MOVE
Get Off the Couch: Get up and move around. Sitting makes you feel sluggish and is associated with a number of bad health outcomes, like weight gain, heart disease, and even cancer. Standing and moving makes you feel vibrant.
Stay Active: Since you’re up anyway, why not take a walk for 20 minutes? Daily exercise improves mood, brain function, and overall health. It’s a simple way to be good to yourself.
REPLENISH
Sleep More: Most of us don’t get enough sleep. We stay up watching television or finishing work, or we just ignore our bodies’ signals that it’s time for rest. But getting enough sleep is one of the best ways to take care of your health. Sleeping more can improve your mood and memory.
Eat Something Green and Drink Water: Junk food makes your body feel run down, whereas greens and pure water have been associated with lowing inflammation, thus staving off a wide range of diseases.
Take a Day Off From Work: Taking a little time away can reset your energy and mood, and lower stress. You can use the time to rest, play, or catch up. You’ll lower your body’s stress hormones, and brighten your mood.
STAY CONNECTED
Call An Old Friend: Long-standing relationships are a source of wellbeing, and staying closely connected to friends and family improves happiness and extends life expectancy.
Make Time For Family: Just like friends, relationship connections with family are good for your health. Feeling like you are part of a circle of loved ones will extend your life expectancy and improve your daily level of happiness.
ORGANIZE
Your Time: Living a chaotic life increased stress. Taking time to stop and get your schedule organized can lower anxiety and help you stay present in each moment, improving mood.
Your Stuff: finding a place for everything makes everything easier to find when you need it. Whether it is your favorite pen, tools in your garage, or shoes in your closet, taking some time to organize your stuff saves time and stress by reducing the amount of daily time you spending searching for something.
UNPLUG
Take a Break From Email: The tech revolution has made daily life easier in many ways, but it has also allowed many adults to never stop working. We’re available by email on our vacations, or even during trips to the restroom. Logging off decreases the constant pressure to get tasks done the moment they come up. For your well-being, it can wait.
Turn of Your Device: Text messages, social media, phone calls… the smart phone is a hub for constant stimulation. Many of us can feel obligated to keep it in our hands at all times, but doing so and increase stress and worry. Putting the phone away for a few hours lowers anxiety and improves the quality of the moment you’re living right now.
Take a Walk Outside: Nature makes a great salve for the soul. Whether you need exercise, or you’re trying to lower stress, a stroll outside among the trees is a great act of self-care for all of us.
LAUGH
Every Chance You Get: Laughter lowers stress and makes us feel connected to the people around us when we share it with them. Relaxing and having a laugh has been shown to improve health, lower risk for disease, strengthen relationships, and generally just make us feel better.
JOIN
A Book Club or Exercise Class: Being part of a group brings new people into our lives, and keeps us connected. Joining a book club, or physical activity class, gives an opportunity to learn something new and connect with a wider circle, both of which are good for health and well-being.
A Social Group: Getting together with a new group is beneficial, whether you’re sharing a book or just hanging out. Being part of a meet up group or other social club extends your network, lets you check out and relax, and is a great way to expand your circle.
CREATE
Write, Paint, or Draw: Creating art is a great way to release emotion. If you’re not a talker, or if you need a secondary outlet other than your friends and family, creating art is a great act of self-care. It lowers your stress and helps you cope with emotions.