5 Tips for Healthy Mind Body and Soul

What kind of information do you like to fill your mind with? Do you find yourself constantly reading cheap or free newspapers only to find there is a terrible story in it that upsets you? Or perhaps you get caught up in other people’s opinions and conversations and find yourself agreeing to things that you actually don’t agree with!

Did you know that you are heavily influenced by the people you surround yourself with on a regular basis? In fact you pick up behaviours, mannerisms, opinions, beliefs and oodles of other information that your brain unconsciously absorbs when around other people, resulting in you behaving in similar ways.

If you want to make a change, break a habit or routine and find that something is stopping you – look to your environment, the people around you, where you work, what you read and how you speak to yourself. All have significant influences on what you are internalising, and have an impact on how you live your life.

Here are 5 tips on keeping a healthy mind to help you on your way!

1. Meditation/Mindfulness

We read about the profound effects that meditation has on our mind, but how many of you actually do it on a daily basis? I used to be a complete fidget bum in my early 20’s and the thought of staying still for longer than a minute was catastrophic! It was certainly challenging but I practiced and persevered and now find it pretty effortless if I give myself enough time to relax. I do have to make time every evening to relax and clear my mind before I can go to sleep or else I won’t sleep very well! Of course first thing in the morning is also a great time to meditate. When you meditate you are giving your mind time to clear, reformat itself ready for all the new information that is going to be taken in the following day, or day ahead.

2. Media

As much as it is important for us to be aware of what is going on in the world so we can help to prevent or stop bad things from happening, the media is very centred around pain and negativity. This fuels pessimism and ideally it’s best to avoid subjecting your mind to it regularly. There is no point in being stressed or worried about something you have limited control over, it’s a pointless waste of energy. Also beware of brainwashing, all is not necessarily as it seems and the media are great at exaggerating and bending the truth. If you want to make a difference to the world in some way, you could seek out some voluntary work or donate to a charity.

3. Surround yourself with people of whom you have things in common with and give you opportunities to grow.

There is a metaphor which I love to use to describe letting go of old friends or relationships that are no longer useful to us. I like to call them Old Potatoes! If you can let go of some “Old Potatoes” you can make way for New Potatoes! Friendship and relationships are based on love and love is energy. When the frequencies change you will find that particular friends and relationships may drop away, or you don’t feel you have anything in common with them any longer. If you continue to hold on to relationships which no longer serve you, they sap your energy resources or distract you from focussing your mind. Holding on to Old Potatoes blocks the doorway to gaining new ones. It’s a bit like having a good closet spring clean! Don’t be afraid to let go if you feel the time is right, you will find that new opportunities will arise as a result. You never know who that next amazing person/teacher/friend/lover/mentor is going to be!

4. Eat Healthy

Of course eating healthy and staying hydrated is really important for brain function. I have spent many years discovering what my body likes and dislikes and it’s taken me years to change habits and routines. But I feel so much better for cutting down on wheat, dairy, caffeine and sugar. All of these things affect how I think and how my body feels. Of course the experience is different for everyone which is why only you know what your body needs and would benefit from eliminating. You can experiment by cutting out a certain food or drink for as short as a week if your suspect that your body is rejecting it. The turnaround time is normally 5 days to completely flush it out of your system.

5. Spend your time doing something you LOVE!

The most important thing of all for healthy mind body and soul is to ensure you spend time doing a hobby or activity you love. When we participate in doing something we love, we radiate so many positive emotions, all magnetizing out into the universe to bring you back more joy and happiness. So many people get stuck in a rut and lose focus on what is important and brings them pleasure. Find something you love to do and do it daily. Make time for it, and even better, make a career out of it! Life is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, of course you can learn through pain, but why learn through pain when you can learn and grow through pleasure.

“Love is the food of the Universe. It is the most important ingredient in life. Children go toward love; they thrive on love and grow on love, and they would die without it. Love is an energy that circles the world; it exists everywhere and in the darkest moments has within it an element of love – the need for it, the lack of it, or the desire to create more. So much of the energy on this planet is directed toward having love, and yet so many thoughtforms about love exist in every culture that make love hard to experience. Imagine for today that every situation that comes your way, every thought that comes into your mind, every person you meet is providing you an opportunity to experience and express more of the love within you.”

Sanaya Roman

This article originally appeared here