5 Healthy Habits for a Healthier You

Are you wishing that you could be just like that girl that you always see that is just a little better than you? Well, stop! You are amazing but maybe you need a little help when it comes time to develop healthy habits that will propel you to the next level.

5 Healthy Habits

1. Not Taking any Moment for Granted

This may seem a bit cliche but there is something you must know about me, I love cliches. I love romantic movies where the down to earth baker gets the girl over the mega rich man that spoils her because to me that is what life is about. Obviously, these movies are not set in reality but the idea that happiness (read: having a true meaning/ purpose in life) is more important than anything a person can buy is exactly the way I like to think about life. Now, it is important to also note that I am a realist and I know that things cost money and things are nice but things are not everything. I strongly believe that if we take time to do the things that excite us we will live more meaningful lives. So, play with your kids while they still want to play with you, go for a walk and don't worry about the destination just walk, take a bath, read a book and look to the sky, because let me tell you, it is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen if you allow yourself to see (I promise). It is not simply looking around but allowing yourself to truly be in the moment. You need to completely decompress from the world around you.

2. Take Care of Yourself

I know that every person on the planet has drove this topic into the ground but that is because it so very, very important. (yeah I used very twice) It cannot be said enough that you cannot fill someone else's cup if yours is empty. I mean just think about the logistics of that. It just simply does not make sense. We humans have a wonderful way of getting through some of the roughest circumstances that life can throw at a person. We have an innate ability to survive. We know that we have to keep going if we want to put food on the table, clothes on our children, and a roof over our heads. We have to go to work, deal with co-workers that frustrate us to no end, deal with bosses that continuously get on our cases all while trying to keep our heads above water. I know that this does not seem to connect much with the topic but I believe that more people need to know that everyone is struggling. I am struggling, I am sure you are struggling, we are all struggling in some way. Currently, my husband is really struggling he has come to a roadblock in his life where he is not sure what career path he should take. He was recently offered a really good job, more money than we currently make jointly but he knows that it will suck out his soul. On the other hand he has been working with his father doing what he truly enjoys doing but he knows that with his current situation we will not be able to achieve our dreams (building a house and traveling to Europe) because we will probably never stop living paycheck to paycheck. Now, for some the answer is obvious, but for my husband and I it is not an easy decision. Through this experience my husband and I have been reading (which is the next habit) and having deep conversations about what is best for our family. He has yet to decide what he will do but I know that taking time to himself to reflect on the advice I have given will end in the best choice for our family.

So, when you are in a tough situation I suggest you stop, take some time to yourself doing whatever it is that relaxes you most (just make sure it is a healthy way to relax) and come back ready to face your problems head on.

3. Read - Book, magazine, newspaper it really doesn't matter just read.

I am an English teacher so it is probably pretty obvious that I think reading is important. In this day and age, it is almost impossible to convince a teenager to read a book, it is like pulling teeth. I tell my colleagues that I am actually a dentist disguised as a teacher. It is one of the biggest problems we face because if you cannot read then you pretty much cannot do anything else. Even the math teacher told me that students need to be able to read well if a they are going to be successful in his class. This can be disconcerting for parents to hear because most parents want their children to succeed. Well, here's a hard truth, if you do not read your child will not read. Children learn from example. You are the example. For those of you that do not have children and are starting to blank out, listen closely because this is important for you too. People that are readers are more intelligent. Readers get to be apart of the conversation. We are not that one kid that nobody wants to work with because "he just doesn't know anything." I do want to be clear when I say this that I do not believe that if you never read that you are not a smart person but I promise you this, you will be smarter if you read. I recently came across a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that perfectly explained the way I feel about learning, he says, " I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me." I mean how many of us have heard someone say "we are what we eat" which is true if we eat bad food, we feel bad. If we read material that deepens our understanding of the human experience we understand the world around us better and become more equipped to handle the things that life throws at us. Therefore, it makes sense to pick up a book and let yourself be immersed in a new world.

4. Express Yourself

It really does not matter much how you do express your inner creative side, all that matters is that you find an outlet for it. You may be thinking, "I do not have a creative side", but I am here to tell you that you do. We all do. You just have feed that part of you. You have to go out and figure out what makes your inner creative spirit tick. I often wish that I could paint the beautiful sunsets that I enjoy looking at so much or sketch my husband playing with my children. I want to be better at these things, but simply put, I do not work hard enough. My husband told me the other day that he feels that I do not want to change. At first I took offense to this. I became defensive and got very upset with him but after some reflection I realized that I am not taking the steps necessary to achieve my goal. If I want to be good at drawing, if I want to have a relaxing hobby that will help me express myself and give me an outlet for my stress, I have to work at it. I know that it seems counter-intuitive to work hard for a relaxing hobby, but it is also about gaining a skill. I want to be a better person and without being able to express all my feelings in a positive, productive way I will stay on this merry-go-round. I need to stop going in circles, where I tell myself "I am going to be better," then within a couple weeks giving up and starting over.

My suggestion to you, as someone that struggles with this, is to just keep pushing. Tell yourself that you can do this. Keep experimenting until you find the thing that helps you express yourself. Then show me. I would love to see your art.

5. Journal

Keeping a journal is one of the best things that you can do for yourself, your children, grandchildren, even your great grandchildren. This is because it gives them a part of you and therefore a part of themselves. But, we are talking about a healthier you. Keeping a journal helps keep your thoughts straight, it is a place to write everything down so you can sort out all your thoughts and feelings. Personally, I tend to write best when something painful happens in my life that I am struggling to deal with. This started in high school when my long term boyfriend dumped me, I felt bombarded, I did not understand what happened to us. Then I started to write about our relationship from the beginning. After days of writing everything I could remember I realized that our relationship was unhealthy. I tore him away from his beliefs (not my proudest moment) he made me believe that I was pretty useless. We were destroying each other, but I refused to see it. I was seventeen and in love. Keeping a journal throughout that relationship would have helped me realize what we were doing to each other and would have saved us both some serious pain. Having a place to write down all your thoughts gives you the freedom to let somethings go as well. Once something is on paper you have permission to stop thinking about it. You know that you can always go back and remember if you need to but it does not have to be at the forefront of your brain anymore. If you are someone that struggles to know what to write about, get a book with prompts, or just look up journal prompts on Pinterest (try not to get too distracted) and get to writing. The trick to keeping a journal is doing it every day. The more you do something the better you will get. Dedicate 10 minutes a day to your journal and I promise you will not be sorry you did. At very least your grandchildren will be happy you did.