Do you ever feel you have too much stuff ? Do you spend more time than you want dealing with clutter? Do you organize only to find you still don’t have enough room for your belongings?
If so, maybe you need to discard stuff, not organize it better. This process goes by different names- decluttering, simplifying, minimalism- with a goal of less stress, more peace, and more time to enjoy activities that truly give us pleasure and satisfaction.
Sometimes we need to simplify our life, our daily habits. Do you ever feel you’ve been busy all day, and didn’t accomplish anything you really wanted to do? Maybe decluttering, simplifying, and changing our daily routine will create a more satisfying -and healthier- life.
Here are some habits we often neglect and fail to prioritize, but medical professionals now recognize as vital to optimal health and well being. I’ve illustrated each with a link to an affiliate service or product that you might find helpful (and through which you can help support this blog), but feel free to develop your own ideas on how you can make these a consistent part of your life.
sleep
Too many of us treat sleep like a luxury or a waste of time rather than as the necessity that it is. Some of us need more quality sleep; many people are chronically tired due to undiagnosed sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea which aren’t recognized without medical evaluation.
eating
We need to eat more nutritious food- a whole food, plant based diet with fresh vegetables and fruits, beans, legumes, whole grains, lean meats, dairy- anything that isn’t processed or full of unnecessary sugar or excessive fat.
Go here for my review of this book.
connection
We need to spend more time with our family and friends, keeping in touch physically and emotionally. Parents and children connect when they read together. Family vacations create connection through shared activities and memories.
And I reviewed this book here.
giving
We need to cultivate generosity and give more, whether it’s of our money, time, talent or possessions. Every community offers ample opportunities to volunteer and serve others.
physical activity
We need to move mre often , including sports, exercise, chores, walking, even just standing up more than we sit. Here are guidelines recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
mental activity
We can read, learn new skills or improve established ones, start or resume a hobby like photography, learn another language, maybe start a blog.
Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. They believe bookstores are essential to a healthy culture and they are dedicated to the common good. Bookshop.org donates a portion of every sale to independent bookstores.
conversation
We need communication with other people often and authentically. Social media, phone calls, text and email messages substitute when necessary, but they shouldn’t replace face to face time with others. Book clubs, hobby groups, classes, church groups provide safe places to share ideas and learn from others.
Another physician blogger Vania Manipod, D.O. a psychiatrist believes “it’s stylish to talk about mental health.” A post she wrote in 2015 addressed these ideas and prompted me to explore them in a previous post here.
Please take time to read Dr. Manipod’s post and others on her blog-
watercress words by Dr Aletha 
You must be logged in to post a comment.