by: Brad Krause
Living with intention isn’t easy. It requires far less effort to live life on autopilot — to get caught up in day-to-day busyness, jumping from one distraction to the next while losing sight of your most dearly held goals. However, going with the flow isn’t a path toward a fulfilled life — and it’s not very good for your overall mental health.
If you want a sense of clarity and purpose in life, you need to live with intention, which means living in a manner that reflects your goals and values. As MindBodyGreen puts it, intentional living is about “taking a step back, analyzing [your] life, and discovering what is most important to [you]” so you create a life you’re proud of.
Living without intention leads to mental discord. When you live in a way that goes against your values, you experience anxiety and unease in daily life. But without a strong sense of your personal values, you don’t know how to solve your distress and live more authentically.
Unfortunately, our fast-paced lives don’t leave much time for checking in with ourselves. When there’s a never-ending to-do list in front of you, how do you find time for mindfulness? That’s where self-care comes in. Self-care is how we carve out time for ourselves and navigate life without letting it overwhelm us. It’s essential for preserving your mental health in the face of life’s stresses and staying oriented toward your goals.
If you feel like life has gotten away from you, these simple acts of self-care will help you reconnect with yourself and live a more intentional life.
Sleep Soundly
Sleep is central to your ability to manage emotions, make sound decisions, and distinguish important tasks from meaningless distractions. Intentional living requires a lot of mental and emotional power, so make sure you’re clocking seven to nine hours per night. Developing a healthy sleep routine will work wonders, which might include reading a good book, turning on a white noise machine and relaxing, or taking CBD oil, which some people use to help develop healthy sleep cycles. Of course, before taking CBD oil, discuss it with your doctor. Also, do some research to find which brand of oil might work best for you.
Eat for Gut Health
Did you know the health of your gut directly influences the health of your mind? A gut-healthy diet helps balance emotions so you feel more focused and capable. Unfortunately, many of us eat for convenience, not gut health. Get to know your gut health and incorporate different types of gut bacteria into your diet through food and supplements. Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium are among the gut bacteria that influence mental health.
Set Boundaries
Don’t let the expectations and demands of other people determine how you live your life. If you always do what others want of you, you won’t have energy left to accomplish your own goals. That’s not to say you should neglect the needs of your loved ones or your boss, but pleasing others shouldn’t come before your own well-being. The Positive Psychology Program has excellent tips and worksheets to get you started with setting healthy boundaries.
Unplug
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” In the modern-day, social media is where much of our comparison lives. If social media leaves you feeling discontent or pulled away from your values for the sake of appearances, it’s time to step away from the screens. You don’t have to delete your social media accounts completely, but you should aim to use social media more intentionally — as a source of inspiration and connection, not comparison.
Living intentionally is challenging — the world is full of distractions and demands, and it’s not easy to say “no” and put yourself first in many situations. However, when you do, the rewards are enormous. By fueling your mind and spirit through self-care, you’ll find the mental energy you need to pursue a life that’s meaningful to you.
Image via Unsplash
Self-care advocate Brad Krause is inspired to help others improve their overall well-being through self-care.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Linda Girgis, MD, FAAFP
Among the best selling books of the 20th century was Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” And there are other books and essays on life planning and productivity as well with a fairly common theme of deciding what is meaningful and incorporate into one’s daily activities or schedule tasks that lead to a favorable destination. I wonder sometimes if that is what separates the 50% burned out docs from the 50% who are not. Dr. Covey did not ignore taking care of one’s body and spirit, which he lumped as Self, though nutrition, exercise and reflective time were not end points but enablers of more difficult to achieve future goals.