8 Wellbeing Principles
Health and Wellbeing Journey | 8 Wellbeing Principles
Do you sometimes feel that the world is collapsing? Does it get hard to push through the day? Do you need more energy to complete the to-do list? Do you feel stressed out from work and life around you? If any of the above is a yes, you should keep reading!
Wellbeing is what many of us want to have, but what is that? According to Psychology Today, Well-being is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress.
So that's great, we found the goal… But how to get there? My one day consists of 30 hours of work and that is before I added some sort of sleep time. I am working hard, educating myself, living an active life and it all requires resources…
Well… let’s face it, your main resources to operate in this unstable world are your energy and your focus. So let’s draft up some focus areas:
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Let’s dive a bit deeper in each of the aspects.
Movement
We all know that exercising is important. But, I would like to remind you, the gym is not the only place to exercise. I heard so many times (including from myself) ‘there is no nice gym around’, ‘it is too expensive’, ‘I feel shy’, ‘I don't know what to do there’. And to be honest all of them are valid points. Truth is, some people just do not like gyms. But that is obviously a secret.
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Keep an eye for our posts, we will be giving you tips on what and how to do in the gym. But what is more important, we will give you ideas on what to do outside of the gym. Not because we have something against the gyms, but because the gym is not an excuse, it is a tool. And there are more tools in that tool box. |
Nutrition
Food is always a hot topic. Especially around 11:45am. And you can smell that freshly baked bread and really require some sugar rush to complete all your tasks. On the other side you have so much information about diets, macros, calories, meal plans, fasting, supplements,... I know it is overwhelming.
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What if we suggest, very quietly, that you can be friends with your food choices and be proud of yourself? What if there is food that powers you like a top tier gasoline before the races? Yes, it is possible. |
That is called a healthy diet. And with the knowledge and understanding of how the food works, you can manage your body. Think about petrol and car races.
Sleep
I have no time for sleep. I will sleep on the other side. Sleep is for weak people. I have a dream and I cannot sleep.
As an entrepreneur I know that when you have an idea, sleep leaves you first… because it takes so… much…. Time… and concentration…. I know.
| But dear doers and go-getters, do you want to keep your memory? Do you want to be able to think clear? How are you going to generate ideas on continuous 4 hours sleep? How are you going to lead and inspire if you are exhausted and grumpy like Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants? |
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I know sleep is hard and takes very too much time than I wish it would. But as we faced with the requirement to switch off, let’s learn to do that properly. We will be talking about medication, music, aroma therapy, time management, and all that just to minimise counting sheeps jumping over the rainbow.
To summarise, we need sleep to sustain our memory, remove toxins, sustain our cognitive capacity, sustain our creative thinking, fight with depression and anxiety and support overall health (Source Forbes )
Breath
Breath is the connection between our mind and body. We know that breath is important to keep life in us. Even an ant breathes. But did you know that you can manage your nervous system and blood pressure?
Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which decreases the heart rate and dilates blood vessels, reducing your overall blood pressure. As your breathing becomes slower, your brain associates it with a state of relaxation.
| Here is an exercise for you to start today. Box breathing, also known as four-square breathing, involves exhaling to a count of four, holding your lungs empty for a four-count, inhaling at the same pace, and holding air in your lungs for a count of four before exhaling and beginning the pattern again. |
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Mindfulness
I can see more and more discussions about mindfulness on social media. Let’s set some stones.
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we're sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. (Source: Berkeley University)
Something for you to start today - 54321 Techniques.
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👀👇👂👃👅 5-4-3-2-1 Techniques |
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1.The first step is to look around the room and name five things that you can see around you. |
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2.The second step is to focus on four things that you can feel. |
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3.The third step is to name three things that you can hear around you. |
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4.The fourth step is to notice two things that you can smell around you right now. |
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5.The fifth step is to focus on one thing that you can taste. |
Resilience
I created this website for people that want to live an abundant and fulfilling life. Reality is… it’s hard, the ideas don’t always work out, there are internal and external circumstances that put you down… again and again… I know. There is also fear. Fear of change, fear of disappointment, fear of not being good enough.
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But if you are reading this, it means you have something burning in you and you WANT to try again. We all fall at some stage, but it is about how to get up and try again. |
Purpose
Do you remember that day when you were asked who you want to be? I wanted to be an astronaut at the time. Although I am totally planning to go to space at some stage in my life, my current career is much different. Truth is, I have worked in 5 different industries, but my purpose actually stayed the same - I want to make a positive meaningful difference in the world. When my day is aligned to my purpose, I feel fulfilled. All the talks about fulfillment in life - this is it. You are feeling fulfilled when what you do is aligned with the purpose you have set. When I teach, I feel great, but when I am moving paper in the office I feel shit. When the paper is important and will change lives, I feel good again.
Finding purpose is not an easy task, but when you identify it, the feeling is like someone switch on the light.
Some questions for you to ask yourself to identify your values:
- What characteristics do you value in people?
- What does your perfect day look like?
- What is happiness?
- What is the definition and value of wealth?
- If you could create the world, what would it look like?
Relationship
We all are social animals. Some of us are more dependent on the socialisation process, and some are less, but we all constantly interact. It is suggested that humans need around 6 hours a day of social interaction (good news - that includes texting) to achieve a healthier mindset (Source: Tom Rath and Jim Harter, PhD).
If we spend all this time interacting, would you like it to be effective and productive? Or would you like to keep arguing over eggs and chickens?
There are multiple studies and tricks to communication and building relationship. Today I will share my favourite - smile.
You probably agree that when we feel happy, we start smiling. But did you know it works the other way too? Smile and you will feel better. Science has shown that the mere act of smiling can lift your mood, lower stress, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life. (Source: Dr Isha Gupta). Your task is to:
- Smile at yourself in the mirror for 3 minutes (can involve putting make up, shaving etc)
- Smile to your colleagues as you greet them individually
- Walk through the crowd and smile to strangers (watch how they will smile back)
I am very excited to dive deeper with you to each chapter to create an abundant and fulfilling life, helping you to stay focused and energised on the things that are important to you.
Please comment what are your current struggles and what would you like to improve.
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." Steve Jobs
Have an amazing day ahead!
Daria Andrievskaya
Director of Inspiration
