Incorporating and developing good habits contributes significantly towards having positive well-being and life. These are some of the five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
Everyone can have a busy time and different obligations, which may sometimes put you in a complicated position. You could be conflicted by choice between your commitments and well-being, even if you know that having a balanced lifestyle is important. You don’t always have the time to go through an entire course of a self-care routine. At times, it might only take a few minor changes and a support system. For instance, five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
Five minutes seem short for any real impact to be made, but you would be surprised at how much small habits can change your life. There are various quick habits you could start and do daily, and which more you do them, you are likely to see more significant impacts on your life. Whether that is boosting your motivation or improving your overall well-being, you could also find something you want to do for longer in the process. These five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle could be simple and quick, life-changing things to incorporate even with a busy schedule.
1. Quick Tidy Up
One of the five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle may be to take a moment to do a quick tidy-up. You can choose a time to do this anytime during the day. However, taking the time in the morning to do some tidying up could give you a positive start to the day, possibly feeling a sense of accomplishment.
For instance, it doesn’t need to be challenging tasks but as simple as making your bed or tidying the wardrobe. Whatever you choose to tidy, consider doing it for at least 5 minutes. Don’t feel too bad if you get too immersed in doing the task and you go at it for longer, and it shows that you may enjoy tidying up. You might be amazed by how cleaning can be more satisfying and soothing than you may think.
Related Post: The 5-Minute Habit Hack That Can Change Your Life
2. Wake Up 5-Minute Earlier
If you ever wondered about some ways to start your day early and have a more stable sleeping pattern, you could consider working on waking up 5 minutes earlier. Sometimes, it can be hard to wake up early when you aim to, but it may become achievable if you begin with small increments like 5 minutes. Also, you could extend the time as you get more used to it, and it would seem more doable since you did it before.
Sleeping and waking up the way you want can be crucial. It could influence how you start the day or week. You wouldn’t feel great if you had to rush your day as you woke up later than you wanted and felt pressured by lack of time. It can be essential, however, to not take waking up early as a chance to use your devices or lie down for long. Instead, consider opening the curtains to let the sunlight in or doing quick stretches to help your body wake up.
3. Practise Positive Affirmations
You may have heard how surrounding yourself with positive and encouraging environments could help to promote them. As the five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle, you could engage in practising positive affirmations. It often involves being in a relaxing zone away from distractions and intentionally talking to yourself. Whether to boost your confidence, encourage a positive start to the day or give yourself some extra self-love.
Practising positive affirmations might not feel like much, but when you begin and keep it up, you may be surprised by what they do for you. Depending on what effects you want, you could try different affirmations, like these seven things you can say daily, to promote and boost your positivity. As you start intentionally talking to yourself, you may notice the importance of this action and even begin to do it more often or longer.
4. 5-Minute Reflection
There can be so many things happening in your life, whether some special events that occurred or days you want to remember. In general, it doesn’t need to be something extraordinary but can be something that has meaning for you. You could spend 5 minutes to take a moment to engage in short daily reflection. There are numerous benefits to engaging in reflection or journaling.
Reflection and journaling can help you be more open about emotions and thoughts you had during the day or perhaps a particular experience but not only limited to those. They allow you to pause your busy life and recall what you want to let out, did, learnt, and write some encouraging messages. If you find the idea of reflecting and journaling piques your interest, this five-minute journal is designed to help guide you in this journey.
5. Focus On Taking Deep Breaths
Spending a bit of your time to focus on taking deep breaths is another one of the five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle. Mindful breathing is considered a mindfulness technique that enables you to focus on the present, especially in pressuring and stressful situations. When you breathe, you can be attentive to breathing, feeling it and refocusing yourself to receive the powerful effects of mindful breathing, such as increasing your ability to relax.
Furthermore, oxygen is one of the vital resources for the body, particularly your brain. It acts like power for the brain to function optimally, such as when you need to make decisions, plan and deal with complicated thinking. You could support your body and brain to increase their functions by providing time for focused breathing. It can be as simple as breathing through your nose, inhaling for 4 seconds and exhaling for 4 seconds, repeating for the desired amount.
