On first impression, you can probably tell that we at Danu are pretty passionate about wellness. It’s at the core of everything we stand for, and each of our products is crafted with wellness in mind.
Our quest for healthy natural remedies is a year-long process, but August, in particular, is a big month for us. Not only is August 8 National CBD Day, but August is also National Wellness Month.
How does one celebrate National Wellness Month, you ask? Entirely up to you!
For us, it’s about focusing on self-care, creating or optimizing healthy routines, and managing stress. We already give you wellness tips each Wednesday, but want to take things a step further to help you improve your wellness routine this month and make changes that will last moving forward.
But first, let’s get something out in the open.
Making Healthy Lifestyle Changes Is Hard
One of the greatest misquotes of all time is, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” While we can agree with the intent of the message, this was actually never uttered by Mr. Albert Einstein, ruining motivational posters everywhere.
The bigger problem we have is that making lifestyle changes or instituting healthy routines requires repetition. Just because you’ve tried something and failed does not mean you shouldn’t give it another go to achieve our goals. Don’t expect different results, earn them.
Sometimes a simple tweak in your mindset is all it takes to get over the hump. You can do the same thing over and over and get different results once you break through that wall.
We know those walls exist and can be incredibly difficult to break down. This is what makes health and wellness goals seem daunting, elusive, or entirely unattainable.
But they’re not. We believe this mindset shift is a vital component to achieving your wellness goals.
Use Positivity As Motivation
Too often we create our own roadblocks. We do this by using negative motivators to form our goals. Things like guilt, fear, or regret, are common negative motivators that do not often inspire long-term change.
Instead, try positive thinking. When our goals are self-motivated and rooted in positivity, they have a much greater chance of success.
Make Specific Goals
How many times have you made a resolution or goal that involves the word “more?”
We sure have. All the time!
And it’s a flawed way of instituting a new routine. When goals are specific, we have more accountability and a more specific target to reach. Rather than saying “I’d like to read more,” taking a firmer stance and declare “I’m going to read a book each month this year.”
Not, “I’m going to get more exercise,” but “I will exercise for 30 minutes each day.” You get the idea.
Not only do you want to form specific wellness routines, but when you draw up your goals, make sure you have a practical plan in place to reach them.
Don’t Try To Do Too Much
We live in a constant state of overwhelm. Whether it’s the 24-hour news cycle, constant attachment to our devices and social media, and numerous other factors in our environments, we all already have plenty on our plate.
The last thing you want to do when it comes to creating and nurturing new healthy routines is to try to bite off more than you can chew. You might just end up overtaxing your energy and willpower. Then you’re right back to square one.
Keep in mind that we only have so many resources to help us make change happen, like our time, attention, self-control, and motivation. Trying to take on multiple new behaviors or institute big change is a surefire way to run into burnout. But if you can focus on one goal and achieve it, it’s actually a bigger deal than you think.
You can certainly layout an entire plan of big-picture goals, and should, but break them down into smaller milestones. Take your new wellness routine on piece by piece and you’ll have a much better chance at success and lasting change.
We don’t just mean start small, but really small. As in, making your bed every morning.
This simple motor task starts your day off with completing a task, improves your mood, and leads to better productivity. It might seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, but if you can turn this simple task into a daily habit, you can move on to bigger items on the list.
On that note — how do you know when a new healthy routine has become a habit?
The 21-Day Rule Is A Myth
Don’t get caught up in the 21-day thing. It’s a myth. A popular myth, but a meaningless target nonetheless. Many swear by it, but if it’s causing you to stress then don’t sweat it.
We understand the desire to want a finite goal for building healthy habits, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. We’re all different and have varying lifestyles, environments, body chemistries, motivations, etc. It doesn’t make any sense for there to be a universal number of days that sets a standard.
Studies show that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a healthy habit. The point is that you need to be patient, and you’ll know a healthy habit has set in when you no longer have to think about it. When a healthy routine becomes an unconscious act, then you’ll know your habit is here to stay. Just stick with it!
Remember That Change Is A Process
We’d love to refer you to this article from Harvard Health to aid you in your motivation. They argue that change is a process, not an event, and cite the transtheoretical model (TTM) first developed in the 1980s to help treat addiction.
This model involves five stages of change:
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
This model has been applied to various health behaviors, like diet and exercise, to great success. We recommend reading through the post to see how you can move your goal through each stage of the model.
Take A Deep Breath
Breathe! It’s going to be fine!
Practitioners of the Wim Hof method everywhere will shout this one from the rooftops, and they’re not wrong. Deep breathing has a vast amount of health benefits and is a simple, free wellness routine that only takes a few minutes each day.
You’ll eliminate stress, strengthen several systems within your body, and give yourself a nice little reset, and influence your body’s fight or flight response. It’s a tried and true tactic we use with children and forget to implement ourselves. But when you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and feel the tension ease from your body. Be mindful and conscious about where you are and what you’re feeling. Then, get back after it.
Optimize Your Daily Routine With Some CBD
If you want a little extra boost to your healthy routines, you can add in some CBD, a natural remedy that has been around for centuries. Other bloggers have documented their journey with giving CBD a try for 30-days (which is the typical dosage amount you’ll receive from a CBD product) or longer and have reported positive results.
If you want a natural, harmless way to ward-off the “give-ups” and optimize your day-to-day, CBD may just be the supplement to give you that little boost.
Remember, a small change can make a big impact on your overall wellness. We wish you the very best with all of your health and wellness goals during this National Wellness Month and beyond. Cheers to good health!
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