I love that clean slate feel of coming to the end of the school year – knowing that summer has finally arrived, summer holidays are around the corner and everything just feels sunnier, lighter, better.
Summer feels like the perfect chance to reset a little – a chance to dust off all the things we didn't like or weren't happy with and start some new, better habits.
However, I am also a firm believer in the fact that change starts small. Maybe, instead of trying to completely overhaul your life, how about just adopting some new small, healthier habits – once that might not feel like they will make a difference, but that will actually end up slowly, but surely changing your whole life.
In fact, you'll be amazed at how much can be achieved by just changing one small behaviour, habit or act.
Want to try?
Here are five easy things to try:
1. Spend more time offline
Connecting with people IRL is so important to both our physical and mental health.
Studies have found that social isolation is associated with poor sleep, elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and, yikes, increased rates of mortality.
Put down your phone when you are with your family and friends. In fact, leave it at home.
2. Cook food from scratch
The simplest way to feel and look healthier is to eat more home-cooked meals made from whole ingredients.
Another bonus is that cooking your meals from scratch means you are avoiding processed food and lots of additives and unhealthy ingredients.
3. Get outside every day
Being outside ensures that you get a dose of vitamin D from sunlight, helps keep your circadian rhythms in check so that you sleep well at night, and, trust me, you'll feel so much happier and healthier with a dose of fresh air every single day!
4. Practise gratitude
Try this: Write down five things you are grateful for in a notebook every single day for a month. You'll soon start seeing your abundance, and will be less focused on what you are lacking.
5. Be more productive
Start by writing out a list every Sunday evening of all the tasks – big and small – you have for the week ahead, and when doing them, try focusing on one task at a time. You'll soon see how much more effective that makes you.
