Keeping a Healthy Balanced Lifestyle
Basic Principles for Keeping a Healthy Balanced Lifestyle
Healthy Routines
Try to:
- Eat a balanced healthy diet with regular meal times
- If possible try to follow a regular sleep pattern, getting up at a similar time each day and going to bed at a similar time each night
- Do a reasonable amount of moderate exercise (you don't have to run a marathon, half an hour's walking five days per week would probably be sufficient!)
- Don't smoke or drink alcohol to excess (and don't drink in order to releive anxiety - that may give you instant relief for a short period but once the initial effect wears off it will make the anxiety worse and your sleep may well suffer too).
Pay Attention to Your Priorities
- Reflect on what is important to you and try to focus on those priorities
- With regard to tasks that are less important which you do perhaps by habit, evaluate what the consequences would be if you did less of them - if the consequences would not in fact be too bad then make a decision as to whether you are going to cut down and if so by how much.
Goal Setting and Monitoring
- Set yourself daily or weekly goals that are achievable and realistic
- Write down your commitment to achieving them
- Keep a record of how well you do in respect of the goals you set
- Reward yourself if you achieve your goals
- If you fall short on a goal, don't punish yourself or beat yourself up about it.
Re-evaluate whether the goal needs to be modified or changed and if there are ways you can increase your chances of achieving it (by for example, putting it in a calendar or by telling someone of it), then try to do that to help you achieve the new or modified goal.
Give Yourself Permission to Relax
If you spend 24 hours a day working or doing household tasks and supporting a family or if you are on the go all the time in some other way, then the chances are that you are not carrying out your tasks as productively as you could and you are also putting strain on your mind and body. At some point this is likely to show in the form of ill health, moodiness, anxiety or in other ways, so:
- If possible build in short breaks into your day to keep yourself refreshed
- Arrange some times in the week when you are going to do something you want to do
Listen to what your body is telling you if you are overly tired and stressed.
Don't overdo it - Keep a measure of balance in your life.
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