7 life-enhancing habits
How to feel better starting from simple habits
Do you ever think “If this thing were to happen, I would not know how to solve it”, and immediately afterwards start worrying about a hypothetical scenario, created by you? It happened to me recently, and I wanted to create a list of activities that would help me manage the phenomenon of anticipatory anxiety. So here’s my list of 7 life-enhancing habits.
1. MEDITATION
Let’s start with the first, and perhaps the most predictable. There is a lot of talk about meditation today, and I wanted to try it too, to see if the benefits were real. It is an oriental technique useful for regaining awareness of oneself and one’s place in the world. It helps to relax muscles and mental tensions, reducing the scope of thoughts.
I must tell you that at first I could not reap the benefits. This happens frequently to novices, meditation is not a simple activity. It requires a fair amount of concentration, first. Furthermore, the first few times we are invested with millions of thoughts, which could give us negative feelings.
It’s normal: if we never stop, not even a minute, to listen to our thoughts, as soon as we give them space, they will take it all. This is why it is important to remain constant with meditation: the flow of thoughts will gradually become less heavy, and over time we will learn to let them go away.
2. CONTROLLED BREATHING
Breathe in. Hold on. Exhale. Start again. Good breathing is essential to regain mental stability. It is an aspect that we often forget, but is of vital importance for our well-being. Being aware of breathing also means regaining awareness of the functioning of our body.
One technique I use is the 4–7–8 breathing technique: I inhale for 4 seconds, hold my breath for 7 seconds and then exhale for 8 seconds. Start by doing it 5 consecutive times in the morning before starting your day. It will help you face your daily tasks with greater peace of mind.
3. CONNECTION WITH NATURE
We are increasingly disconnected from nature. This is one of the reasons why we are stressed: our feverish lifestyle, oriented to conceive as progress only what rhymes with technology, has deprived us of the sense of belonging to nature. Yet it is from nature that we are born, and to nature we will return.
Returning sometimes to our roots, to the world from which we come, can bring us a lot of well-being. Let’s take a walk in the mountains, a walk in the woods, let’s go to the sea during winter.
4. DETACHMENT FROM SOCIAL (AND MONSTER EGO)
How many times do we get lost behind a cell phone notification? Have you ever calculated how much time you spend in a day, cell phone in hand?
Ok, it sounds like the usual boomer lecture… and it is! So it would be good practice to use cell phones less if possible. Or at least forget to check the latest notifications.
However, I would like to highlight another point as well.
More and more often, social networks are filled with people who highlight themselves, showing their wonderful life. Apart from the obvious (only the beautiful things are shown to the public), there is another interesting aspect of all this. In other words, it is an excellent opportunity to observe the mechanisms of the ego from the outside, which in the end unite us all. Observing their egos “from the outside” make it easier to understand ours too, and learn to detach from it.
5. HAVE A ROUTINE
How much I missed it, towards the end of my journey! Having a routine helps to clarify, to put ideas in order: it is much more important than I thought!
My trip was an unforgettable experience not only for the places I saw, but also for the break with the previous routine. I moved very often to different places, and it was impossible to create a routine of any kind.
It was an experience of personal growth, and it did me good, also making me understand, in the end, how important it is to be able to create a routine.
6. ACTIVITIES THAT GIVE US PLEASURE
We must not forget to cultivate our passions! They help to detach the thought from the problems and make us find serenity. Keep them alive, they are your salvation, because they put you back in touch with your most authentic part.
7. WRITING
I reconnect directly from above. One of my passions is writing, and I have learned to dedicate time to it every single day. It helps me to focus my thoughts on the important things. I think it’s important for everyone to just write a journal to write down thoughts.
It often helps to reduce the extent of problems or fears. Writing allows negative or obsessive thoughts to come out of our mind: through the ink they slide on the page and remain there. It is extremely liberating!
Well, if you have come this far, thank you! These are my 7 life-enhancing habits, I hope they can be a valid starting point for you too.
A big hug!
