If you are like most people, you most probably detest a mediocre life. You want to get things done the way you like them; you want to go after your goals. Having a topnotch mind state or a Zen mindset goes a long way to ensure you are fit mentally and is as productive as possible.
However, with so much to keep up with, we often find ourselves stuck in a rut, and probably keep pushing your ideals for the next day, next moment, next season, and so on. Avoid procrastination in 2023. Getting oneself to be in a mindful mental state becomes a necessity. Meditation and mindfulness are two gems whose importance cannot be understated.
Contemporary, one can only survive if they take care of their mental health. Everything seems to be astray. This should not prevail, and I’ve compiled below an ultimate list of things you could do to keep your mind and daily life in some order. You could try some or all of them, but I recommend you practice most, if not all. They are not in a particular order. Probably you already do some of these things, right?
1.Exercise
We cannot understate the benefit of starting or ending your day with an aerobic workout. Scientific research has proven that exercise is a cheap way to prevent lifestyle diseases and complications that accompanies them. There are numerous physical and mental health benefits of exercise.
To sum up, the major benefits of exercise include;
- Exercise helps improve sleep quality – Exercise helps sleep longer and faster.
- Aids in improving your mental health and mood.
- Exercise plays a vital role in giving one an emotional lift / emotional boost.
- According to this articulate article, being physically active helps you keep your thinking sharp, enhance thinking, and improves learning, even as age.
- The CDC asserts that exercise (physical movement), helps keep your muscle and bone strength in check. This is due to the input of exercise of increasing and maintaining muscle mass and strength.
- Helps prevent falls in older adults. This is made possible because exercise helps improve the overall physical function.
- Helps reduce and eventually quit smoking. This is because when one is exercising, they are busy, and most importantly, exercising rejuvenates the body, thus reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
- It reduces the risk of developing some cancers such as breast, lung, and colon cancer.
- Improves sexual health. Does this by enhancing arousal as blood circulation is enhanced.
- Exercise helps prevent and mitigate anxiety, depression, and dementia.
- Keeps your blood sugar and insulin levels in check. It is known that a sedentary lifestyle is a leading cause of diabetes. A few minutes of physical activity per day could help one keep diabetes at bay.
- Increases your self confidence or self esteem in 2023 and beyond.
- Fun healthy fact: Exercising increases your chances of living longer, and of course a more fulfilled one.
2. Binaural Beats Frequency Meditation
The use of binaural beats frequencies to meditate is not a new practice, and have been said to have a ton of physical and mental health benefits.
Remarkably, binaural beats music and/or frequencies, are used in guided meditation, and improves cognitive function and mental status. Accordingly, research has shown that binaural beats have been applied to;
- Reduce anxiety
- Enhance sleep quality
- Improve creativity
- Stress reduction
- Improve memory
- Boost awareness
- Pain relief
- Cognitive thinking
One may ask, what exactly is/are binaural beats frequencies?
Binaural beats are a product of the brain. Wait, before you say I am guessing!!. This means that its the brain that interprets two different tones of varied frequencies, and aligns them to a certain frequency The result is now referred as binaural frequency. Notably, this simply means it’s the difference of two tones; the difference being as decoded by the brain.
The following #list among the most common binaural beats frequencies;
- Gamma Binaural Beats Frequency (30 – 100 Hz)
- Theta Binaural Beats Frequency (3.6 – 7.9 Hz)
- Delta Binaural Beats Frequency (0.1 – 3.5 Hz)
- Alpha Binaural Beats Frequency (8 – 14 Hz)
- Beta Binaural Beats Frequency (15 -29 Hz)
Kindly head over to our detailed article on binaural beats frequency (Hz) guide to find out more on individual binaural beats Hz guide.
3. Mindfulness for a Topnotch Mind
When you are proactive and are aware of your senses, you are being mindful. Simply put, mindfulness is a modern science (though has been existing since eons ago) that emphasizes on “the present moment.”
Life at times hands us stressful situations in daily life, and a sound mind is what one craves for during these tormenting times. A calm and relaxed mind state can help to achieve a mindful mental state, where your consciousness is highly enhanced.
Overall, mindfulness helps you have lofty thoughts at will, and also improves your decision making skills. This is because you are less likely to make bad and unbefitting decisions when your mind and brain is used to being in a mindful state.
4. Meditation
Meditation is the act of getting your attention to a state of relaxed calmness, concentration, and positivity. One can attain this state by relaxing and clearing their thoughts. Importantly, research have found that meditation changes an individual’s brain and biology in a myriad of ways, all for the positive. These include but not limited to stress management, improves physical and mental health, and enhancing overall well-being.
