Quality sleep, nourishing diet and movement or exercise are the usual top three on well-being to do lists.
Whilst they are all powerful tools that you want to be using to your advantage, this year I’ve come up with an alternative list that are just as important but often overlooked.
Connect with the ones you love
What like talk to them? That’s the idea! Expand the time you connect with those nearest and dearest, you can start small like making one night a week a sacred time to connect.
This will require turning off the TV, downing the devices, unplugging the headphones and making time to engage in a shared activity like a board game, an after-dinner walk, or cooking a meal together or anything else that takes your fancy.
Do more of (or find out) what lights you up
Do have a solid grasp of what fills you with delight and regularly make space for it in your life? One of the most crucial steps of being responsible for your well-being is to keep discovering what nourishes your sense of contentment and determinedly making the time and space to access this precious gift that life has to offer. Brainstorm a list of activities you love and plan your week so that you can make time for them.
Not sure what lights you up? Think of things you used to love that have fallen by the wayside. If you’re still stumped, then don’t worry it just means it’s the perfect time to try some new things.
Soak up some silence
Information and entertainment are so readily available that it’s actually become necessary to consciously remove ourselves from stimulation in order to let our minds and bodies re-balance.
So put your phone on airplane mode, take a bath, go for a walk in nature or just sit in the garden with a cup of tea and let your nervous system re-calibrate.
If, at first, you feel agitated or unsettled when you unplug from stimulation, don’t worry, it’s a sign your nervous system is detoxing from the constant noise. It can take a while for silence to feel normal. Try starting the day with a bit of quiet, get up 10 minutes earlier in the morning and spend some time outside in your garden or the local park.