10 Habits for a Healthy Mindset
Unfortunately, due to our innate survival instincts, our inner nature actually wants to dwell on the negative.
Understanding Negative thoughts
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors had to focus on what may harm them for survival. Focusing on whether or not we may be a lion’s lunch was crucial to the survival of our species. Today, worrying about the negative in our lives hinders our progress toward achieving our goals. Sometimes, we even sacrifice our own happiness to feed our obsession with the negative.
So, how do we achieve a healthy mindset when so much of our nature hinders it? Repetitive, daily actions and habits can make a difference in how we view the world and achieve a better state of mind. Having a healthy mindset means less stress, better health, and even better resilience when life throws us the inevitable curveball.
Here are 10 ways to create a better mindset in your own life:
10 Habits for a healthy Mindset
1). Practice a daily meditation. Meditation can be focusing on your breath, listening to a guided meditation, spending time in prayer, or pondering anything you’ve read recently. Regular meditation helps with mental clarity and the ability to stay present. With all of today’s distractions, we could all use a little practice to stay present.
2). Work toward being very present in everything you do. If you’re spending time with your family, spend time truly focusing on them. When at work, focus all your attention on getting your work completed and doing your best. As you spend time in self-care, focus fully on yourself, guilt-free.
Something that I’ve found to be helpful in being more present is making sure I make good transitions. Working in a preschool, I learned how difficult it is for children to transition from one activity to the next. Surprisingly, I also learned I have a hard time transitioning, too! Now, as I’m transitioning to a new activity, I take a deep breath and think about being fully present before moving onto the next task.
“Life’s challenges are inevitable, but your response to them is within your control.” -Unknown
3). Focus on what you can control in your life. If you feel things are spiraling out of control, find ways to focus your thoughts and energy on the things that are within your control. While you can’t help some things that happen, you can change the way you react to those events. Just focus on the next step in front of you. You’ll be surprised how much this helps you acheive a healthy mindset.
4). Start a gratitude journal. There are incredible mindset shifts that happen when you begin to direct your attention toward the simple, good things that happen in your life. As an invaluable tool for a healthy mindset, use a gratitude journal to help you look for the simple things you’re grateful for in your life. You can be grateful for anything – for the way the lights immediately turn on when you flick the switch or the crunchy leaf you stepped on in your backyard. Making gratitude a daily habit can begin to shift your mind to look for what’s good in your life.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” - Albert Einstein
5). Learn to be okay with life being out of balance. Although it sounds counterintuitive, it’s okay for things in your life to be a little out of balance. Ironically, trying to create a perfect balance at all times in our lives is stressful!
Most importantly, attaining balance in life is making sure that nothing stays out of balance for too long. When you have to work longer hours for a while, make sure it’s temporary and doesn’t become all-consuming. If you need to give the majority of your attention to your family and you have very little time to yourself, make sure that’s temporary, too.
Remember, life happens in seasons, and it should be no different for you as you balance all facets of life that are important to you. Sometimes, your career is going to demand more of your time. Alternatively, your family or your spouse may need more of your attention. Other times, you may need to devote more time to yourself – and that’s all okay!
6). Challenge yourself to do just 5 minutes of yoga every day. Even if it’s only a few minutes per day, yoga can have a great impact on having a healthy mindset. Choosing a daily, healthy activity can improve your mindset because it gives you a mental and physical win each and every day. Yoga is my go-to each morning before my children get up to help set my mind and body for the day.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
7). Read from a book every day. For the past 5 years, each morning I’ve read books to gain knowledge and skills. Over the years, I’ve read books ranging from parenting, child development, organization, leadership, sales, influence, mindfulness, and communication. After the children go to bed, I also try to read something for fun – even if it’s only for a few minutes.
8). Take a brisk walk and connect with nature each day. Taking a walk can significantly promote a healthy mindset. Being in the sun and absorbing some vitamin D, as well as the physical activity, can help improve your mental state.
9). Listen to an uplifting or positive podcast. For better mental health, the content you feed your mind makes a big difference. To promote a healthy mindset, be sure you’re taking care of what you are listening to. As much as possible, cut out the external negativity on your phone and television.
10). Turn off the distractions for a little while. For fewer distractions, many people choose to go an entire day without their phones over the weekend so they can really be present with their families. Others like to turn their phones off for the first hour when they get home. As an experiment, find a time that works for you to completely unplug from the noise of electronics to be with family. It’s so good for your mental health!
