It’s easy to get caught up in the vicious cycle of work, eat, sleep and repeat. Nowadays we are so busy that we forget to slow down and listen to our own needs or set healthy boundaries that will help to reduce the risk of various illnesses later in life. How to find time for yourself and your health when you’re preoccupied with day-to-day activities?
Don’t have time to cook? Try this!
Preparing food at home is not only healthier, but it will save you a lot of money. If you don’t know where to start, go for the basics! Keep a few (relatively healthy) frozen dinners on hand, or make sure you have basics you can grab, like bread and hummus. Doing groceries? Stock up on fast-cooking whole grains like pasta or rice, choose canned chickpeas instead of dry ones and purchase frozen veggies to avoid going to the shop every day. Maybe you struggle with cooking because you don't know how to get started with a shopping list and you lack ideas for healthy recipes? Try looking up meal-prep ideas or one-pot recipes that will save you some time on doing the dishes.
Schedule time for yourself
How do you begin your day? Do you grab your phone straight away to check your feed, emails, or messages? Give yourself a few moments before you get caught up in social media or business matters. Putting your phone in a separate room when you go to bed might help. Instead, place a journal or notebook on your bedside table and spend the beginning of your day writing things down. Maybe you'd like to say what you're grateful for? Is there negativity you want to get off your mind? Keeping a journal helps to keep your thoughts organized, relieves stress, and allows for self-reflection.
List what you do during the day
Try writing down how you dedicate your time. Do it for three days. You’ll likely realize that maybe you spend too much time doing particular activities, such as watching television for two hours daily. You can even see how much time you spend on your phone (yes, there is a setting for it). Then, make a list of activities that you would like to spend your time on- this could be seeing your friend for a coffee or picking up a new hobby. Try finding daily activities that you could dedicate less time to and replace them with the ones that are really important to you. Being aware of how you spend your time can help you with establishing your priorities.
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