Lifestyle – It’s never too late to make a change. While 2020 and 2021 have been extremely difficult years for many of us, that hasn’t stopped people from making serious lifestyle changes to improve their health, their financial stability, and their overall happiness. There’s no reason you can’t think about doing the same thing in 2022 to 2024, especially as the outlook improves. Whether it’s eating better, exercising more, or sorting out your money, there’s always something you could be changing. Here are 10 lifestyle changes you could make for 2022 to 2024.
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1. Make more home-cooked meals
Cooking is the way to a healthier heart and a happier life. It’s been proven that cooking at home boosts your mental health, but it’s also a great way to keep your body feeling good as well. If you’re not an experienced cook, then you could start with simple dishes like pasta sauces or chilli con carne. These dishes don’t take much effort to cook at all, but they’re much healthier than their takeaway alternatives. As you start to feel more confident with cooking, you can “graduate” to more advanced meals.
2. Heal your credit score
Many people have a bad credit score without even realising it. That’s why it’s important to keep on top of this statistic. You can check your credit score on any number of free online services, and it’s worth doing so, because a bad credit score could prevent you from getting loans, mortgages, or vehicle financing. There are lots of ways to fix your credit score; you could seek out bad credit loans, for instance, or try to reorganize your finances so you can make repayments on time.
3. Take more walks
Exercise doesn’t have to cost the earth. You don’t need to sign up for a potentially costly and restrictive gym membership if you want to stay healthy; all you need to do is take more outdoor walks. Whether you’re based in the city or living amongst nature, outdoor walks can be a serious boost for your mental and physical health. Just 30 minutes a day can vastly improve your mood, but even if you can only spare a 15-minute period for a walk, that’s much better than nothing.
4. Ditch your toxic friends
We can’t stress this enough: toxic friendship isn’t healthy, and it could be causing you serious pain. It’s not selfish to walk away from toxic friends; it’ll help your mental health, make you happier on a day-to-day basis, and give you more free time to pursue the things you really love doing. Think about your friendships and which ones are really giving out positive energy. If you decide someone in your life needs to be cut out, be polite, but be firm; let them know what’s happening and why, but don’t be overly aggressive.
5. Up your skincare game
While many people spend a long time on skincare for the face, other parts of the body routinely go neglected. 2022 could be the year that you start giving the skin elsewhere on your body the love it truly deserves. Don’t neglect your arms, legs, and chest; anywhere there’s skin is prone to the same problems as the face, especially if the skin is exposed to the elements at any stage. Good skincare isn’t just for your appearance; looking after your skin helps prevent some health problems later in life, too.
6. Practise mindfulness
Far from being the transitory fad many assumed it was, mindfulness is here to stay, and there’s a good reason for that. By practising mindfulness, you’ll become more aware of your surroundings and your emotions, which will help you to master them more effectively. Instead of allowing yourself to succumb to anger, anxiety, guilt, or any other negative emotion, try to implement a mindfulness routine in which you confront and accept these emotions.
7. Read more books
We don’t read enough books as a society. While there are, of course, some of us who love nothing more than to curl up on the sofa with our favourite novel, it’s fair to say that reading isn’t quite the fallback pastime that it should be for most of the country. Reading helps to exercise the imagination, teach new vocabulary (an important skill all the way throughout life!), and introduce us to new perspectives and new voices. Make 2022 the year you open more books.
8. Declutter your home
Decluttering your home has myriad benefits. Not only will you be able to navigate the place more easily, but you’ll also improve your mental health into the bargain. Decluttering doesn’t just mean tidying up; it means taking a thorough, honest look at everything you’ve accumulated and deciding what’s worth keeping and what can be sold or given to someone else who needs it. Set aside a few hours each month for a decluttering operation, and you’ll be glad you did.
9. Improve your sleeping habits
Most of us don’t get enough sleep, or the sleep we do get isn’t of sufficient quality. 2022 could be the year that you focus on improving your sleep health and thus building a better and more switched-on you. Improving your sleep health means sticking to a regular schedule, winding down screen use before bed, and trying not to sneak naps in during the day. You’ll notice the improvements to your sleep quality almost immediately, so it’s well worth doing!
10. Stop smoking and drinking
Smoking and drinking are beginning to be seen as the health bugbears they really are. There’s no longer a “cool” image for smoking; instead, it’s a practice that you really should give up, because it can lead to all kinds of health complications including cancer. Alcohol, too, is only healthy if you drink in absolute moderation. Drinking to excess could be seriously shortening your lifespan, so make 2022 the year you give up these vices and turn to something healthier!