6. Take 5-Minute Time Off
Five minutes may look very short and wouldn’t make much difference, but you might be surprised at what this minor intervention could do for your overall lifestyle. One of the easiest and simplest five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle could very well be to take 5-minute time off. You might be thinking about what could be done during this time, it feels pretty broad, but as it sounds, you could be quite flexible.
For instance, you can have an intentional break where you don’t do anything but relax in your comfort zone. Another way could be putting your input to this time, whether closing your eyes, getting into your comfortable position or perhaps listening to some soothing music. You may have heard the phrase, take five, which generally means to have a short break. The key aim for taking 5-minute time off would be getting the rest you need, so the time is for you to use.
Related Post: 5 Hobbies That Can Improve Your Well-Being
7. Stretch For Five Minutes
Throughout the day, it can be easy to stay in a particular posture for an extended period or not think about relaxing your body from time to time. Whether your obligations require you to be in a certain pose or you often find yourself getting into a particular position for an extensive amount of time. It can be essential to give your body time to relax and change around between postures such as sitting, standing and lying down. Keeping a single posture for a long period in a single position could apply pressure on the body.
So, you could give yourself five minutes to do some stretching which would allow you to wake up and relax your body. It can be for morning to wake your body or afternoon and evening to allow your body to relax. Taking a moment to stretch for five minutes could improve your overall health and reduce discomfort from being in a certain position for a long time.
8. Engage In What You Wanted To Do
Living a busy life, you often turn away from a few things you want to do as passing thoughts. Also, it can be easy to forget the importance of self-care and take a moment to give yourself a bit of self-love. As five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle, you could engage in what you want to do and revisit those passing thoughts. Since this time can be a time you designated to use for yourself and aimed at improving your overall lifestyle, you are likely to pass on excuses and distractions.
Instead of procrastinating, use this opportunity to do what you want, whether watering the garden or making your favourite tea. Doing something that helps you feel engaged can be relaxing and allow you to take a step back. You could feel more energised and motivated for the activity to come and reduce the chances of procrastinating or being exhausted from being on a specific task for long periods.
9. Read For Five Minutes
Another simple habit to begin can be reading. This is one of the relaxing and calming activities you could engage in to help slow down your mind. Also, reading can reduce the pressure applied to your eyes, preferably if you read a physical book or even listen to an audiobook rather than an e-book on screens. In this technological world, you may often use devices that could tire your eyes and not allow you to get good sleep.
Rather than using devices frequently, especially at night before sleep which may disrupt your sleep patterns and ability to get good sleep, reading could be a habit to consider. You could pick a physical book that you enjoy or those that would allow you to gain knowledge. Reading can be a great alternate habit to add to your daily plans throughout the day or even at night before sleep.
10. Go For A Run
This may not have popped up in your mind often, but you might have thought about if you engage in enough physical activity daily. As one of the five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle, you could add going for a run. After all, exercise can be an essential component of optimising your well-being. Whether in the morning or afternoon, whichever suits you and if you prefer another exercise, that works too.
Consider finding the time to engage in walking, running or your preferred exercise activity throughout your day. Not only would taking a moment to do these help you get some break from your busy life, but there are various benefits to exercising. It can be as simple as running around the block or on the spot. At first, it may feel challenging to do them frequently but doing it in 5-minute increments helps to make it seem more doable.
Habits can be crucial in daily and long-term life, influencing how the day begins and your lifestyle. If you have ever wondered about simple ways to build some habits to improve your lifestyle and contribute to more positive well-being, five minutes might be what you need. Sometimes, you may need to engage with some five-minute habits that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
You could be living a busy and overwhelming life but thought of implementing small changes to lead a more balanced lifestyle but, in the end, passing on it. However, the five-minute habits allow you the opportunity to break positive habits into small increments of five minutes and make them seem more doable. You can take a few minutes of the day to provide self-care, perhaps to relax your mind and body. As you engage in them more consecutively, you may get surprised at what they do for you and realise you want to do them for longer.