Sometimes life throws you a curveball and it makes you realize how much you need a mental reset. Not to get into details, but a few months ago, I received my curveball. Consider below the outcome of my reset.
Recently, I have been making a conscious effort to be more “mindful” in my everyday life which basically means, I’m working to focus on the present moment while allowing myself to acknowledge and accepting my feelings and thoughts.
I’ve started small and tried to implement 5 activities into my everyday routine which are promoting my (what I like to call) ‘mental glow up’.
I asked Katie if she has seen a change in me and the verdict is in, she said “yes”. I am obviously taking that as confirmation that I am now an expert and that means that I should share those 5 actions with you all!
- Practice gratitude every day. This one seems like a no brainer but take a moment to think about how often you actually verbalize or write down the things in your life that you are grateful for. For me, this realization hit hard. I consider myself a grateful person but I realized I rarely take the time to truly be present in the feeling of gratitude and pass it on to others.
We have started a new routine in our flat where every night we discuss two highs and a low from our day, it gives us all the opportunity to evaluate what has happened in our day that we are grateful for and what happened that we can learn from.
I have also started using the ‘Happyfeed’ app as a way to keep myself on track with my daily gratitude. - Breathe. Yeah, no shit. But seriously, be selfish and take 10-15 minutes every day to sit and focus on your breathing. I find that spending 10 minutes every morning before I leave for work allows me to calm myself before a busy day and just focus on how I am feeling and really evaluate myself before moving forward with my day. I genuinely believe that I’m a nicer, calmer, and overall happier person because of these 10 minutes.
- Tell yourself how awesome you are. This is something I will admit that I was bad at but as it turns out, positive affirmations are the real deal! In the car, in the shower, while out for a run, try to tell yourself (out loud if you can), 5 things you truly love and admire about yourself. Do this every single day! Slowly you will start to believe it (if you don’t already, which you SHOULD!) and will start to carry that appreciation for yourself through everything you do. Remind yourself that you are enough exactly how you are.
- Focus on the three fundamentals; exercise, sleep, and healthy eating.
Make a set sleep schedule for yourself and try your best to stick to it every day, get 30 minutes minimum of exercise (even if it’s just a light walk), and eat your bloody greens!
After all, if you don’t make time for wellness, you will have to make time for illness. - Manage your digital diet. Yes, I am a hypocrite BUT, I am trying! Try to pick up a book instead of your phone next time you’re bored or decide to shut off your phone an hour before you sleep at night. Small changes go a long way, you’ll be surprised how clear your brain feels!
Now go get that mental glow up but as always, take everything I say with a grain of salt.
– Tegan
