You feel better when you take good care of yourself: get sleep, avoid stress, eat healthy, be fit. It’s surprising how ten minutes can make a big difference and help you live well!
Whether it’s on the way to work, after a long day of chores, while you’re recovering from a big event, or on your lunch break, you can make choices that help you feel great every day.
Here’s a list to keep handy when you’re looking for a healthy ways to take a break, reboot your brain or refresh your body. These ideas won’t take long for you to act on, and yet they can be quite effective for establishing the habit of simple self-care!
10-Minute Tricks to Help You Feel Great
- Tune the radio to check out a new station, maybe some classical or jazz music to realign your mind
- Keep your favorite motivational book on your desk and open it up randomly to read any page
- Call a long distance colleague whom you haven’t seen in a while to catch up on good news
- Eat a piece of fresh fruit in season
- Declutter your office supply caddy on your desk, and dispose of pens that don’t work or that you don’t like
- Search the XSport Fitness app to find the healthy recipes group, and pick one to make tonight
- Memorize a cute (clean!) joke to tell to relieve some tension after the next staff meeting at work
- Sneak off to stretch your calves, back and shoulders, and just breathe deep for a few moments
- Grab a cup of herbal tea with a dash of honey
- Unplug from all technology – away from every screen and cord, and no earbuds allowed either
- Look up the lyrics to the new song that you’ve only caught a few snippets of, and see if you really want to download it
- Write down a few positive affirmations on index cards that you can collect and refer to on your breaks to come
- Print a photo of your favorite “happy place” – beach, mountain path, starry night – to post on your wall for the week
- Cuddle with something cute and sweet, like your baby, child, cat or dog
- Treat yourself to a little piece of dark chocolate
- Make a list of what you are grateful for right now, this week, this year or in life in general
- Watch a short video online of something you really appreciate, whether it’s a cooking lesson, guitar solo or yoga stretch
- Go outside and get some fresh air, even if it means just pulling a few weeds or talking to your neighbor across the street
- Look up a new restaurant you want to try this weekend, set a date with your friend to go there, and make a reservation
- Roll on a foam roller or tennis ball to relieve some stubborn tightness in your hips or back