With the immense amount of advantage it has brought us, living in the 21st century also came with several drawbacks, some of which are particularly difficult to cope with.
The rapid technological development has made our lives better and our tasks shorter, yet it has made our everyday pace that much faster and hectic up to a point of stress and anxiety and a constant feeling of battling the time.
Not to mention the ultimate stressor – being ‘connected’ all the time. Devices are running our lives and as much as we crave to disconnect and recharge, the nature of the modern life and business just won’t let us breathe and relax.
The never-ending circle of worry and stress often leads to anxiety and other stress-induced disorders. In order to help you overcome the 21st-century stress, we have come up with 7 habits anyone can adopt to live a happier and healthier life.
1. Take Care of Your Body
With all the knowledge and research we are daily bombarded with concerning the importance of healthy diet and exercise for our general wellbeing and longevity, it is almost unbelievable that anyone needs more convincing.
According to a study, regular physical activity presents a powerful tool for eliminating stress as it generates positive emotions. Nurturing a healthy physical routine and diet is essential for being healthier, stronger, more resilient and creative, and for coping with everyday noise and stress.
2. Eliminate Unnecessary Worry
Overthinking and worrying about each little issue happening in our lives is another common trait of 21st century. We run our lives on autopilot of continual stress and anxiety that are often caused by the things we cannot control.
We have to understand that we simply cannot control certain situations in our lives. But we can always control our reactions. Instead of indulging in self-criticism or pity, we have to find a more productive way to deal with the uncontrollable. Understand it wasn’t your fault, accept the outcome in a calm way and decide on the action that will improve the condition.
3. Explore
Take some time to be in nature. Travel and explore the beauty of the planet we are on, not for the purpose of showing off on social media, but to enjoy being more mindful, tolerant, open-minded and happy.
Find the joy in experiencing places for the first time and take your time to get acquainted with the culture, nature and character of the place you visit. Find the most beautiful beach at the scenic natural beauty of the Algarve or get enchanted with the fascinating cultural experience in the ancient Myanmar city of Bagan.
4. Nurture Meaningful Connections
Many people today fear being alone so they tend to gather as many people in their social groups as possible without giving much thought to the quality of the relationships. While having a diverse group of friends can be fun, remember that quality is key when it comes to building a close support system that will be there for you through thick and thin.
Even though social media was supposed to bring us closer and promote building relationships, alienation is still the key problem of modern society. There is no device or platform that can replace the genuine contact and support of honest friendship among a real-life group of people.
5. Count Your Blessings
If there was a magical solution to finding happiness, gratitude would be the first on the list. Appreciating each good thing in our lives truly does wonders in terms of our general wellbeing, coping with stress and achieving a more optimistic and positive attitude towards our life.
Studies have shown that keeping records of the positive aspects of your daily life benefits your emotional and interpersonal wellbeing.
6. Practice Awareness
Observe and examine your life. Be aware of your thoughts and actions. Ask questions. Are your actions accordant with your words? Are you living in balance? Are you attached to things? Are you living a life of excess? Do you compare yourself to others?
Mindfulness is a crucial habit to adopt in the rapidly changing world we are living in. Being mindful means being aware of the present moment and everything that happens right now including our thoughts and emotions.
To eliminate stress means to acknowledge our emotions, to name them and to find a way to detach from them in a positive manner. Mindfulness creates a foundation for practicing gratefulness. It also builds better social environments as it generates a mutual feeling of safety and empathy among people.
7. Resist the Need for Perfection
In a world of perfected images and portrayals of personal traits that seem impossible to achieve, it is easy to forget about the flaws we all come with. Expecting perfection from ourselves and others leads to disappointment.
Do your best and remember your limits and the limits of the people around you for a more realistic and happier life.