Sidewalks

Tag: wellness tips

  • How to Become a Morning Person

    How to Become a Morning Person

     

    Some people aren’t just naturally morning people (myself included).

    Being a night owl has been my natural rhythm for as long as I can remember. My most productive hours are late at night when everything is calm and quiet.

    I’ve realized that, as much as I enjoy being a night owl, I equally hate the feeling of wasting my day away. There have been many days where I woke up at noon, and it always left me feeling a bit down because I felt like I was missing out on my mornings.

    I used to have a messed-up sleep schedule from all my travelling, but now that I have finally settled down, I’m savouring a consistent routine.

    Waking up at 7:30 a.m. and prioritizing eight hours of beauty sleep has become my new goal. If you want to become an early bird like me, it’s all about practice and a positive mindset.

     

    Here are some tips that have truly made a difference in helping me embrace the morning-

     

    1. Go to bed early—This tip goes without saying but set an earlier bedtime so you can have good hours of peaceful sleep and wake up feeling like a beautiful princess.

     

    2. Keep your cell phone away from your bed. You’ll sleep better, and in the morning, it will also force you to hop out of your cozy sheets to turn your phone alarm off instead of snoozing.

     

    3. Avoid hitting the snooze button. “Just ten more minutes” is a slippery slope. End of story.

     

    4. Schedule a morning workout in your routine. One of the things that has worked best for me is scheduling a morning workout. Even if I am feeling lazy, I never skip it. It goes without saying that starting your day with exercise increases energy and improves productivity for the day.

     

    5. Instead of leisurely lying around in the morning, jump out of bed when you wake up. I like to make my bed right away, which stops me from getting back in. Seeing my bed neatly made when I get home evokes the same feeling of taking a nice, deep, satisfying breath of fresh air. It has been a game-changer for me. It’s a little ritual I do to make coming back home feel extra nice.

     

     6. Before you go to sleep, make a mental or physical checklist prioritizing your goals for the next day. This will help you wake up motivated to achieve that goal.

     

    7. Draw your curtains back when you leave bed and let the natural light in first thing in the morning.

     

    8. Stay Consistent. Remember that the habits you have now took years to form. Set reasonable goals and timelines to rewire them. It is not something that can happen in just a week or two. 

     

    9. Reward yourself. Take the time to celebrate the little wins. Whether you acknowledge them in your mind or jot them down, recognize and celebrate each small accomplishment. You totally deserve to feel proud of the progress you’re making towards a healthier lifestyle.

     

    xo,

    Yachna 

     

    What are some of your tips for becoming a morning person? I’d love to know in the comments.

     

    Featured Image Credits- Pinterest 

  • 6 Things I’ve Stopped Doing For Peaceful Life

    6 Things I’ve Stopped Doing For Peaceful Life

    Have you ever felt like being happy is not enough?

    Well, I have.

    I’ve been thinking about what really matters in life.

    And you know what?

    Being happy all the time isn’t it.

    What’s more important is feeling at peace with your life and having no regrets or longing for something else.

    I’ve consciously poured my energy into positivity, productivity, consistency, and hard work.

    And the result?

    There is a lot more calmness, peace, and clarity in my life. It’s amazing what a little bit of focus and effort can do.

    My ultimate goal is to transform into a more positive, calm, and creative version of myself.

    And to achieve that, I had to make some changes.

    For starters, I stopped doing things these SIX things that were holding me back and keeping me from living a peaceful and fulfilled life

     

     

    1. Continuously live in my comfort zone 

     

    I remember being stuck in a 9 to 5 job; every day felt like the same old thing. 

    Wake up at 7 am, head to the office, take a lunch break at 12:15 pm, wrap up work at 5 pm, make dinner, and get ready to do it all over again. 

    Ugh, it was incredibly boring and unchallenging. 

    But here’s what I learned: your comfort zone may feel safe and cozy, but it’s dangerous. It stunts your personal growth and development and holds back progress. Sticking to familiarity means you’re not moving forward. 

    You must step into the unknown and take the road less travelled to evolve. It’s time to challenge yourself and break free from the monotony. 

    Embrace change, and you’ll find your days filled with growth, progress, and fulfillment.

     

    2. Compare where I am in life to where others are

     

    Instagram is to blame. Whenever I open it up, I see someone celebrating Christmas in London, going on a trip with their girl gang to Switzerland, or attending Lana Del Rey’s concert in Paris. 

    It makes me feel like they’re making money, travelling the world, and falling in love while I’m not doing anything worth mentioning. 

    And then, I start to expect the same things for myself based on what I see. 

    But here’s the thing, my friend – we have the power to change this.

     Instead of spending hours scrolling through our feeds, we can focus on what truly matters, whether it’s spending quality time with family and friends, growing our businesses, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature. 

    So, let’s put social media on the back burner and focus on what makes life genuinely peaceful. 

     

    3. Staying quiet when something/someone has bothered me 

     

    Have you ever felt like bottling up your emotions when deeply hurt? I know I have. 

    As an INFJ, I tend to give the silent treatment, become ice cold and slam the door shut, cutting off all contact and unfollowing people from social media. 

    It’s like they never existed in my life. 

    But the truth is, I don’t hate them. I feel nothing towards them. 

    I used to suppress my emotions and deal with them through writing. However, I’ve realized it’s not the healthiest way to cope. 

    Now, I’m learning to communicate openly and address my problems head-on instead of cutting people off without warning. 

    It’s a process, but I’m getting there.

     

    4. Overthinking about past & future events 

     

    It’s 3 am. You are wide awake and can’t seem to catch a break from your racing thoughts. You are beating yourself over what could’ve been, all the things you could have done. Or, you are paralyzed with stress and worries about tomorrow.

    Trust me, I know how tough it is to shake off that feeling.

     But guess what? 

    I’ve got a little secret that has helped me a lot.

     Instead of dwelling on things I cannot control, I pour my energy into creating things that bring me purpose and joy. 

    Starting this blog is one way I channel my energy into something meaningful. And you can do it too!

     

    5. Continuously give people chances over & over again

     

    Stop giving people third, fourth, and fifth chances ONLY for them to be creative with how they can disappoint you again. I am not a big believer in second chances. If the past has taught me anything, it’s this: people who genuinely care for you won’t put themselves in a position to disappoint you, hurt you, or worse, lose you forever. 

     

    6. Check my phone first thing in the morning

     

    Or, the last thing before I go to bed.

     I must admit that I don’t follow this all the time, but I’m working on it.

     Lately, I’ve been trying to get into the habit of journaling before going to bed. It’s a great way to unwind and reflect on my day. 

    To make things easier, I’ve been using some healing journaling prompts that help me stay focused and avoid getting sidetracked by random YouTube videos. 

    Of course, there are nights when I give in to temptation and end up watching Heart Evangelista’s vlogs or drooling over a cheesy garlic bread recipe. But hey, progress is progress, right?

     

    Is there anything you’d add to this list? What are your daily rituals that help you feel more at peace? I’d love to know xoxoxo

     

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    P.S.  Secrets to making your life magical

     

    Featured Image Credits- Katja Perez