This is in continuation to Top 10 Tips for Mind and Body Wellness (Part-1)
4. Restful sleep
If we can avoid television and the use of electronic gadgets 30 minutes prior to sleep, we’ll be able to sleep better. Their use disturbs the sleep hormone melatonin, which adversely affects sleep.
How about reserving the dining table for food only and your study for work only? This way, you are more likely to fall asleep as soon as you lie down on your bed.
Busy running the race to be a successful professional while also balancing home responsibilities and having an active social life, most of us become workaholics and often end up compromising on our sleep. But do you know how important sleep is to us? Doctors say, 7–9 hours of sleep each night maintains blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels, and breaks the circle of stress and counteracts its effects on our body, thus making us feel fresh and happy.
Energy levels after a good night’s sleep are higher. Your mental awareness is more acute and you are likely to smile more. Not only this, it also triggers creativity in us, making us more productive and better at work. So don’t you think you are missing something very profitable without proper sleep?
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5. Cultivating loving relationships
Interact and connect with people at your workplace. Plan and go out together with your friends and family over weekends.
Connecting to people is as important as a 24x7 Wi-Fi connection. It keeps us at bay from the feeling of loneliness and isolation and helps us deal effectively with stress. Also, doing things in a group taps your creativity and improves your performance at work. In fact, when the ‘I’ changes to ‘We’, then even illness changes to wellness!
6. Drinking plenty of water
Can you imagine your life without vehicles or electronic gadgets? The answer would likely be a resounding no! Similarly, our body has lots of important tasks to do and the vehicle of our body is water.
Drink water when you’re thirsty and drink extra water when it is warm outside to keep you perfectly hydrated. Carry a fancy sipper to add a dash of style.
Around eight to ten glasses of water every day is all we need to maintain the water requirement of our body. Did you know that water can help burn fat and keep you healthy? And that 70% of our brain is made up of the same water that is so critical to our body's proper functioning? In fact, water also regulates the digestive processes and helps get rid of waste.
7. Smile a little more
Doesn’t this sound wonderful – "A smile is a curve that straightens everything"? Did you know that smiling can release stress from different parts of your face. It is like giving your face muscles some exercise. Smiling releases endorphins – a chemical in the brain that lifts your mood. Smiling slows the heart rate and relaxes the body. So the most daunting problems you face can actually evaporate when you take a minute to express positivity with a smile.
8. Get a little generous
Just take a minute and reflect which of these makes you happier: giving a gift versus receiving a gift.
It is always the joy of doing something for others that makes us feel uplifted. How about devoting some time on weekends to make someone feel special? Plan a surprise birthday party for a friend or visit an orphanage or old age home and spend some time with the less fortunate people there.
9. Keep away from substance abuse
How about a cleaner and greater high that is as powerful as the one you might get from substance abuse—but one that is totally harmless? The sad side of the substance abuse story is that it is like slow poison – harming us, our family, and even society. Since the pull of substance abuse is very strong, we need something stronger to counter it. Meditation can be that antidote. It gives a greater high than any other substance and keeps you relaxed enough to tackle stress without taking a toll on your health in any way—in fact, enhancing health too!
10. Save time for fun
All of us know that passion is what we need to pursue our goals, but did you also know that with it we also need some dispassion? Yes, that’s true. From time to time, we need to relax, indulge in other activities, and recharge ourselves. This helps us maintain the perfect balance between work and life. Watch a movie over the weekend, organize a get-together for your friends or play a sport when free.