That said, if you need to restore your inner peace and calmness, consider allocating some quality time for meditation. For a novice, it can be hard to engrave the habit and retain prolonged time in the meditative state. It is recommended to start with short sessions, spanning like 5 minutes. Gradually, one can then increase the span of the sessions to 7, 8, 12, or as much time as you feel you can manage.
What is the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
Defined simply, mindfulness is is a meditation technique. Therefore, it is right to state that in order to get into the meditative state (calm, composed, relaxed, and concentrated), one enters into a mindful state. Thus, meditation encapsulates mindfulness, in that the former is broader than the latter.
Healthline, in their article on appropriate types of meditation, asserts that there are varied types of meditation, including but not limited to;
- Visualization Meditation
- Mantra Meditation
- Transcendental Meditation
- Spiritual Meditation
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Progressive Relaxation
- Loving-Kindness Meditation
- Movement Meditation
- Focused Meditation
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation has invaluable benefits. Apart from overall well-being, remarkable mental health, good physical health, and positivity, there are other distinct benefits of meditation; including but not limited to:
- Improved sleep
- Enhanced creativity and imagination
- Stress mitigation and management
- Increased self awareness
- Manage blood pressure
- Enhances mood
- Increased focus and attention
- Betters problem solving ability
Most importantly, meditation therapy is widely used by health professionals to help in managing psychological disorders or conditions. Such conditions include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation; If you can learn this important mind hack, then you will improve your overall life. Pranayama and Binaural Beats will help you achieve mindfulness and discover a new amazing lifestyle. In addition, mindfulness helps one to open and activate their chakras, which are the body’s energy systems.
5. Eat Less
This topnotch mind hack does not resonate with the “Stay hungry, Stay foolish” quote by Steve Jobs. It means just “eating less” arbitrary.
Eating less makes you comfortable, and does not strain your metabolic system. In turn, this hack helps you to attain a calm state by having a clear gut. It is well known that when one is overly full, they are less active. Research has shown that eating less also helps you live longer, and enhances cell metabolism. On the other hand, enhanced cell metabolism means having a topnotch mind.
6. Let Simplicity be your Mantra
Simplicity means leading an optimum lifestyle, in that you have manageable things and issues to handle in your daily life.
Richard B. Gregg, in his book ‘The Value of Voluntary Simplicity,’ posits that voluntary simplicity solves many personal problems, and helps prevent others that may be a result of the insatiable greed.
Notably, the author acknowledges that voluntary simplicity is not a virtue that a person should embrace because of the scarcity nature of resources. It is a personal decision to implement a controllable life, and an informed rate of lifestyle consumption, as these authors of the scholarly article note.
7. Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that you repeat to yourself each day to help promote positive mental health and well-being. They can be used to address any issues you may be experiencing, from anxiety and depression, to stress, and concentration problems.
Some people also use affirmations to deal with negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, or depression. By repeating positive statements that affirm our negative feelings, we can help shift our perspective and make it easier to cope with difficult situations.
The benefits of using affirmations are likely due to the fact that they are positively reinforcing (meaning they make us feel good about ourselves), helpful in reducing stress and anxiety, and supportive in promoting a positive outlook on life.
There are a variety of affirmations available online, designed to work for different types of people and with different goals in mind. Some popular affirmations include:
“I am happy.”
“I am healthy.”
“I am loved.”
“I am successful.”
“I am content.”
“I am at peace.”
“My life is in balance.”
“I am grateful for what I have.”
“I am open to new experiences.”
“I am motivated and inspired.”
Identify the areas that most needs improvement in your daily life, and craft positive affirmations. Write them out and display them where you can see them in your waking and sleeping moments.
8. Declutter; From your house, office, to friends
Decluttering can improve your mental organization and productivity, which can result in a more fulfilling life. Your home and workplace will have more room for more important tasks and objectives if you remove the unnecessary clutter. Decluttering also aids in reducing stress because you are relieved of the burden of having to sift through mountains of paperwork or files.
Additionally, organizing and maintaining focus while decluttering can help you feel better mentally. With all of these advantages, decluttering is a crucial component of any effective management strategy.
Trimming unnecessary ad-ons from your life, including unworthy and energy draining friends can help one overcome a mental burden of keeping up with a busy but lean life. Instead, practice minimalism and enjoy a more organised and productive life. Rather than spending your precious time with unappreciative friends, you’d rather learn and become a pro on various types of meditation!
