Take control of your well-being with these 4 steps

Feel like a piece of chocolate and end up wolfing down the whole slab? Getting yourself into a tizz, because you have been procrastinating all week and now deadline day has arrived, and you are feeing overwhelmed? We’ve all been there…and we tell ourselves never to repeat that again…only to do it all over again next week.

While spiraling into these bad habits might seem harmless, they do affect your mental, emotional and physical well-being. Now is the time to become aware of what triggers these habits and what to do to take control and turn an unhealthy habit into a healthy one. Let’s do it:

• Mindless snacking: 

Eating can be a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions such as sadness, loneliness, or frustration. It can also become habitual, where the mind is trained to expect food at certain times of the day or in certain situations, regardless of hunger. 

Take control: Try to learn your triggers and implement strategies to cope with emotions without using food. Instead of reaching for unhealthy snacks, try to opt for fruits and nuts. Learning to practice mindful eating is also an important skill. Ensuring that you are truly present when having a meal can go a long way in changing daily habits to achieve long-term health benefits. Pay attention to the taste, texture, and sensations of food, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.

• Procrastination: 

Be it perfectionism, fear of failing or a general lack of motivation, people procrastinate for different reasons. Understanding the reasons behind why you procrastinate can help in developing strategies to counteract it. 

Take control: Setting realistic goals, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and creating a structured timeline can help overcome procrastination. Embracing a proactive approach to challenges fosters a sense of accomplishment and boosts overall productivity.

• Excessive screen time:

Eye strain, disrupted sleep patterns, and decreased productivity can all be caused by too much screen time. 

Take control: Consider implementing screen breaks, setting device usage limits, and engaging in offline activities like exploring new hobbies, carving out regular meditation, exercise or self-care sessions to strike a healthier balance. When you are spending your free time on screen time, choose high-quality content that adds value to your life and avoid mindless scrolling or binge-watching. 

• Irregular sleep patterns: 

In the hustle and bustle of modern life, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule often takes a back seat. Irregular sleep patterns can negatively impact your overall health and cognitive function. 

Take control: Establishing a consistent sleep routine, can significantly improve your quality of rest and overall well-being. Try incorporating calming nighttime rituals like a soothing cup of herbal tea, a magnesium-rich bath, or light meditation before you end the night. You could also measure your sleep cycle with various apps and health trackers, such as Momentum Multiply’s Recharge Dayz, to help you measure sleep recovery and stress upon waking.

For more on health, visit Get It Magazine.