As humans, we are all faced with the same questions. How to have a better life? What is it that makes a person happy? What are those things that put you off the track of better living? How to make peace with situations?
There is no right answer. We find from the vast database of the internet a combination of what worked for some people. Here are 18 do’s and don’ts that will likely contribute to creating a better life.
18 Do’s for a Better Life
1. Learn new skills if the opportunity is there
It is no longer a question of opportunity but that of willingness. Most skills are just one click away, and that too for free. It could be anything such as learning to defend yourself, learning photography, or repairing things. Every new skill that you discover will give you greater benefits in future life.
2. Eat healthily
Instead of eating junk, getting obese, and then finding diet plans, the better option is to eat healthy in the first place. Healthy eating doesn’t put restrictions on eating palatable food. You can enjoy the flavor despite eating a balanced diet. Try these 15 Simple Food Swaps for a Healthy Eating.
3. Manage time
Almost all parents across the globe advise their teenagers to manage time. It is considered the kind of thing that if you learn, you will know how to live a better life. Managing your time means that you should allow the right amount of time to do the right kind of things.
Consider high-priority work first. Moreover, do not forget to take out some family time from your busy schedule.
4. Relieve stress
There are countless ways to do so. You can try deep breathing, exercise, traveling, talking to a loved one, eating a balanced diet, or taking a break. Learn tips to manage stress through this article by WebMD: 10 tips for managing stress.
5. Do exercise
It is probably the only form of activity that positively affects every cell in your body. People usually imagine gym and intense activities when we talk about exercise. You can walk, jog, run, dance, perform yoga, and even play with the skipping rope to benefit from exercise. Whatever form of physical activity you choose, it’ll enhance your mood and improve your focus.
6. Write a journal
Keeping a journal is an easy way to pour your experience, pain, and thoughts on a piece of paper. According to Dr. James Pennebaker, the psychologist, journaling strengthens our immunity and improves mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
Journaling is related to better mood and good social relationships. It also gives you a chance to reflect on past events.
7. Drink enough water
Water helps in digestion, absorption, circulation, maintenance of body temperature, transport of nutrients, the creation of saliva, lubrication of joints, and the protection of body tissues.
You can well imagine how the functioning of your body can be affected due to an imbalance of body fluids. Water keeps this balance and also helps your body to get rid of waste products.
8. Laugh
Ever heard the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine?’ There’s a reason they say so. It is always fun to share a laugh with friends and family. What you may not know is that it is also beneficial for health.
Laughter relaxes your whole body. It protects your heart and boosts your immunity. There’s also a chance that you may outlive your unsmiling fellows if you have a good sense of humor. So, laugh.
9. Rise early
This advice is coupled with early sleeping hours. Getting up early is reduced to low stress levels. It helps with increased productivity and better grades.
You are less likely to skip your breakfast with an early to rise habit. You also get to enjoy the quiet hours of early morning and can focus on complicated tasks.
10. Take the stairs
If you have to climb up just a few floors, it’s a good idea to use stairs. In the peak hours when you have to wait longer for an elevator, this can save your time. The health benefits include muscular strength and better heart health.
11. Drink green tea
Your number one reason to have green tea could be its light and delicious flavor. However, research also gives you certain other reasons to drink more green tea. It helps in the reduction of atherosclerosis and the risk of heart disease.
Green tea helps to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels, improve bone density, and even prevents cancer. Convinced?
12. Quit smoking
Hate anyone for saying so, but cardiologists, public health professionals, and researchers have long been screaming the same: quit smoking. You can do your lungs a favor by doing so.
13. Read
Books give you a chance to live a thousand lives before you die. They are there to enable you to visit the magical world, find beauty and humor in the dialogues of different characters, and most importantly, they give you a chance to enhance your understanding of how things work.
Read often. Read whatever you get to read. Try to read different genres.
14. Do floss daily
You can only feel the refreshing feeling that floss can give if you give it a try. Your dentist can give you a long lecture on the importance of flossing. However, the interesting thing is that you get convinced of its benefits only after practicing it for a few days. Do floss daily. It will benefit you in ways you can’t think of.
15. Practice the rule 20-20-20
We spend a good amount of time looking at our mobile and laptop screens. The health of our eyes needs to give them some screen-free time. Practice the 20-20-20 rule.
The rule says that you should look at a 20 feet distance for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of looking at any screen. It will prevent digital eye strain.
16. Be kind
17. Practice gratitude
Thankful people have repeatedly shown themselves to be more healthy and happy than those who have anti-gratitude genes. Robert Emmons is a psychologist who has spent his long career studying gratitude. He concludes his research and observations as follows:
“Few things in life are as integral to our well-being as gratitude.”
