy adults require between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night, so if your day begins at 6:00am, you need to be regularly going to bed around 9.30pm to avoid sleep deprivation. A good night’s sleep:
- Helps you to focus easier.
- Helps you to make better decisions.
- Improves your memory.
- Improves reaction time.
Sleep helps you to be more efficient and productive with your time.
Diet
You may be lured to the convenience food section of the grocery store, or have the takeout number on speed dial, but how you fuel your body needs to be reviewed to help it work to its full potential. You should aim to eat as many freshly prepared meals as possible so that your body receives the nutrients that it needs to perform at its optimum.
Taking care of what you eat is essential to maintain its performance but also its ability to function over your lifetime. The dietary decisions you make today directly impacts your tomorrow. If you are eating healthier food options, you will find that you can lose weight in a structured and healthy way, rather than fad-dieting that only offers a temporary solution. Adjust your eating habits so that you can maintain your health and waistline.
Exercise
Exercise is one way to feel great about yourself. As your body exerts, you naturally release the feel-good hormones called endorphins. No matter what gender you are, what age you are or what fitness level you are currently at, there is an exercise that you will be able to do which will positively impact your life.
The great news is that you don’t have to devote to hours at the gym to gain the advantages to your mind and body that exercise brings. Research has shown that high-intensity interval training, or HIIT as it is commonly known, yields the same benefits as more traditional aerobic exercises. Even if you only have a free ten minutes per day, you can take advantage of a complete workout by including HIIT and some strength training.
Spend time with people you like
You will be already familiar with the term ‘laughter is the best medicine’; it’s the best antidote the trials and challenges that life throws at us. Spending quality time with friends and family members that make you laugh is not only enjoyable but a healthy way to pass the time.
Humor is a great way to help you to process information and lessen the burden of a challenge that you are facing. Sometimes all you need is a fresh perspective from the people that know and love you to transform a worrisome situation into something that is more manageable and positive.
Socializing with loved ones plays several important roles:
- It reminds you of your enthusiasm for life.
- Diminishes stress and anxiety.
- Improves your mood.
- Builds your resilience.
- Releases your inhibitions.
Therapy
Life’s events affect how you feel about yourself, and sometimes it is helpful to talk through your issues with a 3rd party who is nothing to do with you or the characters involved in the situations. You spend time seeking solutions to optimize your physical abilities, so why not pay the same care and attention to your mental and cognitive health?
Therapy can be a wonderful way of helping you come to terms with your past so that your future is not blighted or held back by your past. Therapy is not just about correcting harmful behavior or thinking patterns, it is also a way of gradually unlocking your inner potential and improving your life. Therapy can be the key to learning to loving and accepting yourself, improving your communication skills and help you to understand where you want your life to go.
Education
Education is more than a certificate for your wall or a new addition to your CV. Education provides you with a knowledge of the world that you previously didn’t have. Whether you decide to complete a career-relevant qualification or learn about something that you’ve always been interested in, gaining more knowledge is a wonderful way to self-improve.
Whereas once education was restricted in terms of the colleges and courses that you were able to get to, now you have online courses that are accessible to you 24/7. The types of courses are limitless, and if you have a yearning to learn about a topic – do it! Your brain is a muscle and needs regular exercising to strengthen it, just as the muscles in your arms do. If you want to learn about a subject, you have the resources at your fingertips, so take advantage.
You only have one shot at life, and so you need to make sure that the decisions that you make are future-proofed for tomorrow. You will find that once you start the journey of self-improvement, the other aspects of your life follow suit as you become healthier, more confident and able to cope with the challenges of life.
