Tuesday Truth: 5 Things to Start Doing in 2014

Ladies and gentleyogis, lets put our grand resolutions aside for a moment and talk about basic life improvements. 

Whether you're a New Year's Resolution person or not, I think that the dawn of a new year is the perfect time to think about ways to make small life tweaks that will improve the quality of your day-to-day-existence. No pressure, no "I must do this ever day or I fail," no checklists--just small actions that can make a big difference.

How do I know that these things make a big difference? Because through my totally non-scientific data collection and experimentation, I've concluded that doing these things on a regular basis can add to your happiness, your health, your mental state, and your ability to be present. 

I urge you to think about each of the items on this list, and maybe, give them a try. If you already do them (or some of them), yay! I hope you're already aware of the amazing benefits :)

1. Reading before bed: Bedtime rituals are the cat's pajamas. They allow you to get better, deeper sleep, they make falling asleep easier, and they allow you to shut down your mind at the end of a full day. As long as you're not reading off of your computer or phone (no Facebook!), it doesn't matter what you read. Read a book, a magazine, a newspaper, whatever--but do it as often as possible. I recommend getting in bed around the same time each night and reading for 15-30 minutes.

2. Stretching every day: I'm not saying that you need to do an hour-long yoga practice every day or even 10 minutes of stretching. All I'm saying is that if you do a few stretches every day, you will feel better. I recommend doing them when you wake up, or when you find yourself hunched over at your desk, but it doesn't really matter when you do them. Just stretch [often]!

3. Taking care of something besides yourself: Whether it be an animal, a person, a plant, or a Furby (remember those?), taking care of something else adds to your life. It gives you a chance to stop thinking about yourself for once, and to start thinking about someone/something else. If you can't get a pet or a Furby, volunteer at an Animal Shelter, a Senior Living Center, or a Soup Kitchen. Then notice the subtle shift in your mindfulness practice.

4. Listening to podcasts: I know I've mentioned my love of podcasts here before, but really, they've added so much to my life and I'm a big proponent. If you aren't listening to podcasts already, you should! There are approximately 1000000000 of them out there, on every subject under the moon, so there's really no excuse. I recommend listening to them while traveling, while commuting, while doing mindless household tasks, while doing creative projects, while working out, and/or while walking outside (see #5). Learning something new while doing a mindless task is an amazing way to expand your mind.
 
5. Going outside for AT LEAST 15 minutes every day: Even when it's raining, or snowing, or really hot, or too cold [Except for maybe today, since there are record-breaking freezing temps all across the country...]. Take a little walk, eat your lunch outside, or just stroll around your neighborhood in the evening. If you're really busy and need to multitask, take your phone and make a call while you walk. But just get outside!

Of course, no list like this would be complete without my also mentioning doing yoga, creating on a regular basis, and making time for relaxation, but if you're a regular reader of this little blog, you already know that I believe in these things (without my beating you over the head with them again). Obvs. 

Oh, and can we all work on trying to stop apologizing when we're not in the wrong? Ugh. I'm always doing this and I want to stop. 

I hope that you can make some of these very small, but very effective life tweaks in 2014!