Healthy Lifestyle : Healthy Lifestyle Habits

How to main a healthy lifestyle ?

Exercise and balanced diet are significant to stay physically healthy and mentally fit. Some people think that exercise is the key to health while others feel that having a balanced diet is more important.

To commence with, today people don’t do much physical activity and have become more passive, then exercise comes as saviour for them to have a healthy lifestyle. While doing exercise one has to move their body parts, which makes the body more flexible, fresh and rejuvenated all the time. Exercise also helps people to improve their productivity because it allows them to release the stress and become more active. For example, while doing cardio body cleanses the toxin through sweat and improves the blood circulation in the brain, which activate the nerves and help people to stay active, healthy and happy.

Reducing Stress

Stress can cause or worsen symptoms of mania or depression. It is important to learn what causes your stress, ways to identify and deal with stressors, and ways to minimize your day-to-day stress level. Stress may be caused by a variety of factors, both external and internal, some of which you may not be aware of. Repeated or constant stress can lead to tension, chronic pain, anxiety, and an inability to enjoy life. With the right treatment and therapy, you can learn to anticipate and deal with stress, and with support, you can work on breaking out of stressful patterns or situations.

Recognizing and Handling Causes of Stress

Learn how to recognize causes of stress, such as difficult people, financial matters, noise, lack of time, or high pressure situations. Review your daily activities periodically in search of triggers you may not be aware of look for patterns in your symptoms and stress levels. You may want to discuss your stressors with your doctor or therapist.

Communication

Arrange to have a supportive buddy (possibly someone from your DBSA group) and set aside time to talk to one another about stressful issues and offer support and guidance.

When things are troubling you, talk about them with a trusted friend, family member, or health care provider before stress builds up and leads to a crisis.

If you are not ready to talk about a troubling issue, write down your feelings and thoughts in a journal or on paper you throw away. Writing can be a good release, and reading your journal entries over a period of time can give you some insights into some of your thought, feeling, or behavior patterns.

It may be easier for you to express yourself through music, art, or other creative activities. It is not necessary for you to worry about the quality of your work or share it with anyone when you are finished.

Relaxation

Allow yourself to relax and set aside time for relaxation. Make a commitment to spend some time relaxing at the same time each day or week. Write it on your schedule or calendar if you need to be reminded.

Experiment with different relaxation methods until you find the one that is right for you. Here are some methods that have worked for others:

Walking
Listening to music
Light exercise, such as dancing or bicycling
Breathing, muscle tension, or visualization exercises. These involve taking deep breaths and concentrating on your breathing; or tensing, then relaxing muscle groups one by one, from toes to head; or visualizing a calm, safe, stress-free place. Ask a therapist for suggestions or instructions.
Meditation or yoga
Music
Art
Spend some time using your relaxation techniques immediately before or after stressful events.Don’t use alcohol or illegal drugs to cope with stress.

Sleep

Lack of sleep or too much sleep can worsen moods. Keep a regular sleep schedule whenever possible. Set an alarm if necessary, and try to get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends, and go to sleep around the same time every night. If you tend to have insomnia, try avoiding naps during the day, since they can interfere with nighttime sleep.

Adopt bedtime rituals or ways that you can slowly wind down from your day and ease yourself into bed. Try using relaxation exercises to get to sleep.

Avoid over-the-counter sleep medicines, unless your doctor has recommended them and is monitoring your use of them.

Avoid caffeine, especially near the end of the day. Check ingredients. Certain sodas and teas can contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Large meals may keep you awake; light snacks may help you sleep (milk and turkey are often helpful).

Changing the time of day you take your medication may help you sleep. Discuss your medication, its side effects, dosage, and time of day taken with your doctor.

If at all possible, avoid late evening or overnight shift work. If you must work a late shift, try to work the same hours every night, so you are asleep at the same time and for the same amount of time each day.

If you wake up early in the morning and are unable to get back to sleep, it may be helpful to get out of bed and do a quiet activity like reading.

If you find yourself needing significantly more or less sleep than usual, you may be experiencing symptoms of depression or mania. Be aware of any changes in your sleep patterns and discuss them with your doctor or mental health professional.

Eating Right

Eat a variety of foods daily to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need. Include plenty of vegetables and fruits (preferably raw) and whole grains. Moderate your intake of alcohol and caffeine, or better yet, avoid them completely. Have food on hand that is healthy, quick, and easy to eat, such as fresh fruit, yogurt, whole grain bread, crackers, or bagels for times when you are in a hurry or don’t feel like preparing a meal. Try to schedule regular grocery shopping trips so you don’t have to eat fast food or junk food just because you are hungry.