Happy Friday everyone!
Yesterday was National Take A Walk In The Park Day (who knew that was a thing) and it got me thinking! While I am passionate about talking all things cooking, recipes, and meal prep, I thought I would take a break and instead talk about some other important practices. Just as I believe food is fuel and can strengthen us for our everyday, I also believe there are daily habits that we can implement to help keep our minds healthy! I am definitely not an expert in any of this, so please take everything with a grain of salt. I just thought I would share some things that I have learned help me in my everyday as well as some things I would like to challenge myself in, and I invite you to join me in the journey!
1. Go on walks!
In honor of yesterday’s national holiday, the first practice that can help your wellness journey is getting outside and moving your body by simply going on a walk. I have found that walks provide such a great space to escape the busyness and chaos of my schedule and time to think & process life! Solo walks can be spent praying, listening to podcasts/sermons, or even calling a dear friend to catch up. I also highly recommend walking with friends! It is such a great way to get moving while also fellowship with other people in the beauty of creation! Here is a snap from my birthday walk with my girls 🙂
2. Set up a wake up routine!
Recently, I have started implementing a morning routine of waking up at the same time everyday. Studies have shown that your body will feel more energized when having a consistent wake up schedule– and as someone who is always tired, I can attest that this works! In addition, it is important to not snooze in the morning and instead get up when your alarm goes off the first time. This is something I really want to get better at!
3. Read a book!
As someone who can easily spend quite some time on social media, I have found that I feel SOOO much better when I pick up a book instead of my phone! This is especially important at night as I am getting ready for bed— research has shown that it is a necessity to spend time away from your phone for at least 30 minutes or more to ensure the best sleep. While I haven’t been perfect at this, I have definitely felt a difference the nights I do implement this practice. This also applies to the morning as it is just as important to spend time away from your phone while your body and mind are waking up! Whether its reading Scripture or journaling, I find that doing these instead of being on my phone makes my mind feel a whole lot better (and a lot more fulfilled!).
Here are some books I highly recommend!
– Garden City by John Mark Comer (Non-Fiction)
– Insanity of God by Nik Ripken (Non-Fiction)
– Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (Fiction)
– Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (Fiction)
4. Do something with your hands!
Something that makes me feel a bit more grounded is being creative and doing physical work with my hands. Whether it is painting/art, writing letters, gardening, cleaning my room, etc., I find being productive apart from school or work is so valuable to my everyday! This practice is definitely not something I do often, so I want to begin challenging myself to set time away from the stress of life to do something I enjoy and can be proud of!
For number 5, join my email list! I will be sending out an email soon with the last practice I am working on as well as some updates on what to expect the next few weeks.If you have any wellness practices that help your everyday, I would love to hear them— add them here!
Thank you for reading along!