alone time

Mar

2021

How to Find a New Hobby

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Are you thinking of how to find a new hobby? Maybe you already have one but you want to try something different. Here are some ways to discover, or rediscover, a new hobby to indulge in. Hobbies not only help you combat boredom; they are also a fun way to help you focus on your goals. Plus, they can help you unleash your genius.

Go back to your childhood

What hobbies did you have before you started working? What activities did you enjoy most during school activities? Go back down memory lane and list down the things that you enjoyed doing then. You might recall a particular hobby that you were fond of. In fact, you might remember that you still have your tools or materials. If this is you, then you can easily take up that hobby again.

Take a self assessment

Your interests might have changed and you may no longer be interested in pursuing the same things you did when you were younger. Take a self-assessment. Make a list of the topics you like talking about with friends and family. Write down the activities that you enjoy doing on your own or with other people. From this list, review each item and cross-out those that you don’t really want to try out again. Whatever is left should be the things you can pursue as a hobby.

Ask your friends

If you want a new perspective and learn more about yourself in the process; then get together with a group of friends (or talk to them individually), or have your friends make suggestions. Ask them what hobbies they think you should have based on how they know you. You might be surprised by their suggestions, and even more surprised by how your friends see and think of you. This is a quick and easy way to find a new hobby.

Try out new things

Finding a new hobby can be an adventure in itself. If you don’t want to write down lists, go down memory lane or call up your friends; then why not start trying out new things? There’s tons of tutorials for various DIY projects online. You only need to choose one and see if you enjoy it. If not, move on to the next until you find one that you want to stick with. This is definitely a fun way to find out a new hobby for yourself.

Transform what you do

Perhaps you don’t really have time to indulge in a hobby. In this case, why not make a hobby of what you already do? Yes, you are doing what you do to earn an income but you can start enjoying it even more if you think of it as a game. Try challenging yourself and giving your self a reward for accomplishing the challenge. Wouldn’t that make work as fun as pursuing a hobby? Just make sure the rewards you give yourself are helpful instead of distracting you from work.

These are jus some of the ways you can discover a new hobby that you can enjoy. Having a hobby helps you to find joy even during tough times. It lets you breath and re-energize yourself so you can take on more of what life has to offer. What other tips do you have for finding a new hobby?

Feature Image: Original Image by press ? and ⭐ from Pixabay.

May

2020

5 Daily Health Habits to Remember

Reading Time: 4 minutes

We have been told since we were children that we should take care of our health. Most of us tend to prioritize our job responsibilities first and make time for other people in our lives second. We forget to focus on our own health and well-being. We don’t even have health habits in our daily To Do list.

In order to live a well-balanced life, we should practice daily health habits. These enable us to keep our selves healthy and active so we can have the energy to face life’s challenges. Being healthy also allows us to be fully present when interacting with the important people in our lives.

Here are 5 daily health habits that you can practise to maintain balance in your life.

Drink your water, lots of it

It is a healthy habit to drink water as soon as you wake up. Drink at least a cup or a glass, if you can, to start your day. This habit helps your body to activate its functions and get ready to work. Think of water as the oil that will jumpstart your engines. This means that whatever food (your body’s fuel) you eat will be properly processed by your body.

Also, make sure to drink your water throughout the day. Drink a glass of water at least 30 minutes before each meal. You can also do this before your snack to ensure that you get your recommended daily water intake. This also helps you feel fuller faster, so you don’t end up eating more than you should.

If you are trying to lose weight, drink water first when you feel a food craving. This should help you curb your craving to eat more than you should. Don’t worry too much if you have to go to the toilet more than usual. Drinking your water means cleaning your body internally so don’t hesitate to flush out those toxins.

Eat healthy and healthier

It is common sense to eat healthy for a healthier body. However, most of us associate this health habit only with athletes and beauty queens or for losing weight. We should take responsibility for our own health by being mindful of what we eat and put into our bodies.

Don’t be apologetic about eating your greens and fruits. Don’t feel shy when you go for a salad instead of the regular meaty items on the menu. Choose to drink just plain water or a fresh fruit juice instead of soda. You may be criticized or ridiculed by your friends and colleagues; but keep in mind that you are only looking out for your health.

Try eating at least one healthy meal each day. When you’re ready, go for 2 healthy meals. Do this until you are finally able to make healthier choices for all your meals and snacks.

