Written by: Cindy Banun
Everyone has dreams. Some are big and audacious, others are small and quiet. Most of us, though, have a list of things we want to accomplish in life, a list that grows as we go through our days. For some of us, we would just be content with improving ourselves. If you’re like me, I’m sure we would share a vision of wanting to continuously strive towards personal wellness. Keen on improving yourself? Check out this list below for my personal recommendations.
5 habits to learn and maintain for self-improvement
1. Reading and digesting information
A key to self-improvement is to spend time reading. Spend at least half an hour every day reading books, articles, and blogs. You can also learn about the world through online videos, such as video essays on Youtube. The more you learn, the more chances you get to learn about new ideas and concepts that you can use to enrich your life.
Reading or watching informational videos are also great ways to stay grounded in reality. It is easy to get caught up in our own dreams and fantasies, so it is important to stay aware of the world around us.
2. Be a good listener
Listening is often the best skill that we will ever learn in life. Learning to listen well can help you in your life journey, especially from peers who have a lot of experience. However, it is also important to take their advice with a grain of salt. Not every piece of advice is sound, and it is important to be discerning.
Listening to the advice of others can also help you be much closer to your friends and family. More often than not, just sitting down and listening to what others have to say is a good way to show how much you care about others.
In order to improve yourself, it is important to form and maintain good relationships. Being a good listener will let your peers like and respect you better. On the other hand, listening to the mistakes of others can also be a good way to learn for self-improvement.
3. Maintaining a healthy sleeping habit
The key to better health is having enough sleep and good sleep hygiene. A good sleeping habit includes sleeping at the same time every night and waking up at the same time, and making sure that the bedroom is dark and comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Having a healthy sleeping habit can improve many aspects of your life. With a good sleep quality, you’ll be able to feel more energized waking up, and it’ll give you a boost in your self-improvement efforts!
Even better, improve your sleeping habit by using TYT’s products! Feeling tired after work? Enjoy an herbal foot soak and a mug of hot ginger drink in the evening. They can help to improve blood circulation too! Enjoy our Herbal Medicated Oil if you want to do massages!
4. Get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself
A comfort zone is a great place to be in. Everything is familiar to you, and nothing is out of place. However, staying in your comfort zone can easily make you feel complacent. In order to promote continuous self-improvement in yourself, you need to always be challenging yourself.
For example, you can join a new social group through a regular meetup session on Facebook groups. You can try out a new hobby or indulge in your friend’s hobby as well! Do the things that were always on your bucket list and travel. If you don’t do it now, when will you actually do the things that you want to do?
All of this might feel overwhelming to you, so let’s utilise one day of the week to try out new things and meet new people. For example, I would use my Sundays off to get back in touch with classmates from school and to catch up with them.
You can also use a day off to try out different types of exercise or activities you want to incorporate into your lifestyle. You may want to start with walking or running, but you must also consider the suitability of your body and lifestyle. Other activities to try include: resistance training, biking, swimming, dancing, hiking, etc.
5. Acknowledge your personality traits and flaws
All of us have flaws, though we may be hesitant to admit it. You can start by observing yourself from a third-person point of view, and jot down any memorable moments into a journal. Besides, you can also talk to family and friends who may be more open to discuss any behaviour flaws that you may have but not realise.
Once you know your own personal flaws, you can slowly make improvements by understanding your trigger points. Many of us behave differently under pressure and stress. Sometimes, it brings out behaviours that we do not like in ourselves. Understanding how stress affects our personality and using methods to alleviate stress may be a good place to start. Make sure to enlist the help of friend and family whenever you get stuck.
Conclusion:
Everyone can improve themself as long as they put their body and mind to it. With time, you’ll notice a difference and you’ll feel better. You’ll also notice that your time is utilised much better and effectively as your life is now full of enriching activities. As you grow and improve yourself, I hope that you’ll be able to feel more content with the life that you are leading.