I will be going much further into this area later on in the year, but for now I wanted to give you some quick ideas that (when incorporated into your daily life) can help your mental health and clarity. You know, to love yourself more!
NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS
An all round good diet will always help with mental clarity and calmness. Ensure you're getting in all your vitamins and minerals to help with your nervous system and immunity. When we get run down, we don't absorb vitamins as well as we should (thanks for that Cortisol!) so always up your veggie intake - especially those greens.
CUT OUT THE STIMULANTS
I know, they are the only things that keep you going right? Well, kind of wrong actually. Caffeine could actually be making your stress levels worse! Did you know, even one cup of coffee six hours before bedtime can disrupt your sleep? When your sleep gets disrupted, you wake up the next day feeling even more tired and groggy, therefore you reach for the caffeine again and so the cycle continues. Plus don't get me started on alcohol. I think we are all pretty aware how we feel after one too many glasses of vino. Kick start mental clarity by kicking the caffeine habit and step into a sharper mind.
USE YOUR PHONE
We have to be quite careful here, I don't want you to reach for your phone to put on a meditation app and then get distracted by emails! However, there are some great apps that can help with meditation, sleep and anxiety. Headspace is great for meditation and the 'breathe' app on your iphone can help in times of stress. Do your research and fine ones that suit YOU.
MEDITATION
I think meditation and mindfulness will be quite big this year. To be honest, I need it in my life. It doesn't have to be anything fancy and you can do whatever suits you and your lifestyle. If you have no idea where to start, then maybe do what I do and see if it helps...
- First thing in the morning spend 5 minutes or so awakening your body. Place your hands on your tummy and feel your belly rise and fall. Feel the warmth from your hands and imagine a bright light filling your body. Every time you breathe in, you take in more light and when you breathe out allow it to fill your body.
- Before bedtime, spend 5 minutes laying in bed grounding your body. Start at the tips of your toes and imagine them getting very heavy. Slowly scan up your body feeling each part getting heavier and heavier. By the times you get to your head you should be nearly asleep.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you found this helpful
Emmaline x