Many factors influence and shape your life, including the routines and rituals you adopt and maintain. As you incorporate small healthy habits into your day, they can have a large impact on your overall health and wellbeing – for the better. This is because healthy habits have the power to impact your mood, energy levels, reactions, thoughts and emotions in a positive way.
what are healthy habits?
While each person’s habits and wellbeing journey will differ, healthy habits can be universally recognised as regular behaviours that support your physical, emotional, social, financial and sexual wellbeing. These practices are a personal commitment to your health and happiness.
how to maintain positive habits
Although we understand the benefits in adopting these behaviours, developing healthy habits (and sticking to them) can take some time. But there is a principle you can adopt when integrating a new habit into your life – the atomic approach. Atomic habits are small, incremental changes that are performed with the intention to build positive habits over time. It’s about focusing on tiny, consistent improvements, with the understanding that these changes will lead to significant results in the longer term.
Tip
Aligning your atomic habits to the principle of micro-rituals – small, intentional acts of self-care – will help to enhance their accessibility and increase the likelihood that you will repeat the behaviour.
healthy habits to adopt
nurturing your sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene refers to habits that foster optimal sleep quality and restoration. Adopting good sleep practices has an array of benefits from enhanced cognitive performance, improved brain function and a stronger immune system.
Listening to a sound healing or practising aromatherapy before bed can be an effective way to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
nourishing your skin
Maintaining a radiant, youthful complexion comes from nourishing your skin with the right skincare products. By creating positive skincare habits, you can help your skin thrive, whilst boosting your self-confidence.
When first embarking on your skincare journey, keep things simple. By focusing on the three fundamental steps of cleansing, moisturising and applying SPF, you’ll give your complexion what it needs to ensure its luminosity.
setting yourself up for financial wellbeing
Wellbeing is not only about your emotional and physical state. Factors outside of you can also play a big part, like your finances. Developing habits that enable you to foster a positive relationship with your money is the first step towards welcoming a life of abundance and prosperity.
Visualisation techniques and practising affirmations are two habits you can adopt to shift into a belief-mindset around wealth creation and financial harmony. By helping to paint a clear picture of your financial goals, these habits help reinforce a positive money-mindset, bolstering your financial wellbeing.
fueling your mind and body
Building positive practices around exercise and nutrition will keep your mind and body fuelled, so that you can feel your best. Working in unison, regular exercise and healthy eating leads to increased vitality, improved cognitive function, and bolstered physical and mental wellbeing.
When forming new habits around exercise and nutrition it’s always best to start small. Think back to atomic habits. This is a great philosophy to adopt, as it focuses on the behaviour rather than the results. By taking this approach, you’re able to focus on the small daily wins such as completing 15 minutes of yoga, or cooking a protein-packed dinner, whilst keeping the longer term goals in sight.
learning to look after yourself
Being aware of your social bandwidth is important for managing your emotional wellbeing. By understanding your capacity for social engagement – and recognising when you need to take time to recharge your social battery – you’ll prevent burnout and maintain healthier relationships. Awareness of your social bandwidth also allows you to set boundaries and prioritise your own needs.
Fill your cup with self-love habits such as reading, journaling, or walking in nature to help rejuvenate your energy and create a healthy balance between socialising and self-care.
When incorporating new healthy habits into your life, it’s important to remember why you started – to improve your wellbeing and add enrichment to your life. By adopting this mindset, you can stay on track with your goals and embrace a lifestyle that promotes personal growth and fulfilment.