Who you are as a person is, according to one point of view, a product of what you do every day. But doing the right things every day is often a matter of falling into the right groove, more than it is one of summoning enough willpower. If you want a lifestyle that supports your general wellbeing, in other words, it’s a good idea to start with daily habits.
Why does mental and physical well-being matter?
It might seem self-evident that physical and mental health are good things. But what’s not always so obvious is that they’re mutually supportive. If your mental well-being begins to suffer, then you might feel less inclined to do the things that support your physical well-being. Conversely, a lack of physical well-being will almost always lead to inferior mental well-being (which is why exercise is often a good cure for low-level mental health problems).
Moreover, we should consider that the fitness we build today will have an impact on how we feel long into the future. If you want to build longevity and ‘health span’ (that is, the likelihood that you’ll not only live longer, but enjoy a good quality of life later on), then it’s a good idea to start now.
The importance of creating habits and routines
Consistency matters when we’re trying to develop our well-being. When we make changes to our lifestyle, we want to be able to keep them up every day, ideally for the rest of our lives.
The good news is that developing a habit can be self-reinforcing. Once you’ve been doing a certain thing, or set of things, every morning before you go to work, then you may begin to feel strange when you haven’t done them.
Getting your life into order can often help to drive down stress. You might think of yourself as a naturally chaotic person, when the truth is that you simply haven’t developed the right habits. Doing the dishes every day, tidying the bedroom or home office consistently, and keeping a daily record of the tasks you need to do – all these things can be naturally therapeutic.
For tasks that need to be performed once a year, you might set a reminder. Booking an MOT near you online at the start of the month will provide you with peace of mind, even if it isn’t due until the end.In some cases, the habits we build can be helpful physiologically as well as mentally. If we develop consistent sleep patterns, for example, then our body will produce melatonin at the right periods, and send us to sleep reliably. If our sleep patterns are unreliable, then we’ll find it much more difficult to get to sleep at the right time. It’s for this reason that shift workers are often chronically sleep-deprived.
Luciana, a proud Brazilian, blends her passion for jiu-jitsu with a deep-rooted connection to spirituality and well-being. Her dedication to the martial art reflects not just a physical discipline, but a holistic approach to life, seeking balance in mind, body, and spirit. Whether on the mats or in meditation, Luciana embodies the essence of harmony and inner strength.