Dedicating time to recharge your mind, body and spirit is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for slowing down in a rapidly-changing world.
Wellness is more than a trending buzzword – it is a lifestyle choice that permeates every aspect of your daily routine. Over the past two years, people across the world have been compelled to look inwards to discover a sense of stability amidst the looming atmosphere of uncertainty. In this pursuit, many have found comfort in wellness rituals that foster the virtues of discipline and self-awareness. While this is often perceived as a vanity project, practicing a holistic philosophy of wellness prioritises oneness with nature and humanity at large – by revitalising the mind, replenishing the body, and nourishing the soul. If you are seeking to expand your consciousness and harness your impulses, we suggest five simple activities to build a comprehensive wellness practice, each of which can be easily incorporated into your current reality.
Practicing a holistic philosophy of wellness revitalises the mind, replenishes the body and nourishes the soul.
Stretch and Strengthen
The easiest way to start is by inculcating movement or breathing exercises into your routine. It is important to find an exercise routine that you can stick to in terms of duration and intensity. You can set aside time in the morning or evening, depending on your schedule. You do not have to opt for something rigorous. Exercise is meant to create a feeling of tolerable discomfort, not unbearable pain. Keep moving throughout the day, and switch your workstation to refresh your surroundings. Physical fitness is inextricably linked to mental wellness. In addition to keeping you active, the regular low-impact movement also boosts your attention span, creativity, and productivity. Exercise also helps to improve sleep quality and immunity, which is the main goal of any wellness routine.
Use Food as Fuel
The other key component of physical and mental well-being is your diet. It is essential to stay hydrated throughout the day and to choose food that energises you instead of making you feel lethargic. Do not skip or delay meals, and opt for wholesome and traditional home-cooked food over processed food. Plan for a healthy and fulfilling pre-dinner meal to prevent binging on unhealthy snacks in the evening. Do not follow any extreme diets of passing fitness fads as these are not sustainable, and they interrupt your body’s natural equilibrium. Try to rediscover your home kitchen as a place of sanctity, instead of a space that you rummage through to grab a midnight snack.
Pen Down your Thoughts
A tried-and-tested method to streamline and synchronise your thoughts is to record them as often as possible. Use a journal to set intentions, track your progress, and check-in with yourself. This is an outlet for your emotions, as well as an opportunity to reflect, assess, and correct. It may sound like a lot of effort, but it requires little to no time on a daily basis – and before you know it, you will be looking forward to putting pen to paper at the end of the day.
Develop a Hobby
Having a hobby may seem like a big commitment, but you can decide how much time and effort goes into it. People generally choose something that engages them temporarily, either mentally or physically, like meditation, cooking, pottery, knitting, etc. The purpose is to find a purposeful, pleasurable and immersive way to spend your time. It helps you pause, zoom out and focus. Slowly introducing these activities into your schedule becomes a strategy for gaining clarity and controlling stress, over a period of time.
Plan a Digital Detox
To nurture your mind, it is essential to control the obsessive urge to check your devices. You can start small – do not reach for your phone first thing in the morning, and try to avoid screens before falling asleep. You could even set aside a few hours each day, or one day each week to completely disconnect. Substitute your screen time with activities that demand your sustained attention – like meeting friends, reading a book or taking a walk. This is a good way to exercise self-control and dedicate time to activities that sharpen your mind instead of draining your energies.
The most important factor to consider is that you must adopt rituals that are sustainable and realistic. These practices can help individuals assimilate and process the information overload that characterises our lives in the digital age, as well as contemplate the mundanities and conflicts that are unique to the human experience. Being mindful and intentional with our thoughts and actions allows us to attune ourselves to the rhythms and patterns of daily life. It gives us ownership over the life that we design for ourselves, which is the only respite in a world where noise and chaos often overwhelm our consciousness. By controlling what is within our hands, and letting go of what is not, we can take our first steps towards cultivating more harmonious relationships with ourselves and the people around us – which eventually translates to an inclusive and fair future for all.