9. Stay hydrated
For both your physical and mental health, it’s crucial to stay hydrated. Your focus, concentration, and productivity may all improve as a result, and your risk of chronic diseases may go down.
This is what you need to do to ensure you stay hydrated always;
- Drink water in bits throughout the day regardless of your thirst levels. Avoid taking much water at once just for the sake of achieving a certain “recommended amount per day”. That would only make you pee most of it due to osmosis.
- Steer clear of foods that are high in MSG or salt, as they can cause dehydration and other health issues.
- Refrain from consuming hot beverages because they can dehydrate you and make you more likely to get burns or scalds.
10. Read Books
11. Water Bodies Effect
12. Practice the Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule)
Have you ever noticed the following?
- You are active at only certain times of the day
- Your mood is best or worst during at certain periods of the day
- Out of your playlist, only a handful songs – about 20% – actually bring 80% of your feel-good moods
- Your productivity is best at some given times during the day
- Your attention span when reading is best for a certain duration
- Out of your whole plate of meal, you obviously excrete 80% meaning only about 20% is utilised
- and so on
The Pareto Principle is a statistical theory that states that about 20% of an input gives 80% of the desired results.
When put into perspective, we can see that it is closely related in principle to the 90/10 rule. For example, only 10% of the world’s population owns 90% of the wealth. We can also note that about 20% of your income is actually put towards life-changing projects, and about 80% goes into recurrent expenses.
This principle will help you enhance your daily life by aiding you to focus on important things and not time wasters or day-fillers!.
By understanding and applying the pareto principle in your life, people can shift their attention away from negative thoughts and emotions and instead focus on positive things, which can lead to a more positive outlook and overall improved mental health. Focusing on our strengths rather than our weaknesses can help us grow and improve as individuals, and the pareto principle can help us do just that.
13. Have and Religiously Implement a Morning Ritual
14. Stop Comparison with Others
15. Express Gratitude for Everything
16. Be Active in Journaling – Mind Organization
17. Visualize
18. Normalize Taking Cold Showers To Rekindle your Mind
19. Get Some Sun
20. Have Some in-house Plants For Mind Freshness
Apart from acting as natural air fresheners, in-house plants provide a good natural aesthetic ambience.
21. Get outside (in nature) for Mind Nourishment
One of the best mental health routine that anyone should aspire to acquire is to habitually go out in the nature, away from the daily hustle and bustle.
Going out in the woods has been proven to have psychological benefits. You get to rid yourself of the anxiety-ridden lifestyle and avoid getting mild depression.
22. The Good Old To-Do List
A well prioritized To-Do List is to the minds organization as is a catalogue organizer. This should be straight forward.
A precise, timed, and smart-goaled To-Do list will;
- Helps you to focus on your day’s activity in accordance to priority
- Helps one to avoid de-railing from course, especially when work environment is not task-specific
- Avoid disruptions and working according to disruptors schedule other than your own
- Eventually helps in habit or productive routing forming
- Trains the mind to be laser-focused
23. The Golden “Start your day by making your bed!” to Enhance Mind Clarity
What is the psychological gain in making one’s bed as the first morning task?
Well, this could be your missing productivity link if you do not often consider it as important. The “Start your day by making your bed” philosophy by the celebrated Navy Seal – William McRaven is timeless and invaluable. According to the orator, making your bed as the first accomplished task after waking up makes you have a feeling of accomplishment for the rest of the day. Apparently, confidence is all one lacks. The law of cause and effect, in this context, dictates one is likely to do more after doing something, no matter how trivial it may seem.
Additionally, as denoted by the navy seal, coming home to a made bed gives a welcoming feeling. Since your home should be your happy place, you instantly feel at rest.
So, what are you waiting for? Head over to your bed and get it done if you never did it already.
Conclusion
Conclusively, it is important to note that we all have moments or phases in life where your progress is on a downward spiral. To avert this status quo, there are a number of daily routine rituals that you may embrace.
It is never going to be simple to change habits, especially when targeting good personal habits. At first, it may seem hard but it is advised that small changes are significant. In his book, ‘Atomic Habits,’ James Clear confirms that as little as 1% changes executed every day begets one outstanding results. As noted above, when making this life changing decision, employ the 80-20 rule; the Pareto Principle.
In a nutshell, select the hacks that works for you, stick to them, and gradually seek to improve.
It is my pleasure that you will find the above hacks useful. What hacks can you recommend? What morning ritual or daily routine hack works for your self improvement and enhances personal productivity? Write and help contribute them in the comments below.
