and will change yours, too.
Have you ever sat on the couch impulsively surfing the internet for hours without realising how quickly time has passed? Have you ever binge-eat that box of cookie knowing damn well you shouldn’t? Have you ever rushed through the day, only to find yourself all worn out and purposeless at the end of the day?
Yup, that was me 6 months ago.
Lockdown has been, crazy to say — kinda magically-life-changing for me.
Sad to say, I wouldn’t have done all the things I did without the pandemic happening. During this 6 months, I had all the times in the world to do whatever I want. So instead of spending meaningless hours doing absurd tasks, I told myself I had to do something outside of my normal, unexciting routine. Sure, no one likes feeling uncomfortable, but it’s a big part of improving our performance, creativity and learning in the long run. With practice, I was slowly getting the hang of it.
Here are 15 habits that will change your life drastically:
- Get up earlier
Waking up earlier gives your mind a sense of clarity. The early morning hours are so peaceful, so quiet. Enjoy that time of peace, that time to yourself, where you can think, where you can read, where you can breathe. While everyone is still busy getting their sleep in, you have already done half the things on your list by just getting up an hour earlier.
2. Declutter your space
Looking at that pile of clothes on that chair is a nausea-inducing sight. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a space you love? Spend less time shopping for materialistic possessions. Get rid of the clothes that you constantly tell yourself you’d wear to the next party. Clearing your space is a way of clearing your mind and it increases your creativity. There is a beautiful world of freedom and fresh breath hiding behind that clutter.
3. Limit time spent on social media
Our generation is so used to being on our devices that it became a part of us. Our stimulation are constantly heightened by that new meme on facebook, the millions of ads that bombards our screen, that when we stop using our phone the world seems too ‘boring’ for us. Trust me, there’s no other universe at the end of that screen and social media is not your reality.
Tips: Manage your Screen Time by heading to the Settings app on your phone, and hopefully you’ll be more aware of where all your time went!
4. One.thing.at.a.time
Can I just say, checking 5000 things off of your to-do-list will not bring you joy. Eventually, you’ll find more distressing tasks to add to your list. Instead of rushing through the day, why not focus on the task at hand and enjoy the process for just a second longer. For the next 60 seconds, put your reading down and do nothing. Sit still. Breathe. Relax.
5. Be in the moment
Worrying about the past or the future will not change a single thing in this present moment. All you’ve got is NOW. Oftentimes, we wake up to get through the day and go back to sleep. We do this 365 times a year. We wait for success, love, happiness to show up, without being really aware of what we have right now. BREATHE. Learn to love this moment and be in the present; go for a walk without your headphones on, listen to the birds chirp. Catch your breath.
6. Get active
Get your blood pumping and your heart racing. Soak up that vitamin D. Being active also means you love yourself enough to know that this will benefit you in so many ways. I find myself more creative and productive after being outside for just 30 minutes everyday. If you don’t respect your body, it will not respect you on your journey through life. If running is not your thing, find another form of exercise that you enjoy and stick with it.
7. Stay clear of gossips and drama
As if our life is not dramatic enough already; we invite all these unnecessary dramas of others into our lives, for what? It will only cause more frustration. Stay out of gossips and dramas. Distancing yourself from negative energy allows you to spend more quality time with the people that talks about ideas and values. This brings me to the next point — surround yourself with positive people.
8. Surround yourself with people who are vibing higher than you
Be around people who are feeling better than you. Energy is contagious. Positive people can provide empowering perspective on our own problems. I’m not saying to belittle the people that doesn’t match our energy, no, instead we should influence them with our positive energy. If we experience more positive emotions on a regular basis as a result of other people, we’ll attract more positive people into our life, thus reinforcing the good vibes around us.
9. Spend some time alone
Studies show the ability to tolerate alone time has been linked to increased happiness, better life satisfaction, and improved stress management. Sometimes all we need is a little quiet time set aside for ourself to unwind the day. Do something you enjoy. Recharge that energy in you so you could better use it for daily activities. This could literally mean listening to jazz while doing sudoku — yup, that’s what I did.
10. Meditate
The earliest records of meditation practice date from approximately 1500 years BCE and its about training your awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. This doesn’t signify turning off your thoughts and feelings but learning to observe them without judgement. If you’ve never tried meditation, I would suggest to practice it for 5 minutes a day and slowly build your way up once you get the hang of it. There are heaps of guided meditation videos on YouTube for you to follow.
11. Make yourself a priority
Are you happy and content at where you are right now? If the answer is yes, great! You could only go up from there. If your current conditions are less than what you want or are different from what you want, you have to make some changes. Quit the job you hate. Get out of that toxic relationship. Failure to make those changes will find you fruitlessly continuing to seek the things you desire as the years pass by. Remember to trust your instincts. Listen to that feeling in your belly, listen to that voice in your head that lets you know when you’re wasting your time. If something doesn’t feel right, it very well might not be. And if something feels deeply, powerfully right, it probably is. Go with that. Let it flow.
12. Find your passion
What are you willing to do for free, without any expectation, because it’s something you’re truly passionate about? Following your excitement is the shortest path to realising what you want. You don’t need to justify it, you just need to do it. The things you naturally drawn towards aren’t random, the universe is picking you out in the same way that you’re pursuing them. It really is as simple as that!
13. Don’t sweat the small stuff
Keep the little things from taking over your life. Often we allow ourselves to get all worked up about things that upon closer evaluation, aren’t really that big a deal. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Catch yourself when you fall into the habit of stressing over little things, and gently remind yourself: If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it.
14. Just do it
Oftentimes, it’s the thoughts that keeps us running from our daily tasks. Our mind has the habit of creating problems out of nothingness. What I find most effective is just to get up and go, whatever it is — lazy or unmotivated. I drag myself out of my comfort zone and start moving. You don’t need it all figured out. Sometimes all it takes is action, and the motivation will come as you move. Have the courage to start now, even if you start small. Don’t put yourself at the back seat, are you in control.
15. Let go of your fear
If there is fear, there is no love. The life we long for are nothing more than the limitations imposed on us by our own minds. Marriages end in divorce because one of both spouses are too afraid to open up to communicate. People lose their business because fear stops them from changing and innovating. We must learn to hear fear, doubt and worry with great acuity, and we must not integrate our fear into our own decision making. Fear rules us only if we let it.
If you are willing to give what you have read a chance to be true, it will be true. It’s all on you to get up and take action now!
Thank you for reading.
