Most of us feel exhausted after working for at least eight hours a day, five days a week plus the one-hour commute on both ends. When we get home, we watch at least two episodes on Netflix because it’s damn well-deserved and the only time we get to “relax” before we go to sleep. Wake up and repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat. No wonder you feel tired.
So how do you get out of this vicious cycle? How do you restart your life?
The first 3 things to check to make sure you have right: Your mindset, your sleep, your food.
Why these three? Because these are three keystone habits you’re doing. Tweaking existing habits is much easier than adding new ones in, and if these three aren’t in good shape in your life, you can bet you won’t be in the optimal shape to start making positive changes in your life.
So let’s start.
- YOUR MINDSET
“Oh man, another one of these self-improvement things. I hope I can do it, but I’ve tried these things before, and I just never stick with it.”
If you realize that your brain is trying to sabotage you, what can you do? Well, the tip here is to talk to yourself like you’re talking to a friend, or a coworker, or a child who is being told by a bully they can’t do something they want to try.
So the next time you try something new, be kind to yourself like you would be kind to others. You are your own worst critic. But you can also be your staunch defender. Stand up for yourself against yourself.
- YOUR SLEEP
Without sufficient sleep, we’re basically going through the day drunk. This means tiredness, difficulty to respond quickly and smartly to anything that comes up.
The entire myth about “sleep is for the weak” is actually more accurate reversed: without sleep, you are weak. You are more irritable, slow, stupid and much easier to actually get sick.
The sleeping hours needed for an average adult ranges from 7 to 9 hours. This is an absolutely must. Without sleep, your body and mind is weak, slow, and definitely not energetic enough to accommodate any new activities you want to do.
- YOUR FOOD
We all have heard of the phrase “you are what you eat.” But in the plethora of information available out there, what can we actually begin with? What are the easiest steps and rules of thumb to keep in mind?
- Eat when you’re hungry. Don’t eat when you’re not.
- Be mindful when you eat. Chew at least 20 times. Let yourself taste and digestyour food.
- Don’t do three things at once when you’re eating. Your body wasn’t made for that.
- Preferably, eat “real” food. Eat food your great-grandmother would realize as food. “Real” food seems expensive, but there are plenty of books and articles out there that talk about how to eat cheaply and healthily.
YOUR LIFE
Don’t let your days roll by in the continual humdrum. Start by re-examining these key habits in your life already to build a body that can start doing things you want.
To can read the original version of this post here.