Bring Change Through Mindfulness, Gratitude, And Nutrition
We all know that taking care of ourselves is important, but when you think about it, health is really our most critical asset. If we don’t have health, it’s difficult to steward and enjoy the rest of the assets we are entrusted with. Here are a few simple ideas from our friend Jim at Money With Jim to keep our health on track so we can effectively take care of all the good things in our lives.
Many people are leading busy lives these days, trying to balance work obligations, a family, relationships with extended family and friends, and social or parenting obligations. It is common for this whirlwind of a lifestyle to start to feel like a monotonous grind, leaving many struggling to get unstuck. During these times, men and women may find it helpful to work on improving their nutrition and overall health, and utilizing techniques related to mindfulness and gratitude can be a powerful approach to turning things around. Consider these wellness tips from GD Herring.
Mindfulness shifts your thinking about your daily routines
The Mindful site explains that mindfulness can help people become better aware of how they think. When life gets hectic and repetitive, it is easy to sink into negative thinking patterns and these can take a serious toll on your overall health. Stress levels rise, self-doubt escalates, and self-care gets shuffled to the side. These problems can often be compounded depending on which industry you work in. For example, while professionals and those in the technical and scientific fields are often the healthiest workers, those who work in nursing and retail are the unhealthiest. As such, those who work in “unhealthy” industries tend to experience higher levels of stress and self-doubt, as well as a lack of self-care.
In practicing mindfulness, you work to become better aware of your thoughts and how they are impacting you. By taking even a few minutes a day to do some mindfulness exercises, you can bring forth some calm and clarity to combat the frustration of the daily grind. Pocket Mindfulness suggests that taking the time to do techniques related to mindful breathing, observation, listening or awareness can provide a much-needed reset.
Practicing gratitude can change your perceptions
Along with working on mindfulness, focusing on gratitude can help women and men overcome frustrations related to the daily grind of their chaotic lives. For example, some people find it helpful to spend a bit of time each day noting five things that they are grateful for or appreciate. Many enjoy maintaining a gratitude journal where they make note of these things every day, and this experience can lead to big changes when it comes to handling your everyday life.
Happify Daily explains that gratitude journaling helps people change their perceptions on what is happening around them by shifting their focus. Be specific in what you are grateful for and push beyond the obvious. After a while, you will likely notice significant improvements to your overall well-being. You may feel kinder and more compassionate, experience better sleep, have a stronger immune system, and feel more positive and alive. These improvements will go a long way toward improving how you feel about your daily routines.
It is not always easy to see the positive in situations, but working on practicing gratitude can help to change your thinking. Psychology Today suggests that when you are struck with a negative thought about someone or something, make an effort to turn it around and focus on some positive trait instead. Focusing on gratitude can be immensely challenging, but it can lead to major improvements in your overall health.
Nutrition is closely aligned with mindfulness and gratitude
Nutrition is closely linked to mindfulness and gratitude, as these components all work together in terms of building your overall health. It is not uncommon for a woman’s relationship with food to become unhealthy, especially when they feel they are stuck in a monotonous or stressful cycle in their lives.
By focusing on nutrient-rich foods, your mind and body are strengthened. If you are looking to build your overall wellness and stamina, it helps to focus on whole grains, high-fiber fruits, colorful vegetables, legumes, lentils, and fermented foods high in probiotics like yogurt and sauerkraut. If you slow down and be mindful when you’re eating, you may find that your relationship with food improves and your overall well-being is strengthened as well. Developing good eating habits can help things from preventing high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression.
Life is chaotic these days and it is common to start feeling stressed over the daily grind of all that needs to get done. People from all walks of life can improve their overall wellness and rejuvenate their attitude by embracing quality nutrition and working on gratitude and mindfulness. It takes an effort for people to pull away from the typical patterns of life to shift focus, but the results can bring powerful changes to one’s attitude and joy for their life.
Jim McKinley is a retired banker with almost 30 years of experience in the financial world. He created Money with Jim to share his advice and other resources on a variety of financial topics.