Don’t stay still (for too long), keep moving

This doesn’t mean you absolutely need to go to the gym to get your sweat on. You can do simple, at-home exercises to start integrating movement as part of your daily health habit.

Deciding to take a walk instead of riding the tricycle and taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. These are some simple ways you can keep moving throughout the day.

Even on your office chair, you can do some stretching exercises from time-to-time while seated. You can also walk around the office and chat up some colleagues while you do so. Or you can walk outside the office building as a break from sitting for several hours. Check first if this last one is OK with your HR department. You can dance a bit, stretch while your standing as you print, or wait in line at the water cooler.

You can always choose to exercise in the morning before going to work or in the evening before your dinner.

Allow yourself some “Me Time”

During the day, take at least 10-20 minutes to have some time alone. Whether you spend this in meditation or doing something creative; such as doodling or writing on your diary or journal, is your choice entirely.

You can also use this time to visualize your goals to reaffirm them to yourself. Spend this time contemplating the things that you are grateful for in your life. You can spend this time in prayer. You can spend this time to contemplate and reflect about your day or to think about your important plans.

The important thing is to be alone, with yourself, with your thoughts. Focus your attention on yourself for this duration of time.

Get your regular dose of sleep

Going on overtime might seem financially rewarding, but you won’t be as productive the next day.

Ideally, you should sleep not later than 10PM. Research has shown that your body repairs itself from 10PM to 3AM in the morning; so you should be sound asleep during these times.

Better sleep means better waking times and a brighter start to your day. You can schedule “Me Time” in the early hours of the morning, and at the end of the day.

As you integrate these daily health habits, you will notice and feel the difference in the days to come. You will feel lighter, have clearer thinking, can concentrate better and become more productive. You can also start taking steps to ensure your health in the 6 dimensions of wellness in your life.

Most of us don’t take our health seriously. We tend to think that only athletes and celebrities should be strictly following diets and exercising; because it is their job to look good. Shouldn’t we be responsible for keeping ourselves healthy? Wouldn’t you want to feel and look good too?

Take your health seriously so you can enjoy your daily activities more fully and with more focus. You can slowly integrate these morning habits to help you achieve your goals.

Updated. First published in Pinoy Smart Living 12.03.2018.
Feature Image: Original Photo by THE 5TH on Unsplash.

Apr

2020

What Matters Most in Life

Reading Time: 2 minutes

When we think about what matters to us the most, we often think of our goals for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our work, for our community. However, there are even more fundamental things to consider so that we can achieve these goals — and even when we don’t — and these are the things that truly matter.

In science, the common understanding in the past was that the atom was the basic building block of all matter. However, upon further investigation with more modern and more powerful instruments, we now know that the atom itself is composed of even smaller elements and these elements are composed of elements that are smaller still.

Who are You When Alone?

If we liken each individual to an atom, what are the smaller components that make up someone that enable them to succeed in living a full life in this world? This is where we should look for what matters most for each person.

“The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in a journal. Take long walks in the woods.”
— Robin S. Sharma

Have you spent time learning about yourself on your own? If you are not comfortable being by yourself, then you cannot expect other people to be as comfortable with you as you’d like them to be. This also means that you are only looking to be with other people because you cannot bear to be by yourself. Why is that so? A time of isolation is a great opportunity to get to know yourself even better. You may find out what your real goals in life are in the process.

“Loneliness is no excuse for compromise. Be comfortable with yourself before you choose to be with someone else just to avoid being alone.”
— Yadin Kaufmann

Who are you when you are by yourself? Whether you are living with your family or you living alone, try to set aside time to get to know yourself better. When you learn to like and love yourself as you are; you will find that your self-confidence will grow and you will find ways to address your own shortcomings as you get to know yourself better.

Who are You in Front of Others?

Our personalities are just the tip of the iceberg that we show other people. Who we are as individuals — our mindset, our attitude, our character and the values that we deem important — are what matters most for each person. These are the things that influence how we interact with other people and how we act and react to the trials we go through life.

“Be alone. Eat alone, take yourself on dates, sleep alone. In the midst of this you will learn about yourself. You will grow, you will figure out what inspires you, you will curve your own dreams, your own beliefs, your own stunning clarity, and when you do meet the person who makes your cells dance, you will be sure of it, because you are sure of yourself.”
— Bianca Sparacino

Original Photo by Jeswin Thomas from Pexels.

