Guest Blog by Abby Holt

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Things You’re Probably Doing Right Now That Negatively Affect Your Health

While you should never let anyone tell you how to live your life, it’s never a bad idea to listen to advice and self-reflect on things you might be doing that could be inadvertently causing you harm. Not exercising, eating poorly, and letting yourself get overly stressed are just a few examples of behaviors you may not even know you have. Today, Leanne Holitza of Insightful Inspirations shares tips to help you shake those bad habits and live a healthier life.

Stop neglecting exercise.

Physical activity is important for your overall mind and body health. Avoid the sedentary lifestyle trap by looking for ways to incorporate exercise in your routine. Yoga, walking, swimming, jogging, and even playing with the kids for about 2 ½ hours each week can all put you on the right track to better muscle function and cardiovascular health.

Stop skimping on sleep.

We all know that we need at least eight hours of sleep each night, but that’s not always easy to get. Whether you’re staying up to binge-watch your favorite show or to scroll your social media, you have to prioritize sleep. If your bedroom is the problem, look for a comfortable, beautiful, long-lasting custom bed set with patterns and designs created by talented artisans. The bonus of ordering a custom option is that you don’t have to wait for your style to be in stock.

Stop ignoring your mental health.

Taking care of your mental well-being is just as important as caring for your physical health. Carve out time each day for self-care activities. This could be something as simple as writing in a journal or meditating to planning a vacation (and taking it) to give you something to look forward to when you are most stressed.

Stop letting yourself get stressed.

Everyone experiences stress sometimes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But the negative impact of chronic stress can increase your blood pressure and cause chronic inflammation, according to Columbia University. While you may not be able to control all of the stressors in your life, you can take breaks, ask for help, and remember that the vast majority of issues that are causing you inner turmoil are small potatoes on the plate of life!

Stop trying to do everything at once.

Do you prize your ability to multitask? If so, the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute At Stanford University has news you might not want to hear. When you multitask, your brain can’t focus on anything you’re doing as well as it should. This means you’ll be less effective and may wind up being less efficient in the long run. There is one exception, however, and that is working out problems in your head while walking.

Stop neglecting your friend group.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we need social connections for our mental, physical, and emotional health. Although many self-identified introverts tend to refuel with time alone, humans are ultimately social creatures, and we all need a network of people that we trust. Your friend group can fill your social needs and help you with everything from childcare to just being a listening ear when you need to vent.

You may not realize that you’re not sleeping enough or that multitasking actually makes you worse at everything you do. However, if you take a moment to evaluate your actions each day, you may find that these innocent and unintentional forms of neglect negatively affect your health, well-being, and even productivity. While you may not be guilty of all of these, most of us can find at least something that we can let go of to improve ourselves and our quality of life.

Insightful Inspirations has an awesome blog that you can read here!