8 Habits To Help You Through The Pandemic Times
Your brain is constantly building new neural pathways and, if you're staying at home, this can be the perfect opportunity to start breaking bad habits and replacing them with some good ones.
You and your plastic brain are constantly being shaped by the world around you. Understand that everything you do, everything you encounter, and everything you experience is changing your brain.
Lara Boyd
To help you define what good habits you could be creating during this time at home, here's a list of the ones I consider essential.
Habit 1 - Make your bed every morning
Making our bed in the morning might seem like something small and not really important. But “it will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”
Habit 2 - Drink plenty of water
You already know this but it's important so here's a friendly reminder. Keeping hydrated is crucial for your health and well-being.
And an extra tip: if you're tired of buying water every time you go to the supermarket, buy a water filter and get it straight from the tap. 😊
Habit 3 - Get more sunlight
Our body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin. So, make sure you enjoy the sunny days and, during pauses, open a window to get fresh air and sunlight. This will improve your energy and sleep quality.
Habit 4 - Get quality sleep
Start by avoiding screens before bedtime, defining a routine, and being consistent with your bedtime. And if you want more tips about this, we recommend reading this book: Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson.
Habit 5 - Don't skip meals
Skipping meals may mean you're missing out on essential nutrients and that will lead you to feel tired. So plan your meals, try new recipes, and keep a balanced diet (between healthy and goodness that makes your belly happy). 🤪
People who love to eat are always the best people.
Julia Child
Habit 6 - Stay connected
Keeping the distance from someone you love can be difficult. But we have technology nowadays that allows us to virtually stay in touch with friends and family. So don't wait anymore and call someone!
Habit 7 - Keep mentally & physically healthy
Ensure you have a routine to take care of our mind and body. You can do it through mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga. The most important: keep consistency.
Habit 8 - Learn something new
Last but not least, strive to learn every day and if you're not sure about why this habit is so important, check Ken Jennings' TED talk.
Every day we should be striving to learn something new. We should have this unquenchable curiosity for the world around us.
Ken Jennings
If I caught your interest, check this blog post where James Clear shows that it's not that hard to create new habits. The secret is to start with one small habit, increase it in small ways, and keep consistency.
I love the concept of neuroplasticity and the idea that we can, with some work, build new neural pathways in our brains and improve the way it works is really exciting to me.
If you're interested in learning more about how you can create good habits and eliminate bad ones, I recommend you start with James Clear's book: Atomic Habits. It's, without a doubt, one of the best books I read this year and it truly made me think about my routine.