How many times do you tell yourself next week will be different?
“I’m going to eat healthier.”
“I’ll start exercising.”
“I’m going to be productive.”
Do these sound familiar?
We strive to live a happy and fulfilling life, but some days, it is just not that simple. We pressure ourselves to do big changes in our lives, but sometimes, even the littlest change can yield great outcomes.
Change is nothing until you make it into habit. Identify your bad habits and replace them with good ones. I stopped doing these happiness busters and now, I feel happier and healthier than I’ve ever been.
- I Stopped Being Lazy
I’ve always made “taking a break” an excuse to be lazy. On days when I would lay on the couch to “rest”, I don’t feel rested at all. I used to think that taking these breaks will motivate me and boost my mood, but it’s the other way around. I feel more tired, drained, and sad.
When I stopped being lazy, it opened up the door of possibility. Laziness has held me back in a place of excuses for a long time. I’ve never really done anything different or new for years.
Start with small steps forward. Take morning walks, use the stairs instead of the elevator, ride the bike instead of your car, do brisk walking, or clean the dishes. After that, I decided to incorporate 10 active minutes every day, I hired an online personal trainer, I changed my desk to a standing one-I turned these habits into a daily routine and never turned back.
- I Stopped Overworking
Just when you think you’re being productive, you’re not. Slow down. You’re pushing yourself over the edge when you’ve already fallen. Overworking is a sign of mismanaged time. I used to be lazy for weeks, pushing my tasks back to the burner as much as I can, then I go from zero to hypermode just to finish the pile of work that I made myself. The crash and burn feels twice as heavy.
To break this habit, acknowledge that you decide your calendar. Any task that you keep pushing back is going nowhere. Do it now, not tomorrow, not later. Also, learn to say no. It’s not rude, it doesn’t mean you’re not working hard, it simply means that the new task doesn’t align with your vision and schedule at that time.
- I Stopped Being a Bad Eater
A bad diet-grabbing anything at arm’s length that always happen to be junk food-has always been my go-to stress buster. I have this thought of “rewarding” myself through food to ease a bad day. There’s nothing wrong about eating ice cream, pizza, or chocolates once in a while. But overeating is what makes it a bad habit.
I learned to nourish my body with the right food by starting a food journal and being conscious of what I consume. Instead drinking cups of coffee in the morning, I replaced it with herbal green tea. I still feel energized minus the crash two hours later. One of my friends tried something a little different when she replaced her morning coffee. She started drinking hemp tea instead because of all the benefits you always hear about. Apparently, having some tea with CBD in it can improve daily wellbeing significantly. She seems to be enjoying her new drink. If you don’t like green tea, you could always try finding some tea with CBD in it. I also started incorporating natural herbs in my meals. Not only they enhance the flavors of my food, they help me balance my hormones and get better, quality sleep.
- I Stopped Being Messy
I used to come home to a pile of dirty clothes, dishes, and random things I don’t even remember using. I open the garage door, and I see the same level of clutter, piling up, collecting dust.
To be perfectly honest with you our garage has seen better days. For some time now the door has been getting jammed. Although this might have something to do with all the junk cluttering up our garage, we have decided to discuss with a garage door opener specialist some ideas about getting our garage door replaced. We have had the same garage door for as long as I can remember so it might finally be time to do something about it. Plus, our friends have kindly recommended a garage door repair specialist to us. Apparently, they managed to find a fantastic garage door repair expert on 1stgaragedoor.com. Hopefully, the next time we speak, the issue with my garage door will be resolved!
Anyway, there are no doubts about it, living in a cluttered and dirty environment is stressful. Being disorganized is seriously a bad habit of mine. Stuff was everywhere. My home was supposed to be my oasis after a day’s work, but the sight of it makes me more stressed.
I needed to stop being messy. I stopped leaving dirty clothes on the floor. I stopped hanging my jacket on the back of the chair. I stopped collecting dirty dishes in my room. I stopped holding onto things I don’t even use. I purged my home and I was brutal about it. If I haven’t used something in the last six months and I have no plans of using it, it has to go.
- I Stopped Constantly Checking My Phone and Social Media
I’m guilty of this. Constantly checking my phone like I’m missing on something important. Technology is a double-edged sword. It made immense advancements in modern communication, but we’re slowly missing actual, human interaction.
When I stopped obsessing over my phone and social media, I started to appreciate and enjoy personal conversations. I feel more authentic. I learned to build lasting relationships. I stopped seeking social validation and just enjoy happy moments without announcing it on Facebook or Twitter.
Author Bio
Jane is a health and fitness writer by day, ninja mom by night. She is a nurse by profession and a writer by passion. She has a soft spot for macadamia chocolate and green tea, an internet savvy who loves Excel sheets and sticky notes.
