With the flu season and lots of inevitable time spent indoors, the colder months of the year aren’t for everyone. Whether you’re managing seasonal allergies, recovering from an illness, or just looking to strengthen your immune system so you don’t get sick next winter, here are seven simple things you can start doing today to make yourself healthier, happier, and more resilient.
1. Sleep Enough — And Well
First, check your sleep habits. Do you sleep enough? How’s the quality of your sleep? If your sleep schedule is irregular or if you’re getting to bed too late, you may not be getting the rest you need even though you’re getting enough hours. Whenever possible, go to bed before midnight and have some quiet time before you sleep. Eating too late or overstraining your eyes at night are habits that can negatively affect the quality of your sleep. Try five minutes of deep breathing or gentle leg shaking to relax your system if you have difficulty falling asleep.
2. Take Care Of Your Spine
Any and all messages between the body and the brain travel through the spine. And, as you might know from your own experience, the spine can become stiff and blocked by things like too much time spent sitting at a computer — or straining a muscle by slipping in the bathtub. Over time, blockages in the spine lead to imbalances and potential illnesses, with symptoms too numerous to list.
In order to release blockages in your spine, try these exercises: Stand with your knees bent, gently twisting your upper body — left and right — from the waist, 30 to 50 times, feeling the back muscles squeeze and stretch; or, lie down, hug your knees and try rolling — side to side or up and down — gently on your back while exhaling through the mouth, doing this daily on a carpet or soft floor, 20 to 30 times. These routines will gradually improve the flexibility and circulation in your spine.
3. Practice Proper Breathing
Most people know that breathing is relaxing. But did you know it also activates a whole range of healing processes in the body? Here are just a few: it cleans out toxins, improves blood circulation, and digestion, and reduces joint pain and inflammation. When you’re worn down, deep breathing can help you recharge. Also, the depth of your breath during the day affects how deeply you breathe when you’re asleep. If your breathing muscles are underdeveloped when you’re awake, they won’t magically become stronger while you’re asleep.
If you wake up often or suffer from sleep apnea at night, try these exercises: Before bed, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth very comfortably, at least 20 times, focusing on feeling the chest rise and fall — doing this, pay particular attention to the feeling of your chest emptying out and softening as you exhale.
4. Meditate
Brainwaves play important roles in maintaining a healthy and positive consciousness. Higher-frequency brainwaves are typically associated with learning and organizing information, lower-frequency ones with relaxation and healing. Meditation has been shown to activate a wider range of brainwaves and proved to help individuals recover a more natural balance, especially if they have been subjected to prolonged stress or illness. Longtime meditation practitioners, like Buddhist monks, have been found to activate more of their brains and have higher gamma wave activity than other healthy people. Try your own meditation after doing some gentle exercises, deep breathing, or easy dancing.
5. Laugh
For most people, it’s common sense — it feels good to laugh. But do you laugh enough? Research has found that laughter is a powerful muscle relaxant, that it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and antibodies, as well as releases endorphins and improves circulation. See if you can make yourself laugh intentionally. Start with a “fake” laugh, focus on the feeling of the laughter becoming more authentic, and as you keep saying “Ha, ha, ha,” you may find yourself genuinely beginning to laugh. This works especially well with a good friend. You might not want to do it in a public place, unless of course you can get everyone to join in!
6. Do Volunteer Work
Doing volunteer or charity work — engaging in any kind of effort that aims to help others — is a great thing. The world needs more people taking action for the common good. But there’s another reason to help out — it makes you healthier. Studies at various charities have shown that doing volunteer work can improve your health and happiness. Surprisingly, the people doing the giving often benefit more than the ones receiving it. Perhaps there’s some truth to the old saying, “It’s better to give than to receive.”
7. Develop A Spiritual Practice
Believing in something “bigger” — whether through organized religion, or not — has been shown to positively affect one’s health and well-being. When done in a community, spiritual practice provides a kind of support and peace of mind that goes beyond mere thoughts and emotions. If you’re beginning your own spiritual practice, don’t be discouraged if it at first feels awkward or forced.
Like with anything else, spirituality too sometimes requires practice. That doesn’t make it any less authentic. Practice your spirituality like you would practice music — learn some basics, find a teacher and a group to play with, and develop your own particular sense of rhythm and harmony. Most importantly, have fun with your healthy choices!
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s print edition.
