Start a New Habit: 31 Ways to Participate in National Wellness Month
National Wellness Month is your opportunity to prioritize self-care by finding new habits to promote healthy routines and better manage your stress. August provides the perfect setting to find time for yourself with the kids heading back to school.
Here are 31 opportunities to create these moments that can become wellness habits. Ideas include finding a creative outlet, practicing yoga, forest bathing, pursuing your passion, making your doctor appointments, a social media cleanse and participating in Alcohol Free August.
1. Eat More Plants
Try to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Don’t forget beans, legumes, whole grains and healthy fats like avocados.
2. Meditate
Look for guided meditation apps like Insight Timer to help calm your mind and body during stressful times of the day and before bedtime.
3. Get Your Steps In
The benefits of walking include improved cardiovascular health, less joint and muscle pain and a decreased risk of diabetes. This month: take the stairs, park farther away and walk at lunch.
4. Play a Game
Playing board or card games can boost brainpower, build memory and reduce cognitive decline. They also offer the social benefits of interacting with other people around the table or virtually.
5. Read a Book
Find a reading challenge for your favorite genre or interest. Create a physical or digital TBR pile. If you don’t have time to sit down with a book, try listening to an audio version.
6. Forest Bathing
This is a Japanese practice of relaxation that encourages you to head out among the trees to listen, observe and take deep breaths allowing you to recharge naturally.
7. Yoga
Practicing yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility, reduces stress, gives you more energy and boosts your mood. Other Zen exercise practices include Tai Chi and Qigong.
8. Start a Gratitude Journal
Simply writing down things that you are grateful for helps you discover what brings you joy and shifts your focus to a more positive outlook.
9. Check in with Others
We could all use a friend to let us vent. Reach out to friends and family who are going through a rough patch to remind them that they are not alone.
10. Get More Sleep
This month, try to wind down 3 minutes earlier every night. By the end of the month, you will get 90 more minutes of sleep at night.
11. Set Boundaries with Friends and Family
Relationships can be a source of stress. It’s okay to start saying no to events you don’t want to go to and things you don’t want or have time to do.
12. Social Media Cleanse
Social media can be a time suck. Consider adding an app to your phone such as Opal: Screen Time for Focus to help limit screen time.
13. Set Goals for the Rest of the Year
It’s time to reevaluate. Take a moment to decide what is working and what is not. Adjust and move forward.
14. Disconnect from Technology
Shut off the TV, put down your phone and close your laptop. Focus on the present, non-digital world even if just for a few minutes or hours each day.
15. Find a Creative Outlet
Everyone has a little creativity in them. Find yours by cooking, drawing, playing an instrument, writing, decorating, crafting, painting, knitting or woodworking.
16. Alcohol Free August
If you didn’t succeed with Dry January, take this month to give it another try. Instead, fill your cocktail glass with fruity mocktails and a drink umbrella.
17. Listen to Music
Music is a stress reliever, a pick-me-up, a motivator and a memory stimulator. Make your own playlist or find one to match your mood on Spotify.
18. Pursue Your Passion
Find something that makes you happy and do more of it. It could be a hobby, a new job or supporting a cause that speaks to your heart.
19. Make Your Doctor Appointments
Stop making excuses. Set up appointments for your physical, dental checkup, dermatology screening and women’s wellness exams.
20. Embrace Spirituality
For some people, this means a church, temple or mosque. For others, it simply means finding a sense of connection with something bigger than ourselves.
21. Laugh
They say laughter is the best medicine. Find something that gives you belly laughs — an old movie, a comedian or a chat with your best friend.
22. Take Power Naps
When you hit a wall midafternoon, it’s hard to focus. A quick catnap of 10-30 minutes can give you the recharge you need to power through the rest of your day.
23. Try A New Activity
There must be something adventurous you have always wanted to try. Scuba diving? Horseback riding? Juggling? Mountain climbing? You never know if you will be good at it unless you try.
24. Hydrate
Water is the best choice, but don’t overlook decaffeinated teas and water-filled fruits and vegetables like watermelon and celery.
25. Treat Each Day Like It’s a Vacation
Every day, find something to do that makes you feel like you are on vacation. Try a new restaurant. Use the guest towels. Go on a bike ride. Have your coffee on the porch.
26. Learn Something New
Even as adults, there are opportunities to learn. Watch a documentary, take a class, visit a museum, listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video or read an article.
27. Forgive Yourself and Others
Let it go. Holding onto anger, hurt and resentment keeps you focused on those negative feelings instead of releasing you to move on.
28. Bring Nature Inside
Having natural elements in your home — a breeze from an open window, a bouquet of fresh flowers or a plant — brings a sense of calm and relaxation.
29. Make Your Home a Sanctuary
Create a space in your home that recharges you. Some enjoy a coffee bar, a cozy window seat, a waterfall shower head or the front porch swing.
30. Spa Day
Treat yourself to a day of pampering. You can opt for a mani/pedi at the salon, a session with the masseuse or soak in a bubble bath at home.
31. Healthy Routine
Having a routine will provide structure, organization and relieve stress. Set everything out the night before, make your bed in the morning and have a plan for your meals.
-Pam Molnar
