Tag: mental health

Changing your Perspective

Posted on by Melody from Elevate Your Plate
“Changing your perspective changes your experience.”

Close your eyes and imagine yourself flying over the city of Paris at night. Imagine seeing the city below, its shape, the lights, and making out a glimpse of the famous landmarks that seem so teeny in such a large landscape. Now imagine being on the ground and standing directly under the structure of the Eiffel Tower. You break your neck just to take in the entirety of its glory and quickly realize just how small you are standing beneath it. In both of these scenarios, the sights offer different perspectives, yet the city remains the same. Each view is equally amazing as the other, yet they yield different experiences.

Life very much parallels this sentiment. Challenges, hardships, anxiety, relationships, jobs, personal life, etc. can look very different depending on what angle we view them from. We can choose to always look at our lives from one single lens, or we can practice seeing the same exact things from a different view. Perhaps there is in fact a flicker of positivity when we look at a hardship from the outside in. Maybe a relationship that seems perfect actually is not when we step out of it for a bit. Maybe eating that piece of cake over the weekend seemed devastating to your health goals in the moment, but actually was worth the joy you experienced with every bite.

No matter what it is that you are going through, this week challenge yourself to look at scenarios with a new perspective. You may be surprised by the different feelings you experience as a result of changing your perception.

The Benefits of Taking a Digital Detox

Posted on by Melody from Elevate Your Plate

We spend an average of 5.4 hours per day on our mobile devices, 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media, and check our phones up to 63 times daily. If you think this sounds like a lot of screen time, well I hate to break it to you that these statistics don’t even account for the time spent on our TV, computer, tablets, and/or playing video games. What we are dealing with is technology overload!

It is important to establish a healthy relationship with our devices. On one hand, we need them to stay up-to-date with news, connect with friends and family, for entertainment, to learn, to work, and even to read this post. However, on the other hand, too much of it can actually affect our mental and physical health. 

 

Detoxing from technology has several benefits including: 

  1. Stress reduction: We need time for both our minds and bodies to recover from a long day of obligations. Work, school, emails, etc. are stressful enough, so continuing to blend work screen time with entertainment screen time only puts extra stress on our mental state. It is important to detach from our devices after a long day to truly unplug and unwind from the chaos of life. 
  2. Improved posture: We typically sit in a hunched over position when using technology. This can create tension in our neck, spine, hips, and affect our overall posture. Not to mention it puts immense strain on our eyes. Consider making your space ergonomically friendly when working and limit screen time after tasks are completed to give your physical body much needed time to rest and reset.   
  3. Increased time for self-care: By stepping away from your device once business is done, you will free up so much time for other things such as: hobbies, cooking, meditation, reading, and exercise. Dedicating more time for yourself will only bring more happiness into your life.  
  4. Disease prevention & weight control: It is no secret that more screen time = higher likelihood of being above normal weight + having obesity-related diseases. By reducing screen time, you will have more time to move your body and prepare healthier foods. This reduces the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases, while also aids with weight loss and halting the progression of existing disease.
  5. Improved mental health: Have you ever looked at social media, compared yourself with what you see on the screen, and then started to feel bad about yourself? This scenario happens every time we go online and negatively affects our mental well-being. Social media can make us feel lonely, depressed, envious, dissatisfied, and puts a damper on our self-esteem. Remember that many people post filtered versions of themselves on public platforms. So, don’t necessarily assume their life and looks are better than yours, simply based on their posts. 

To help you detox from technology, make a schedule and set a timer. For example, if you have shows you love to watch, schedule a specific time frame to watch them. If you go on social media, set a timer for 30 minutes and then immediately go off your device. Establishing a healthy relationship with technology will help you welcome more happiness into your life, live more in the present, and be more in tune with your mental and physical well-being.

Clean your Mess, Reduce your Stress

Posted on by Melody from Elevate Your Plate
Did you know that clearing your physical space free of clutter actually has significant psychological and health benefits?

Multiple studies show a direct correlation between clutter, unfinished projects, and increased cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar levels, regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation, assisting with memory formulation, improving sleep, and helping control salt and water for improved blood pressure regulation.

Additionally, research shows that those with a cleaner space have higher activity levels and are more likely to cook healthy meals at home vs. eat out.

So, in short, a messy space, piles of clutter, and disorganization = mental chaos, increased stress and anxiety, less physical activity, poor sleep, poor nutrition, and several health implications.

Completing smaller organizing and cleaning tasks can yield a significant amount of mental and physical benefits, so why not start small. Trying to tackle an entire decluttering project can often be a very overwhelming and daunting task. Instead, focus on doing just 20-30 minutes of cleaning per day either a few times per week or daily. Make a small goal of sorting through 1 pile of papers, deep cleaning 1 room, putting your clothes away off of the floor, weeding 1 section of the garden, filing away important documents, selling unwanted items, the list goes on.

If you find that your mental health is suffering, start at home with your physical space. A little organizing goes a long way.

To share your own decluttering tips, comment below.