Daily habits are defined as “those things that you do every day, without fail, without thought, and without brainpower.” Creating a set of daily habits that support your mental and physical health is an easy and consistent way to improve your life. These habits can be tailored to each individual based on their needs. Keep reading to find out a few of the habits I’ve added into my daily routine that have transformed my life!
Shelby Sacco, an influencer focused on promoting a balanced lifestyle, shares a formula on implementing healthy habits and how to stay consistent. She describes a habit loop as a cue, routine, and reward. The cue is an event or situation that triggers an automatic behavior, the routine consists of the habit you want to implement, and the reward would be what you get from adding this habit into your routine. For example, as I will explain below, the reward of adding the habit of making my bed every morning provides a feeling of accomplishment and an organized start to my day. By doing this consistently, over time it will be second nature and will become a true habit. Sacco’s podcast, “Sad to Savage”, explains more on this method and other ways to better your life.
- Make the Bed
By making your bed first thing in the morning, you are setting yourself up for success. Starting the day with the feeling of accomplishment encourages you to have more small wins throughout the day. It allows you to start your day in an organized environment, which can reduce stress and anxiety. By doing this, I have noticed that I feel more motivated compared to when I don’t make my bed. Adding this daily habit to your routine and starting the day with a small win can have a HUGE impact.
- Alarm Across the Room
If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, try adding this habit into your routine. Before I go to bed, I set my alarm and plug my phone into the charger far enough away from my bed that I will have to physically stand up and walk to turn it off. This will allow you to be able to make a conscious decision whether you hit snooze or not. With your alarm placed in arm’s reach from your bed, it is so easy to press snooze and go back to bed. By physically standing up and turning the alarm off, you are more likely to stay awake than go back to bed. Try adding this habit and see if you have an easier time waking up in the morning.
- Take a Daily Walk
I try to incorporate at least a 30 minute walk into my daily routine. Whether it’s walking to class or walking on the treadmill, daily movement is important to support your physical and mental health. Walking with a friend, family member or pet can make this habit more enjoyable. Having someone to walk with you is also a great way to stay motivated because you can hold each other accountable. According to the Mental Health Foundation, daily walks can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, strengthen bones, improve balance and reduce body fat. Mentally, taking a short walk each day increases mental alertness, energy and positive mood.
- Try Journaling
Journaling is a great way to practice gratitude and set intentions for the day ahead, and then reflect and unwind at night. I recommend the 5 Minute Journal from Amazon because it gives you prompts to answer each morning and night. For example, in the AM section it asks what you are grateful for, what would make the day great, and for an affirmation. You could also use a regular notebook and write your own prompts. Another way of journaling is simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. Journaling is a great way to practice mindfulness and connect better with yourself.
These habits have transformed my daily life by supporting my mental and physical health. Implementing healthy habits is important because what you do on a daily basis impacts your life as a whole. Try adding one or more of these habits into your routine and notice the positive effects on your life!