Wellbeing is a state of mind and body where you feel you’re operating at your best. It’s a state of mental positivity and a sense that your body is ready to respond without restrictions. In short, you feel healthy and that you can handle anything that comes your way.
Reaching a state of well-being is work, and that work isn’t always easy to accomplish. You may find that you need outside help to examine your thought processes, create routines that you can stick to, and change habits that are holding you back. Read on to learn more about the key practices to help you find your well-being and why they’re essential to finding your peace of mind and body.
The importance of combining mental and physical health routines
The main focus of well-being is that of reaching a neutral or slightly positive mental state that enables you to handle stress in a healthy manner. In order to maintain your well-being, you need to take care of your mind as well as your body for the best results. Your body influences your mind, and vice versa. When you’ve taken care of both, you can achieve a state of mind that’s easy to maintain and a body that functions nicely.
Make it a point to find time for meditation, mindfulness, or self-reflection, and do it when you’re least likely to be disturbed. The same goes for physical activity, whether it’s walking a mile or a full weightlifting routine at the gym. Both of these activities help you burn off the energy that’s created by anxiety and stress, and help you get to the core of issues that are bothering you. Consider it a kind of cleansing process that makes it easier for your body and mind to work in concert with each other.
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Clean up your sleep cycle
Going to bed at a similar time each night and getting enough sleep is vital to your well-being. Your body needs the rest to repair itself, and your brain needs to flush out the toxins that have built up over the day. Both mind and body use sleep to reset their systems along with making sure the connections between systems are free and clear.
The body’s internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, sets various functions in motion throughout the day. It also regulates a majority of the body’s functions, such as hormones, executive functionality, and sleep/wake cycles. In order for the circadian rhythm to do its job properly, you need to stick to a regular sleep cycle as much as possible. The end result is that you feel better, your systems function with regularity, and your mental state isn’t easily upset.
Listening to your body
During your younger years, you most likely found yourself full of limitless energy and the feeling that you could keep going forever. You probably found yourself crashing unexpectedly once you took the pressure off yourself in the form of hunger and sleep. As age advances, it’s more difficult to maintain these bursts of energy, and your body will extract its need for rest and recovery in ways you may not expect.
Slow down instead of trying to draw on your energy reserves. If there’s a part of your body that’s aching, it’s telling you to stop the activity you’re engaging in. If you can’t stop using that part of your body, try to adjust yourself so you don’t keep putting strain on that area. And if your body is demanding that you sleep more than usual, take the hint and go back to sleep if you can.
The body is being honest when it sends out signals of discomfort. That is, there’s a reason why you ache, and you’ll recover more quickly when you heed the warning.
Find a relaxing activity
A relaxing activity can be anything from yoga, playing cards with a group of friends, a video game or app that lets you play without a lot of concentration or a hobby that encourages mastery of the craft. The core purpose of the activity should have little to no pressure, yet provide a little bit of a challenge to keep your interest.
Being able to relax while still engaging your mind and body in pursuit of a result lets you feel like you’ve accomplished something without a lot of stress. There’s little need for competition or drive to win, yet there’s a result you can be proud of. The satisfaction is immeasurable and delivers the feeling of having a purpose in life outside of work.
Speak up for yourself
It’s normal not to say much of anything in challenging situations, especially when you don’t want to rock the boat. The problem is, this results in you being taken advantage of more often than not, finding yourself signed on for work that you didn’t want, and expending your energy with little to no benefit to yourself.
Speaking up goes towards creating a boundary between you and those who are trying to take advantage of you. The result is that you push back against those who want you to give of yourself while returning nothing of value. The result is one of mental satisfaction, knowing that you prevented someone from taking your time and effort away from you.
Consider getting professional help
Finding your sense of well-being is work, and it’s not always easy. You can find yourself trapped in toxic thought patterns or behaviors, or you may not realize you’re engaging in them at all. A mental health professional can help you identify these issues, give you space to explore why you’re thinking this way, and help you develop mental tools to deal with your issues.
The same goes for your physical health, especially if you’re dealing with a chronic condition. Lowering stress levels through well-being serves to reduce internal inflammation that can make an existing condition worse.
Why it’s worth working on your wellbeing
There’s no denying the fact that life is full of stress and less-than-ideal situations. Finding your state of well-being not only helps you deal with these negative inputs, it also helps you find a better outlook on life. The result is one of being in a relaxed state, more overall awareness, and less worry about what could go wrong in life.
Wellbeing brings you to a state of mental and physical health that may have once seemed impossible. It also lets you step back, get a wider view of things, and realize that you can handle just about anything that life sends your way.
