5 HEALTHY HABITS I'VE TAKEN UP

I've added a health and well-being section to my blog because stress and anxiety is something I have a lot of trouble with on a daily basis. I want to create a space on my blog where I can document changes in my life that have helped me and hopefully help others that are in similar situations.

When I was a teenager I got into healthy eating and fitness but to a level that was unhealthy and slightly obsessive (I'll go into this another time). Since the new year began I lost complete control over looking after myself, it was like the Christmas celebrations didn't end and the drinking and excessive eating of bad foods didn't end.

About 2 weeks ago I decided I'd make small changes to my life to find a healthy balance in my life. No way am I stopping drinking or ordering takeaways, just decreasing the amount and basically just taking better care of myself.

Below are 5 habits I've taken up that have helped me with anxiety and just made me feel much better about myself. I'm still trying to get into a routine and I've even started planning days in my diary to make sure I include the following in my daily routine.

I hope this is helpful :)

1. Exercise

I can count on my hands the amount of times I've exercised this year which is not good. I'm going to be completely honest and say I've been so lazy this year!

I know I've gained weight and I've become extremely unfit so it's time to change that. I've promised myself I'll get a workout in at least 4 times a week.

There's 24 hours in a day so why can't one of those hours, or even 30 mins of my day be devoted to exercise. We spend hours a day on our phones doing pointless scrolling on instagram or watching episode after episode on Netflix when we can feel so much better about ourselves by doing a small workout for a fraction of the time we have in a day.

This is my second week of exercising and I can't believe how much I've been missing it. The thing is, you'll never regret doing a workout. Exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy, it's as simple as.

Also, I've found exercising outside in the fresh air has done wonders for me. Especially if you work in doors, try to get outside.

2. Less alcohol, more water

They say you should be drinking up to 2 litres of water a day but I try aim for more. Wherever I go, I try to bring a water bottle or a glass of water with me to remind me to keep drinking.

Now alcohol on the other hand is a different story. I don't even want to go into how many units of alcohol is recommended a week because I'll scare you all, including myself .

Of course, I love a drink, maybe a little bit too much but I've cut down a good bit recently and I've noticed a big change in myself. I'm a lot more energetic, definitely a lot less bloated and my overall mood is just more positive.

I'm not giving up alcohol, I'm just cutting down. Plus, this is great for the bank account, I dread to think how much money is spent on nights.

3. Social media mini breaks - Put the phone down!

This is something I started doing since I went on my trip to Australia in January and it's probably because my phone didn't work out there but it made me open my eyes and not have them stuck to a screen.

I get so sick of being on my phone and scrolling for hours on end so I've started to leave my phone at home or in my room when I know I don't need it. I find it so therapeutic to go for a walk and leave my phone at home.

I've stopped going on my phone before bed as it keeps me up. Try to read a book for 15 mins before you sleep and trust me you will sleep so much better.

4. Positive mind frame

This is something I struggle with every day. I find it so hard to be positive especially when something doesn't go right for me and I think 'What's the point being positive?'. We all have that little negative voice in our head and it's called fear. It likes to knock us down and make us feel like were not good enough.

I try to block it out but sometimes it gets the better of me and honestly it's what's made me avoid blogging and posting on social media a lot recently because I convince myself that there's better bloggers than me, no one reads what I post anyway and I should just give up. But that's not true, you have to focus on the positives and stop thinking the worst and in my case, stop being so dramatic!

Here's 3 little things I've started doing to become more positive:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others

2. Remember how far you've come, things WILL get better.

3. Believe in yourself, because if you don't who will?

5. Do more of what you love

Whether it's going for a run, grabbing a coffee in your favourite cafe, going to the cinema, do more of what make you happy. Get into a routine and try to include whatever it is that makes you happy.

Like I said above, I've started to exercise at least 4 times a week and it really has made a huge difference to my mood. The earlier I exercise the better my mood for the day and I know this may be the endorphins but starting your day off with something you enjoy is a great start to any day in my opinion.

I love to blog and because of my own fear of not being good enough, I took a step back. I've gotten back into it recently because I've realised it's something that I actually like to do, even if 1 person reads this that's good enough for me. I like to write and I like to think that people enjoy my blog posts and I know people do because a lot of you write to me (thank you!).

I don't blog for the 'likes' or to become 'Insta-famous' (I hate that word), I do this for the passion and I'm sharing this specific blog post to help anyone in similar situations because I've been on a roller coaster over the past year and I've learnt a lot and I'm still learning but maybe my experience can be useful to someone and If I've even helped one person, well then I think it's all worth it.

I hope you enjoy this blog post and I'm going to be sharing a lot of experience of mine regarding stress, anxiety and just life in general.

Hope everyone's having a lovely day.

Besos,

Zoë Elizabeth