Looking after the most important person – you

Who is the most important person in the world? It’s you! You are the most important person and your health and happiness comes first, so take time to put on your own oxygen mask, before you help others.

How? Try out one or two of these small self-care options for a big impact on your health and happiness. Sleep – Timing your sleep is like timing an investment in the stock market – it doesn’t matter how much you invest, it matters when you invest.

The deepest, most efficient, and most regenerative sleep is between 10pm and 2am. During this time your body goes through a rapid healing and cleansing cycle, completing many vitally important functions which positively affect every aspect of your health and wellbeing – your longevity, your weight, your stress levels, your immune system, your happiness, your concentration, your performance, your productivity and your energy the following day! What’s not to love about a good night’s sleep?! On the other hand, a lack of sleep effects your ability to think and brainstorm by a huge 33%! So, if you’re having to drag your weary body out of bed each morning, and it takes a good strong cup of coffee to get you going, then make a deliberate effort to get to bed earlier on a consistent basis to give your body the deep rest it desperately needs and reap the benefits.

Coffee – Timing is everything.

For many people, there’s nothing quite like the pick-me-up and enjoyment received from a good cup of coffee. It can make all the difference to the start of your day and energise you when the going gets tough. I’m not going to tell you to stop drinking coffee – we all have our feel-good habits that seem just too hard to break. But when it comes to coffee, timing is everything. Each time you enjoy that delicious brew, you may feel happier and more alert on the outside, but there is quite a different reaction happening inside your body. Caffeine stimulates the body to produce cortisol – a stress hormone which puts your body into ‘fight or flight mode’. On one hand, this increases your adrenalin and gets your brain and body moving, but the temporary high and increased energy caffeine gives you is actually putting your body into a state of stress. While it might give you enough clarity and energy to get through the next few hours, the stress it puts your body under is actually having a negative long-term effect on your health. Consider drinking just one cup of coffee – before midday to give you the best chance of getting a good night’s sleep – and replacing subsequent cups with large drinks of beautiful healthy water, which our bodies crave and love. Water wakes up your brain, cleanses and heals your body, helps you to think more clearly and therefore make better decisions, and gives you more energy. Switch off an hour before bed – the news, the TV, your devices.

It’s good to be informed, but it’s not so great for your mental or physical health to be inundated by negative news. And there is no shortage of it out there at the moment. What you choose to listen to, read, talk about, and focus on affects your mood, for better or worse. A happy mind and body starts with good, positive input. Choose to listen to and talk about the positives and the things that are going well. Equally, if you are prone to jumping out of bed and immediately picking up your device to switch on for the day, consider giving yourself 30 minutes of quiet, device-free time to start your day. The calm you feel during this time has a positive effect on your nervous system and will help you to go into your day feeling happier and more relaxed.

‘Look after your body – it’s the only place you have to live.’ – Jim Rohn

If you would like further information on how to bring more health and happiness back into your life, contact me on 027 6836 777 or info@positivemindsetchallenge.com and we can make a time to discuss your needs.

Rachelle Hawes is the Director of Your Happy Place Limited. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in improving Mindset, Happiness and Success to their flagship Mindset Programme, the Positive Mindset Challenge. She is also a Social Entrepreneur dedicated to Sharing Kindness, Touching Hearts and Changing Lives. www.positivemindsetchallenge.com