HOW MINOR EFFORTS CAN BRING ABOUT MAJOR AND MIRACULOUS CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE.
A BRIEF DISCUSSION OVER ENHANCING LIFESTYLE AND ABANDONING THE IDEA THAT GLORIFIES UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Maintain friendships
Strong relationships and staying in communication with friends and loved ones can support mental health.
For one, the risk of depression is greater in people with low-quality relationships. Those with the poorest quality social relationships have more than double the risk of depression compared to people with the highest quality connectionsTrusted Source.
Similarly, researchTrusted Source suggests feeling isolated is associated with an increased risk of poor self-rated health and depression. It is also associated with various health problems, like headaches, palpitations, and lower back, neck, or shoulder pain.
Even if you cannot get together with friends or family in person, schedule a time to catch up over a phone or video call once a week. Or, simply start chatting with a neighbor when you see them.
Are there any drawbacks?
There really aren’t any downsides to a healthy lifestyle since each person gets to define what “healthy” looks and feels like for themselves.
This means you don’t have to do anything that doesn’t make you happy. After all, as we already covered, unhappiness can affect your health.
For example, if you don’t like conventional exercise, think of ways you enjoy moving your body. And if you hate kale, you don’t have to eat it.
Does this mean I have to give up my favorite “bad habit”?
Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to give up the things that may be considered “bad habits.” It’s perfectly possible to balance healthy living with eating cookies, taking a day off from your workout, or having wine with dinner.
In fact, enjoying a treat once in a while can help you better stick to healthy eating habits. An all-or-nothing mindset where you can only eat “good” foods and never eat “bad” ones often backfires. Having the flexibility to eat your mom’s extra-cheesy lasagna — and savor every bite — is part of being healthy.