The power of creating self-care habits to boost your mental and physical wellbeing

Prioritising our mental and physical health can seem daunting at times. 

With life looking after a family, going to work, or with finding the challenge of setting aside time to give self-care; prioritising physical and mental wellbeing can seem a distant plan. 

Research shows that making small tweaks to daily habits and incorporating a more mindful approach can help lower the risk of certain illnesses, regulate mood, and boost optimism.

Here we explore 5 habits to help regulate and boost your physical and mental wellbeing.

1.Lighten up your mornings

Instead of lingering in bed once awake, head to a window or outdoors. 

Research shows that natural light in the morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm, an internal cycle that rises and falls throughout the day. 

When regulated properly, your circadian rhythm, will promote wakefulness in the morning and allow a restorative sleep at night.

For deeper self-connection, a 15-minute meditation is recommended to help redirect your thoughts to a calmer state. 

The practice of meditation is beneficial for increasing mood, stress management, self-discipline, and healthy sleep patterns.

Connecting with yourself through meditation can be done anywhere at any time.

2.Be physically active

Not only does movement help to keep your body fit but adding small movements to your day can help elevate your immune system. 

Movement coincided with deep breaths will often allow you to feel a ‘flush’ throughout the body. 

This ‘flush’ is every breath of air invigorating blood with oxygen through the circulatory system. 

Exercise and movement help to carry this oxygenated blood to all tissues and organs of the body, providing it with nutrients and nourishment.

Movement along with conscious breath also help to stimulate flow of the lymphatic system – an important component of immune health. 

The lymphatic system helps detoxify the body, as well as capture bacteria, microbes and toxins within the nodes where they are likely “killed” by white blood cells. 

If you are stagnant, sedentary, if your body is not moving and you are not breathing deeply – the lymphatic system cannot effectively do its job.

30-minutes of daily movement is all you need to help keep this system effective. 

Low impact exercise such as Pilates and Yoga are suitable for all-bodies and adaptable to different levels. 

These forms of exercise particularly practice conscious breathing with controlled movement to help make the body feel stronger and the mind to feel calmer.

3.Eat good food

With our busy lifestyles comes the quick and easiest option to feed our bodies. 

To maintain a healthy mind and body, set aside 5-minutes every day to plan your diet.

Eating heavily processed foods loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates can trigger a release of stress hormones, indicating mood swings and fatigue. 

Processed foods can also create a higher risk of depression. 

Find foods that nourish the body from within to help keep a healthy mindset.

Planning and purchasing food in advance is not only more cost effective and sustainable, but helps to stop the quick snacks when visiting the shops on a daily basis.

4.Find your tribe

Human’s naturally need connection. 

Being part of a community can have a hugely positive effect on mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Finding your people can provide a sense of belonging and support, and knowing there are people who care will benefit your overall outlook on life. 

Social connectedness can also offer extra meaning and purpose to everyday life.

When looking for a stronger sense of connection within a community, start with self-reflection. 

Being aware of what’s important to you can help you find ways to connect with other like-minded people. 

Groups such as sporting clubs, schools, volunteer programs and wellness studios can help you to find your tribe. 

5.Take time out for you

Everyone feels overwhelmed these days, desperately trying to multi-task and keep all the balls in the air.

After many lockdowns the daily schedule might feel even busier than before. 

Working from home seems to have expanded to fill even more time than it did when we were working elsewhere. 

Those who still go into workplaces are contending personal space issues as well as other work issues.

For some there’s also childcare, home schooling and relatives to think about.

After all these months of dealing with a pandemic, it is the time to start to nurture ourselves to give ourselves the physical and mental energy to face challenges that arise before us.

Facing even minor challenges is hard when you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or frazzled.

We expect so much from ourselves, it isn’t surprising we feel unable to cope from time to time. 

For this reason, it is so incredibly important to take time out for yourself. 

Refresh your mind, nurture your body, and breathe.

Wellness by PP is Warrandyte’s newest health and wellness addition; offering Pilates, Yoga, meditation and wellness workshops. 

It provides a space not just for movement but is a place of connection and growth. 

Since launching in November the studio has been a frequented place for many Warrandyte locals. 

Nestled in the West End of Warrandyte the highly trained instructors are there to help locals with their wellness journey and provide a sense of community for all.