Reading time: four minutes.
The new year offers a chance to try something new or change things we no longer want. As winter encourages reflection and introspection, it’s a great time to prioritise self-care.
We often start with enthusiasm, wanting to change multiple things simultaneously. However, by the second or third week of January, something inevitably happens and our resolutions falter. Feeling guilty for missing a day, we quickly find ourselves spiralling from two to three days, and then completely giving up. Defeated, we think it’s too hard and demanding. The internal negativity keeps us from restarting.
Instead, consider choosing this one small, seemingly insignificant thing. It’s easy to build into a habit and opens up so many positive possibilities. Once you’ve easily made it a habit, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.
If you’re going to make one new habit this year, start by giving yourself a break. Give yourself time to reboot physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Ask yourself: when was the last time you did something just for fun, fully present and mindful, without distractions? If it took you a few seconds to think, it’s been too long!
We all know we should live healthier, eat better, be more mindful, move more, and so on. But in our hectic world, we often want these things, but the pressure around us takes over. We don’t know where to begin and put ourselves last. This capitalistic life demands survival instead of thriving. It’s become an epidemic where we’re always so busy and have no time for ourselves.
Did you know the key to healthy and balanced living often lies in focusing on a healthy brain? The mind-body connection is crucial, yet we often prioritise one aspect of our health, like keeping the heart healthy through exercise or going to bed early for better sleep. However, what about our brains? While our hearts are the body’s motor, the brain acts as the driver and processing unit. An unhealthy brain prevents a host of problems, including lack of focus, restlessness, anxiety, and stress. A healthy brain benefits all areas of our lives, like a ripple effect.
In our hectic lives, we experience near-constant beta wave activity, meaning our brains are constantly ‘on’. They simply can’t process all the information they encounter in a single day. This is a simple yet undeniable fact, and I’d wager no neurobiologist would disagree.
It’s not that we lack something or need to try harder; it’s a natural phenomenon. We’re not computers (thank goodness!) and can’t process all the stimuli we receive in a day. Our brains need to switch between different frequencies for us to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
Our brains generate various brain waves, and maintaining a healthy and balanced state involves transitioning between these waves. Think of a car constantly driven in first or second gear. The gearbox is designed to shift through different gears based on the situation. You wouldn’t drive up a steep hill in fourth gear or on a motorway in first gear, would you? Similarly, it would be odd and counterproductive to keep your brain in beta wave mode all day. Would that actually help your brain’s longevity?
Being in a constant beta wave state isn’t healthy and can cause significant problems. Activities like meditation, yoga, walking, creative pursuits, or simply sitting still during a hectic day are essential for allowing our brains to relax. A constant beta wave state depletes us and signals the body to be in flight or fight mode all the time.
The sympathetic nervous system remains constantly active, releasing stress hormones meant for intermittent use. This constant stress can make us feel unwell and unbalanced in the short term but has severely detrimental long-term effects on our health. As you’re probably aware, the risk of developing anxiety, depression, heart disease, strokes, sleep and memory issues is enormous.
When we consider our brains and the different brain waves they should transition through, we understand the importance of taking time to wind down. For example, let’s look at preparing for sleep in the evenings. Our brains don’t respond well to simply switching from one state to another and continuing straight away. We’re not electrical goods that simply work or switch off with a flick of a switch.
Imagine it’s late in the evening and you’re still very active and processing a lot of information. Then, because it’s now X o’clock, you drag your body to bed and announce “now it’s sleep time”. Your brain is still processing everything from the evening, digesting it as it were. You’ve flipped a switch and told your brain to go into alpha, theta and delta wave states (the relaxation states). And you lie there awake, thinking and analysing the whole day that’s behind you.
A healthy evening ritual is crucial because it allows your brain to transition and adjust its wavelength frequency, preparing you for a restful night’s sleep. However, before the evening arrives, it’s equally important to halt the constant flow of beta wave activity throughout the day. Taking moments of rest and letting your brain wind down periodically is essential.
As a “questioner” (not just accepting things at face value but seeking the “why” behind them), this approach helped me comprehend and embrace these restful activities. It also facilitated their integration into my daily routine. Without these simple practices, I often felt overwhelmed, excessively stimulated, burnt out and chronically agitated.
Reflecting on the significance of rest, meditation, yoga, and more exercise, I now grasp their necessity more clearly. Our brains require our attention and care to function optimally. Activities like walking, meditating, simply sitting and breathing, or even taking a walk during lunch breaks help us escape the constant beta brain wave state. They allow us to break free from a state of constant information processing, focus, and hyper-alertness.
So, the next time you dismiss the idea of mindful living, take a moment to consider these facts. Simply breathe, pause, and be present.
Small changes can lead to significant results. Here are a few simple tips that resonate with me, and I encourage you to try them if they appeal to you:
Have your morning coffee or enjoy your breakfast without a digital screen. Focus fully on the task or read a little from your favourite book.
Craving a hot drink at work? Instead of rushing back to your computer or dashing to the toilet, stand next to the kettle or coffee machine and wait. We don’t need to be constantly busy doing something!
During the hectic rush hour, do you really need the radio playing different songs and those incessant adverts? Sometimes a bit of silence or calming music is all you need.
When walking the dog, do you really need to be glued to your phone? Take a moment to enjoy the fresh air and your furry friend’s company.
If you’re in a job where it’s almost impossible to grab a free moment, try standing in the restrooms. It might not be the most attractive option, but it gives you a few moments to say “not now”.
Once you’ve arrived somewhere like an appointment, the supermarket, or class, simply sit and be alone.
Are you always rushing from one thing to the next? Prioritise leaving a little earlier to allow for that quiet time without feeling rushed and pressured.
Turn off the TV earlier than usual and simply sit with yourself. No phone, no distractions. Just breathe, do some gentle movements, or lie there in a darkened room. Play some relaxing music.
For more tips and ideas, check out my other blog posts. They offer ideas to create healthy slow-living habits and help you live a more grounded life in these busy times.
I hope you found this helpful, and I’d love to hear how your new habit-building efforts are going.
Yvonne Martha x
