Little Habits to Set You FREE
New Year’s resolutions… most of us made them. How many of us are still on track with them? We are a few months into 2020 now and this is the time that we hear that we have started to slack with our goals we had for the year. We hear all the time that we have gone off track and just haven’t jumped back on the train. And, with everything that has been going on in the world right now, this might be the last thing on everyone’s mind. Guys, we know it is tough out there right now. There is so much uncertainty in the air - when will it go back to normal? When can we see each other again? We are all still in limbo and are confined to limited places for the time being. We are in a forced rest period and what are we to do with that? What if we try to create new habits in this season of unknown that we have been wanting to do for a while now that we never had time for? Making small habits now while you have time could carry through when things go back to normal. Here are some ideas that Paul and I have worked on in the last year.
Been wanting to watch your screen time/social-media time? Set time limits on your phone. We have set time limits for certain apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. - once we have hit our time limit scrolling on these apps, it will make you input a password to give you more time. This has been great to limit unnecessary scrolling and wasting time. We also have set a no screen policy at certain times of the day. Our window of screen time is 7:00am - 8:00pm. Anything outside of this window is self-care time. Whether it is for yourself or just to have time to be present with those around you. This would be great to start during a quarantine.
Want to drink more water throughout your day? One tiny habit we have done is to put a water bottle by our coffee station. When we go to make our pour-over in the morning, the bottle is right there and is easier to take a few sips of water. Another small habit that could help is to just put a water bottle on your desk while you work. If it is more available to you, you just might drink more. There are also several apps that you can put on your phone that will give you notifications to drink water every 15-30 minutes. I have used one called My Water and it helped me drink more water when I am at the office.
Always wanted to work on your stretching and flexibility? Start with a 5 minute routine that you do every day when you get up in the morning or right before you go to bed at night. You could even do this on your lunch break or a small break from your deskwork. Don’t know where to start? Paul has so many resources on our website to use. Go check out https://livefreechiroplus.com/paul and pick 5 videos and do those everyday. I will pick one from each category and once I have those mastered, I will add more.
Want to eat healthier? I have several recipes on our website that would be a good time to try out while you have more time. Once you get them mastered, they just become a part of your weekly meal planning and can jumpstart into a healthier lifestyle.
Read a book. While setting time limits from news and social media, take this time to pick up a book and read. Paul and I have started a habit this year that we will make our morning coffee and then sit down and read for 10-15 minutes (sometimes more depending on how much time we have). We use the morning to read something that makes us think - something we want to learn or books on philosophy. Then at night, we will read a fiction book for 10-30 minutes before bed so we can start to calm down our brain before we try to sleep. This has been a great habit for us to start and we have both already read several books this year.
Go for walks. Get one long, slow walk in a week with someone or by yourself. Just be present with nature.
Been wanting to learn something? I have wanted to take the time to learn how to ferment foods for a while now. I decided that now was the time to do it so I bought Todd Vincent’s (@fermentedfarmer) course on fermentation. I just took a few days and spent a small time learning things. Once I was done with the course, I read more online about it. I started my first ferment this week. Paul has been learning all about chickens and planting a garden as that is what we want to do on our land this year. What is something that you have wanted to learn but didn’t have the time?
Have more family time. Sit at the dinner table as a family each night. Play games, Color. Go for bike rides or walks. Now is the time to spend more time with your family.
The thing with making changes is that you don’t have to do it all at once. What is one thing you could change today? If you completed that, it is a success. Make small changes. Once you master that one thing, add the next thing. Set yourself up for success not failure. Use this time to live free from those things that weigh you down.
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