4 Ways To Make Your Health A Priority

Almost a third of Americans put off a trip to the doctor. We say we have no time, our problem is not important, or that we’ll book an appointment tomorrow. But our biggest resource is our health, and without it, we leave ourselves at risk. Here is why your health is so important, and four ways you can make your health a priority today.

Pexels-CC0 Licence

Book A Dental Appointment

A basic check up can be booked every six months without you needing to wait until you have a toothache. There is an affordable dentist out there you can visit, and with a regular check up you can avoid a sudden health emergency that racks up a high cost. The benefits of regular dental appointments are that you get to keep your teeth for longer, minimize the risk of severe gum disease, and even reduce the time spent off work for more severe issues. 

Manage Your Stress Levels

Your stress levels play a vital part in your daily life. Stress can derail your healthy eating plans, stop you from wanting to see friends, and even change your perception of yourself. Simplifying your schedule can help reduce stress levels, so you can better manage your time and wellbeing. 

Long term stress can significantly impact your physical and mental health, so if you do find yourself feeling stressed a lot of the time, take steps to unwind throughout the day. Simple steps to reduce stress include going outside, planning things like meals in advance, and taking the time to do the things you enjoy.

Set Realistic Fitness Goals

95% of our New Year's Resolutions are health-related, yet over 40% of us give up on them after less than a month. So why do so many of us give up so quickly? Most of our fitness goals are unrealistic. People want to run five days a week rather than one or lose lots of weight rather than a little bit over time. When you set fitness goals, try to make them realistic. There’s no point setting yourself a goal you’ll not only give up, but feel bad for failing afterward.

Make Time To Prioritize You

How much time do you schedule in the day for looking after yourself? One of the main reasons why our exercise or healthy eating plans fail is because we don’t make enough time in the day to actually carry them out. Prioritize yourself by making self-care an actual slot in your diary. You can only be efficient for so long. If you keep focusing on work above yourself then there will come a day when you feel burnt out and run down.

Your health matters. You deserve self-care, health checks, and manageable stress levels. Try to make it a natural part of your schedule to visit the dentist, and be realistic with the goals you set yourself. If you were giving advice to a friend, what parts of life would you tell them to prioritize? Make your health a priority today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Doing What You Want for You and Your Happiness

Whether you're a working mother, a busy professional, or just someone trying to navigate the wild west of the modern world, it's easy to lose sight of what makes you happy. Sometimes, there are even people who consider you selfish for wanting to put your happiness first and shame you for thinking of yourself.

These people don't matter, though. Even though you do have other responsibilities, these shouldn't come at the expense of your own happiness. So stop caring what others think. Start considering how to do what you want for you and your happiness. 

Doing That Thing

Think about everything you've said you're going to start doing during your life. There's a lot, surely. Now think of how many of those things you actually followed through to the end. Chances are it's less than half, maybe even less than a quarter. 

But this shouldn't be the case any longer. There's a possibility you're missing out on a variety of cool, exciting, and enjoyable activities, hobbies, experiences, or even jobs that will help ignite the spark of your happiness. Even if people seem like they don't think you can do it or want you to focus your energy elsewhere, going ahead and just doing it will help you realize what's really important. 

Treating Yourself

Fans of Parks and Recreation will no doubt remember the Treat Yo' self episodes, and while they may be an example of financial irresponsibility at its most flagrant, the underlying message rings true. 

If you spend all your time working for others and doing things for them, you forget that you, too, need treating every once in a while, and you can't always rely on others to treat you. This is when it comes to you, and you can enjoy vacations, shopping trips, nights both in and out, or even give yourself the cosmetic Advanced Skin therapy you've had your eye on for a while. 

Treating yourself can refresh and rejuvenate you, meaning you can get back to focusing on helping others. 

Removing Negative Influences

Sometimes, people struggle to separate themselves from negative influences and environments in their lives because of loyalty, family commitments, or a fear of the unknown. However, these negative influences can harm your happiness, and by staying close to them, you're only hurting yourself. 

This is why it's essential to separate yourself from these influences either for a short time or more permanently to give yourself time to think. In the quest for happiness, you must recognize areas of your life that are not good for you, and removing these areas as effectively as you can is the first step towards doing better for yourself. 

Your Happiness Is What Matters

There will be times where you need to focus on others' happiness before your own, but it's when you only focus on others that this becomes a problem. You cannot help others without first helping yourself, so understanding what makes you happy will help you be better, help you help others to become better, too.

Positive Changes For A Happier You

Photo by: Denise Benson Photography

Hey, how are you feeling today? If you're feeling down about yourself and simply going through the motions of life, it might be that you need to make changes to improve the way you feel.

These suggestions might help, so relate them to your life and take those steps that relate to you.

Deal with the things that make you unhappy

This can be easier said than done, we know, but if you can take steps to deal with the annoyances and difficulties in your life, then you might find yourself one step closer to a happier life.

So, you want to make changes to your money situation, for example. Especially if you don't have enough of an income to live on, it might be that a change of job is in order. You might want to go back to school too, as you will then have added skills and qualifications to add to your resume. And you might also want to find ways to boost your income with the side hustle ideas at sidehustlenation.com. Money can't buy you happiness, of course, but if having more will get you out of a financial difficulty and improve your mood state, then do whatever is needed.

There might also be things about your physical appearance that make you unhappy. The first thing to remember, of course, is that nobody's perfect, so don't dwell on your worst features. However, if you are able to make changes, then do so if they will make you feel happier. So, you might consider the plastic surgery services of kittoplasticsurgery.com if you have the budget to deal with those features that you are desperate to change. And you might consider a new outfit or hairstyle if an enhanced look will boost your mood. Be sure to make those changes that will make you happy, of course, and don't change yourself to please others. You will feel better about yourself in both the short and the long-term if you do.

We have only given you a couple of examples, but consider the things that make you unhappy. We can't list them all - we're not you, so how could we? - but you can list them, and be it alone or with the help of others, we are sure you can take steps to deal with them too. Think about it today and do what it necessary.

Stop thinking negatively

Many of us have negative mindsets, and consequently, we feel down about ourselves on a daily basis. We tell ourselves that we are useless. We criticize ourselves for our mistakes. And we limit our lives because we tell ourselves that we can't change, move on, or find happiness.

It's these negative mindsets that perpetuate the way we feel, so we need to break into them. Instead of telling ourselves that we are useless, we should focus on the parts of ourselves that are good. We should think back to the things we have done well. And we should take on board the words of praise others have blessed us with. We should also forgive ourselves for our mistakes, as we might then move on with our lives, instead of being beholden to our past forever. And we should take steps to improve our future selves, perhaps by using the ideas we listed here at freelynat.com to push through our boundaries, and by seeking the support of others to help us make positive changes. 

By taking such steps, we will then have the means to think positively for a change. And when we do so, our lives will change for the better as our happier state will energize our abilities to improve rather than put up with our lives.

You deserve to be happy, so be it because of external or internal pressures, try to find ways to overcome those things that get in your way. The onus is on you to take these steps, so think about yourself today, and then take the necessary actions to improve the way you feel.