Five things that one must do daily
1. Meditation and Spirituality
Our experience with body has never been the same. We feel differently each day, each hour, sometimes our feelings change within the minute. But, do we stop to think what we feel, how we feel things and pause to reflect on our lives until this moment? Meditation and a spiritual mindset allows one to connect with our positive self, readying us for challenges ahead. Meditation can be simply concentrating on our breath or pranayama — ‘Prana’ refers to the universal life force and ‘ayama’ means to regulate or lengthen. Do have a read through this wonderful article by ‘The Art of Living’ to understand in depth about the same, or watch the video below.
2. Physical and Mental activities
Does our body just consist of our bones and the muscles? I suppose everyone knows that there is a subtler concept to our existence — the mind. Though, a harmony between the two is extremely necessary. In the previous section we did note that meditation and spirituality grants us clarity in thought as a by-product but how do we stay sharp in this competitive world? I’ll list down a few for you, include some as per convenience:
- Read Books: The best way to stay ahead of the game is to read, assimilate and then disseminate and apply relevant information in our daily lives.
- I’d say play chess!
- Listen to music: Helps you relax while also giving you time to digest your thoughts and the activities you have been involved till now
- Paint: Be creative, go wild!
Not only does the mind make us up but the body does too. Thus comes physical wellness — Exercise, good healthy food, also termed as balanced diet and finally a good rest!
3. Rendezvous with loved ones
Relationships take up most of our time and for good measure. A good read on this subject worth mentioning is ‘The Social Animal’ by David Brooks where he dissects this very tendency of us humans to live in a societal realm. Also as Aristotle famously said and I quote:
Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god
What I want you to take away from this is that, in this digital era and a Work-from-Home situation, do not forget that there is a life out of your laptop-computer. Interact with people and friends, not only virtually, but also physically — ‘maintaining social distancing of course’. (Not sure how long this joke will last for!)
4. Don’t skimp on breakfast
Every point in this list of 5 is connected to each other and while many suggest you to have a drastic change in your life, this section suggests you not to change your tendency at all. Fat or thin, an actress or a weightlifter, a soldier or a baby, no one must skimp or skip his or her or their morning meal. Why? I’m no nutritionist but a research by the ‘Times of India’ suggests 5 reasons why one must not skip breakfast:
- Lowers risk of diabetes
- Improved cognition
- A healthy heart
- Improved metabolism
- Boosts your energy during the rest of the day
5. The ‘Please avoid’ list
This is strange. I have heard the ‘To-Do’ list. What is the ‘Please avoid’ list? In my language, it is a list of things that you must be reminded of to remain as far away from as possible. For example, if you are diabetic, harmful sugars must be on this list. This list can be made thrice in a day. One for when you are working, when you are with family and when you are on a break/on a holiday.
Finally reiterating that your life comes once. Utilize and live it to the fullest. I have just summarized a few things that may increase the effectiveness of whatever it is one wants to accomplish in life! More power to you :)