Apr

2020

Smart Ways To Combat Boredom

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Having a daily routine is a good way to organize your activities. However, when you’ve grown tired of your daily routine, or when your activities are cancelled and you suddenly have nothing to do, boredom can strike. Taking a nap is one quick way to combat boredom but unless you truly need it, it isn’t the best way. You can play games of binge-watch TV shows but they are not that productive. We’re sure some ideas have already popped into your head but why not try some more uncommon ways to spend your free time? Try out these smart ways to combat boredom:

1. Redesign Your Life

Start redesigning your future life with a list. Sit down with some pen and paper and ask yourself these questions: “What do you want to become in the future? What areas of your life do you want to improve and how?” Write down a bucket list of all the things you want to improve in the different areas of your life.

2. Create a Vision Board

Once you have a bucket list of how you want your future life to be, get some old magazines, scissors, glue and cardboard. Sit down for a bit and write down a paragraph to summarize what your redesigned life is like. Take note of the important keywords and find the images that relate to those words in the magazines. Cut them out and arrange them accordingly on your cardboard. Your vision board should remind you of your future goals everyday so make sure to hang it where you will always see it.

3. Set Your Financial Goals

If you’ve been itching to tackle your financial situation, now is the time to do so. Focus on what your short term, medium term and long-term financial goals are and assess where you are now. From here, you can determine what you need to do to move towards your goals. Make sure that you are making S.M.A.R.T. goals so you can measure your progress.

4. Create Your Budget

So you might have your financial goals set but how about your daily, weekly, monthly spending? How do you allocate your money each time you get your paycheck? The answer to that is having a budget and while no one budget system is perfect for everyone, you can start with the Money Jar Budgeting System and tweak it according to your needs.

5. Plan Your Meals

A healthy body keeps you going so you can pursue your goals further. So what you eat is an important part of your success. If you’re going on a diet and even if you are not, planning your meals not only keeps you healthy but also keeps your budget on track. There are ways to get the most out of your meals while saving money on groceries. If you keep these in mind, your body and your wallet will surely thank you. Plus, you can ensure that you and your family get to enjoy all your favorite dishes too.

6. Organize Your Clothes

A messy closet can be a daily scene that seems normal when you are always in a rush to get out the door each morning. Now that you have the time, why not be productive and spend it organizing your wardrobe? You might find hidden gems that you can wear on your next party or items that you don’t want to keep but your friend would love to have. Make sure to check if you have the basic items and make a note of what you need to complete them. If you have a lot of items to let go of, then you can sell them for some extra cash.

7. Compose An Apology

Do you need to say sorry to a friend or family member but haven’t done so for whatever reason? Now is the time to compose your thoughts and learn to properly say you’re sorry. The important thing is to be sincere about it. It would be good to write down your thoughts first and practice saying your apology. When you think you’re ready, contact your friend or family member and ask them to listen to you as you state your apology. Hopefully, your sincerity should win them over and you can sleep with a lighter heart.

8. Hone A Skill

Got a hobby or childhood talent you’ve never had time to practice? Now that you’ve got the time, pick up that guitar, paint brush and canvas, or that manual and start training yourself again. Or you can learn a new skill. All the greats started where you are now and you may not be aiming to be a professional in that field but improving yourself in something you love to do can boost your confidence and help you perform better in other areas of your life.

9. Start a Gratitude Journal

Being grateful is life-changing so why not start being grateful right now? All you need is your favorite notebook and pen, or your mobile phone will also do. Review your day, week, month, and write down the things that you are thankful about. Don’t discriminate between the small things and the big things, they are all equally worthy of being grateful for. You can do this every day before you sleep so you can rest with good vibes around you.

10. Go On a Themed Staycation

This is especially fun to do with the whole family. Since you’re stuck at home, why not indulge in a themed staycation? It doesn’t cost much and it can be fun. It can be a game night, a musical where you are all actors and singers, movie night with kids movies, starting a garden, a home decluttering theme, or even making a game of finding things that you can get rid of in your home. While some things may sound like a chore, if a delicious home-cooked meal is a reward, it should bring a sense of fun into the activity.

These are just some of the things that you can do while you’re stuck at home, alone or with your family. What other things do you do to help ease boredom at home? We’d love to hear your suggestions.

Original Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash.