Your well-being is an overall measure of your health, happiness, and contentment in life. It is all-encompassing. If you have a low sense of well-being, you are likely to be suffering in a number of ways. These include your physical and mental health. You may well have a negative mindset which means you focus on all the bad things in life. You may still be partaking in toxic habits and seeing toxic people. You may be struggling with limited time and cramming too much into your days. This can be extremely stressful. To improve your well-being, you can take a multipronged approach. It is important to start changing things gradually, and as soon as you start seeing the results, you will be motivated to do more. So, let’s discover a few approaches you can take to improve your health and well-being.
A Minimalist Lifestyle
Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is a great way to create more time, reduce stress, and focus on the things that are of value in your life now. Essentially it is a way of freeing yourself up to have more time for the things that actually matter. To begin with, you can conduct a thorough decluttering of your living space. Over time, a home, car, office desk, etc., can become cluttered with a lot of rubbish and things that no longer hold relevance. You need to become a little ruthless and purge your spaces of all the things that no longer have value. In some cases, this could be quite a retch as you have become quite emotionally attached to the said thing. However, this attachment is one of the reasons why you are not living in the present. It is also contributing to you feeling down and depressed. Not to mention all the stress all those objects in your house will be causing. An emotional attachment to an item will always mean you are focusing on a past that is gone. Minimalism is about living in the present, the here and now. So, get rid of everything that is not useful and of value in the now. Also, consider purging your life of all those toxic habits and people. Whittle your life down to the essentials, and you will begin to feel a lot better.
Practice Gratitude
One of the reasons why you are not living your best life is the fact you have a negative mindset. A great way to remedy this mindset is to focus on the things in your life that are good and of value. When you wake up in the morning, think of three things that you are happy about in your life. Focus on these things, one at a time, and really consider why you are happy about them and concentrate on the feeling that they elicit in you. The better the feeling and the longer you can do this, the more you are training your mind to be happy. Whenever you find yourself dwelling on something, you need to step and take control of your thought. Think about one of these happy things. You are training your mind to ignore the negative and grow happier. It is a sort of form of subtle self-brainwashing, which you control for your overall benefit.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the name of the practice which helps you live more in the present moment. Living in the present moment is a way of eliminating stress and anxiety, as well as regret and lamentation. When a lot of us think about the past, this is usually done with some form of regret. Regret for not doing what you feel you should have, regret that it’s over; when you think of the future, for a lot of us, it is worrying that so and so will happen. This is not a healthy way to live. To combat these negative mental processes, you need to develop more mindfulness. Consider taking a walk out in nature and focusing on the here and now. Listen to the sounds of the forest, for example. Another way is to practice meditation. Meditation comes with a whole range f benefits, from a reduction in stress and anxiety as well as helping you develop a better and more meaningful purpose as well as helping you create better priorities. If you have never meditated before, it is quite simple. All you need is a peaceful space for ten minutes; this could be your bedroom or in the garden on a nice day. Sit down and close your eyes. Focus n your breathing and let all your thoughts wash over you and fade away. If a thought emerges, and it is very likely that it will, do not pay it any attention. Just let it float away while you focus on your breath, your life source.
Your Body
The way we feel about our bodies is very closely intertwined with our well-being. If you are unhappy in any way or not paying the right kind of attention you personally need when it comes to your body, you are going to have hang-ups and insecurities, and this is going to eat away at your happiness. If weight is an issue for you, then you need to develop a healthy eating regime. Diet is far more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. So when you are next at the supermarket, pick up more fruits and vegetables and put back some of those unhealthy snacks and meals. Exercise, though is a fabulous way to reduce stress and build up your happiness and confidence. It is also a way to help you clear your mind and think better, as well as reduce toxins and help you keep the weight off. If you have not exercised in a while, perhaps it is wise to consult a doctor. However, start slow with walking more, then build up to light jogging. Using weight is another great way to burn fat and tone up. Consider things like functional movements with a kettlebell. If you can mix up your exercise regime, you may find it easier to stay motivated and get the body you desire.