“Métro – Boulot – Dodo”.
An interesting little phrase in French to express that lots of people live to work. Literally translated but far less poetic it means: underground – work – sleep.
We get up, commute, work, run errands, eat, and go to bed in order to repeat the exact same cycle the next day.
Other ways of saying it are the rat race, threatmill of life, etc. French just sounds so much better.
Most people are stressed, tired, distracted and depleted but, too busy to take care of others to even realize it. Up until that moment where the cosmos gives them a little warning. It is only then, that the principle of not being able to pour from an empty cup, might sink in.
If you are depleted, distracted, and uninspired, you’ll have an energy-draining effect on those around you. But if you’re fulfilled, enthusiastic, and purposeful, you have the power to effortlessly lift others up along with you.
Here are 3 powerful investments in yourself that will boost your happiness, improve your physical and mental well-being. And lead to an overall more balanced life, far away from the ‘live to work’ idea.
Move.
Move your body, every single day.
It is such a no-brainer that physical activity is an investment in your health and still, so many people spend more than 10 hours per day, sitting.
Research has shown that regular exercise can reduce anxiety, improve memory and thinking skills, improve sleep quality, and be as effective for treating depression as prescription drugs.
It’s also one of the most effective ways to clear cortisol (the stress hormone) from the body, helping you better cope with the more challenging moments in life.
The best part?
You don’t have to run a marathon or train to climb North Africa’s highest mountain top to experience these benefits.
In fact, yoga – with its combination of physical movement, mental focus and breathing exercises – may be just what you need, or simply walking.
How about aiming for just 30 minutes of walking to start?
Step out of your routine
What gets you up in the morning? What lights your creative fire?
Stepping out of your comfort zone can revive some of that passion for life.
It can reveal previously unknown talents you might have.
Here are some insanely simple things to start implementing right away:
- Different ways to where you want to go.
Whether it is going home or to work, or to a shop: change the way to get there regularly. - Change your shopping list.
Spontaneously taking a fruit or vegetable for example that you don’t even know and experiment with it. - Different perspective, change the newspaper that you read, the TV channel you watch.
Read a newspaper that you would never read.
Buy a magazine that you don’t even want to be seen with, buy it! - If you always get up at a certain time, change and get up an hour earlier, or later.
- If you just need your coffee in the morning or nothing else will happen that day, challenge yourself and do something else first thing in the morning.
By changing your routine and habits, you will notice which habits are really serving you and which ones are maybe not that great for you.
The key to change is not willpower or motivation, the key can be found in our habits.
A perfect way to discover the habits that serve you is going on a yoga retreat as in those environments, you will usually follow a fixed schedule and there might be certain things completely different to what you are used to.
Go on a yoga retreat to meet your tribe
Take a moment to daydream about your ideal vacation…
It’s probably sunny, maybe somewhere magical like Marrakech or somewhere robust and authentic like Scotland. There’s definitely delicious and healthy food for you and you are surrounded with loving and caring people.
As an adult, it can be really hard to make new friends. Oftentimes, building new relationships requires a giant step outside of your comfort zone, to the point where it can seem hopeless to even make the effort.
Studies have found though that having good friends makes you significantly happier, which, in turn, is associated with a longer lifespan.
The quality of friends is important, too. Having someone to talk to that you trust can make you more resilient and better able to cope with stressful situations.
On my yoga retreats, groups are never bigger than 20 people so this means the groups are large enough to meet a variety of new people with ease and it’s still intimate enough to truly connect with some people.
The great thing is that people joining a yoga retreat have quite a few things in common already.
Most people on my retreats have high level jobs and just want to carve out some time for themselves to relax. They have an interest in yoga, nourishing food, want to see a bit of a country and they are ALL fun to be with.
Give yourself permission to relax and indulge in self-care and meeting new friends at a Revealing Vajra Yoga Retreat for the ultimate investment in your health and well-being.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the 3 simple but powerful investments in yourself that can immediately change your life. Looking forward to your comments!
Namaste,
Rachel
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