One of the greatest balances we can hope to achieve in life is finding a way to care for our physical and emotional needs while still giving care and attention to the world around us. At times our busy lives can make it impossible to feel like this is achievable, but carving out time for the essential things in your life is necessary. While the modern world has encouraged the “rise and grind” mentality and throwaway consumerism, we’re starting to realise the impacts these mind frames can have on our mental and physical health and our planet. The best guide to a manageable and productive life is four fundamental principles; relax, exercise, create, and engage. Here is a more detailed breakdown of each principle and some excellent ideas for how to embrace them.
Relax
Sleep is one of the most critical aspects of our lives and helps our body stay strong and resilient, and is beneficial for your brain. We know it’s crucial for all of us to relax, but have you really thought about how you do this? For many of us, relaxing might mean sitting by the TV or engaging in other forms of escapism. While this may be necessary from time to time, try to be more mindful about the ways you choose to rest. Resting can mean paying attention to your sleep cycle and finding ways to improve it; reducing caffeine and alcohol intake can have huge effects, and having a consistent routine when possible. Lack of sleep can also mean that your tired brain craves comfort food and shortcuts around areas that are best to take more time with. A well-rested body and brain will be ready to take on the world.
Exercise
Boost your endorphins by getting active, and you will thank yourself for it. While it may be hard to find the energy to get moving, you will soon find that the more energy you use, the more energy you end up having. Our body rewards movement by decreasing stress hormones and giving our brain a chance to focus on something other than our crowded daily thoughts. There are plenty of ways to exercise while being kind to the environment, for example, investing in sustainable sportswear and campaigning for green spaces to be protected so that even city dwellers have places to run, stretch, and do yoga outside. Going for a long hike at the weekend could help you realise that there are great walking routes around you that you never knew about.
Create
Being creative is a great way to meditate without even realising it. Taking the time to create something without a real purpose (i.e. to display or sell) is one of the best ways to keep your brain calm and engaged while developing skills. Many adults get into a trap of not trying new things for fear of not being very good at it, but creating a painting, drawing, pottery or embroidery just to enjoy the process is beneficial on many levels. Keeping your hands busy is also a great way to reduce bad habits such as smoking or mindless grazing during the evenings. You can always add an eco twist to your creative endeavours by using recycled materials and creating art from everyday objects. If you feel proud of your work, you can always gift it to loved ones or display it in your home, but don’t put pressure on yourself by having that in mind during your creative process.
Engage
While taking an individualistic attitude towards life is easy, knowing and appreciating the community around you is how human beings have always thrived. Get to know your neighbours or community leaders and see if there is anything you can do to help them with small tasks or issues they have. You may even get a passionate group of people together that can help clean up your neighbourhood with a social litter picking day or support local businesses to reduce the air miles of your purchases. There are often hidden gems within our surroundings that we may not notice if we don’t actively try to engage. Many areas now have online groups on social media where you can put feelers out for activities and find out about local products or events.
Resources:
- Sustainable Activewear - Notion
- Sustainable Activewear UK - Populr
- Ethical Sportswear UK - GitLab
- Ethical Gym Wear UK - Homify
- Pilates Clothing - Beijing University