18. Save money
If you want to avoid debt in an emergency, you need to start saving today. Future holds unforeseeable expenses. It is good to save money to help you go through times of crisis.
18 Don’ts for a Better Life
1. Don’t judge people based on insufficient evidence
This might seem to be a religious sermon, but it’ll be great if we take a lesson from what Leo Tolstoy said.
“It’s not given to people to judge what’s right or wrong. People have eternally been mistaken and will be mistaken, and in nothing more than in what they consider right and wrong.”
2. Never blame others for your situation
It is only human to shrug off failure or a miserable condition as someone else’s fault, but it’s not productive. The only way to learn from your mistakes is to own them and reflect upon them.
Never blame it on others. Look back, see what mistake you made, learn from it, and do not repeat it. It will provide you with a positive approach and moral courage to own what’s yours.
3. Do not procrastinate
That pile of yet-to-be-read course material or an ignored laundry basket that is full of clothes is the reflection of the very problem that affects 99.99 percent of individuals. Some have it worse; others know how to overcome it. Procrastination. Do not wait for the 11th hour to complete your task. Do it now.
4. Don’t worry
If you can change a situation or solve a problem, why worry about it. Move on to the solution. If you have no control over the situation, worry will only add to the pain. Try to adopt a problem-solving approach in life.
5. Don’t binge on unhealthy food
It is much easier to binge on unhealthy food, but the benefits of eating a healthy diet are what make everyone consider it. Check out these 12 store cupboard superfoods for energy and wellbeing and 14 surprising new superfoods that will provide you immense health benefits.
6. Don’t cry over what happened in the past
It often happens that a thing from the past causes pain, sadness, and depression in your present. Making peace with your past is not the easiest of things, but if you don’t do so, it’ll keep affecting your health, productivity, and your happiness.
If you are fighting blues or have anxiety issues, look at these simple tips that you can apply in everyday life. Check out the 13 Tools to Help You Move through Anxiety & 27 Tips on Fighting Depression, the Unhappiness Monster.
7. Don’t wait
We are all guilty of waiting for weekends, for summers, for the right partner, and for the right time. It’s okay to feel that it is not the right time to do something. However, in the event of a crisis, do not lose hope. Keep your morale high. Move through that stage with strength and positivity.
The weekends, summers, and the right guy will turn out at the right time. Meanwhile, enjoy your life.
8. Don’t compare yourself to your peers
You must have heard that never compare your day 1 to someone else’s day 10. Similarly, as we all have different circumstances, it is only foolish to compare yourself to others and feel bad. Do things at your own pace; try your best and find peace with the situation you are in.
9. Don’t take medicines unless you have to
Many people like to take over-the-counter medicines as if they are a kind of candy. Do not rush to take a pill as soon as you feel the slightest of pain. Medications come with side effects and should never be taken unless genuinely necessary.
10. Never skip your breakfast
There are three kinds of people. The ones who never skip their breakfast, those who skip it because eating in the morning gives them nausea and headache, and then there are late snoozers who skip the morning meal because they are getting late. Check out these 5 Strong Reasons Why You Should Never Skip Breakfast.
11. Don’t hate broccoli
They call broccoli the healthiest food in the world. Packed with vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, folate, dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, manganese, choline, and potassium, broccoli surely doesn’t deserve hate.
12. You don’t have to be perfect
Lacking perfectionism is okay. You can’t do it all perfectly. Learn a new skill, improve the existing ones, make healthy habits, and enjoy your life.
13. Don’t be scared to try new things in life
You’ll have more confidence when you drop that fear of trying new things. Don’t go for meth. There needs to be a distinction between right and wrong, but generally speaking, don’t be afraid to try new things. It’ll give you experience and make you an interesting person.
14. Don’t say YES to everything
It’s okay if you are among many of those people who often say NO. Saying yes to everything and trying to do one hundred things at a time will never work. You need to draw a line where things are considered a big NO-NO.
15. Don’t make decisions when you are angry
It is because those decisions are never wise. The best choices are those that you take after careful reflection.
16. Never stop learning
There is no age limit to learning. For example, you can be 60 and still learn a new language. That dancing school is still open for you. It’s never too late to do what you had always wanted to do. Learn without the boundaries of age.
17. Don’t keep toxic relationships
If you are in a relationship that gives more harm than the benefit, it’s time to think wisely. Another human is not there to make you feel little or to control you.
If a relationship that is supposed to be based on love, care, and support turns into the kind where one person feels like the ruler over another, it is then termed as toxic. You don’t have to be in such a relationship; of course, this doesn’t count to your family members.
18. Don’t be afraid of failure
Did you know how many times Thomas Edison failed before he invented the light bulb? 10,000 times. Great things come with patience, practice, and resilience.
