5 Tiny Habits That Will Make You More Well-Adjusted Than 98% Of People
Five things that will immediately make you more even-keeled.
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock We all experience a different reality.
Some people are working harder than ever, while also taking on homeschooling and childcare. Others have completely lost their income.
Some enjoy reduced social demands. Others find it hard to cope without the energy of groups.
Even if you don’t have these particular struggles, you may find some days are just hard.
Here are 5 ways to feel well-adjusted right now:
1. Stand like Wonder Woman
Your posture communicates with your brain, so this is an easy way to immediately change your energy.
Stand with your feet apart, chest out, hands on your hips, and chin lifted. Lift the corners of your mouth slightly.
Photo: Roy Reyna/Pexels
Smooth and relax the rest of your face. Hold this pose for 60 to 90 seconds, breathing deeply. Since this is a power pose, you should notice a real change in your attitude right away.
2. Take a fast-paced walk
Choose a time and place that won’t be crowded, and do one of the things that make us human!
Walk briskly. Lengthen your stride and swing your arms. An hour is a good length, but even 10 minutes should shift your emotions.
3. Watch your self-talk
Often, the things we tell ourselves without noticing bring us down. Maintain good emotional hygiene by making sure your thoughts are appreciative of yourself.
Don’t allow your inner critic to run amok. Remind yourself of your inherent value, even without accomplishment. Identify the many little things you have accomplished, even if they seem too small to celebrate.
For example, congratulate yourself for trying to feel happier. Once you look, you’ll see you have done much more than you give yourself credit for.
If you need help building this habit, schedule a few sessions with a life coach.
4. Help someone else
There are ways to help others that only you can do.
Who needs to hear from you today? Who needs to be seen for who they are, and acknowledged for what they’ve done? Who needs a gift, or an errand run?
You are uniquely placed within your social network to make a particular difference. Making a gesture of support will lift your spirits.
5. Energize your breath
Every emotion has a corresponding breath pattern. If you are feeling stagnant and low, notice whether your breathing is shallow and constricted.
The following breath exercise should shift stagnant feelings immediately.
Stand up and raise your arms in fists above your head. Bring your elbows down to your waist in rapid motion as you push air out of your nostrils in a strong puff.
Repeat this pulling-down huffing movement rapidly seven times, then sigh loudly as you bend at the waist and relax, dangling your arms and letting out all your breath.
Breathe normally for a few seconds, and then straighten and raise your fists again. Do this three times.
6. Try DIY art therapy
Music and creative expression are like magic when it comes to changing your mood.
Find songs that give you positive, energized feelings, and listen in a focused way. All of Andrea Bocelli’s songs work for me.
Dance if you want to — even if you have to force yourself to at first. Pull out paints and make a series of "before and after" paintings expressing in abstract terms how you are feeling and how you want to feel.
Tear out magazine images and collage a vision board. The arts are a way to work with our emotions, not just for artists, but for all of us.
What you produce does not have to be brilliant — the process is the point.
Make something that satisfies you: a song, a painting, a greeting card, a craft, like stamped wrapping paper, a pie, a beautiful meal, a new way of arranging your furniture, or a poem. And as you work, let the vibrations of good music help your spirit soar.
New habits can eventually replace old ones. As you practice these tips, you may find that your general baseline of happiness improves.
Here’s to greater happiness for us all!
Atieno Bird, MA, CP, is a life coach certified in Co-Active Coaching, Psychodrama, Conflict Resolution, and Appreciative Inquiry, and has 20 years of training, facilitation, and coaching experience with over a thousand professionals.