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The last two years have been emotionally straining for a lot of people. At some point during this time, pretty much everyone has experienced feelings of sadness, loneliness, stress, or anxiety. However, pandemic aside, there might be other aspects of your life which might be detrimental to your psychological wellbeing.

Your surroundings

Your outside environment is a direct reflection of what is going on inside of you. Therefore, if your immediate surroundings are cluttered, that might be a sign that things might be slightly messy in the emotional level. This directions is bidirectional, so unorganized home or office, will create a strain on your psychological well being.

Messy environment will prevent energy from flowing seamlessly and cause blocks, which will then manifest themselves as anxiety, stress, or scattered brain. It will also make it hard for you to concentrate and accomplish things. Untidy surroundings will also cause energy leaks, which might leave you tired.

To help you tackle the issue, I recommend reading up about Feng Shui, which is a practice of rearranging your surroundings to create balance with the natural world, and promote flow of energy. If this sounds to “woo woo” for you, you can start by learning about Marie Kondo’s method which encourages tidying up by keeping only the things that spark joy, and discarding anything that no longer does.

Your relationships

Just like unorganized surroundings, toxic people will drain your energy and negatively affect your emotional wellbeing. Surrounding yourself with individuals who do not support you wholeheartedly, will only make you miserable. We often hold on to relationships out of comfort or fear. However, certain people are energy vampires. Whether you are dealing with a needy friend, egocentric partner, or always complaining acquaintance, it might be time to reevaluate the situation, set some boundaries, and let that person go. I know this is easier said than done, but your psychological health should take priority.

Your nutrition

Your brain is always on. It works 24/7 to keep you alive, and so it requires constant supply of quality fuel. Diet high in sugar, trans fat, and processed foods will leave you bloated, tired, and emotionally unwell. On the contrary, a well-balanced diet consisting of lean protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and fiber will boost your mental well-being. The bidirectional relationship between the mind and the body often gets overlooked. So if you feeling stuck finding the source of your stress or anxiety, it might be time to start food journaling and connecting the dots.

It is also important to invest in a good quality probiotic. I have been using Seed, as it is a symbiotic, so it contains pre and probiotics. Seed also created it product based on years of scientific research, so I know that what I am putting in my body is of highest quality. If you are on a lookout for a new probiotic, click on this link to give Seed a try and enter code KAROLINAD15 for 15% off your first order.

Sleeping habits

Sleep and mental health have a very close relationship. The quality of your sleep will dictate how you feel the next day. Most adults need anywhere between 6 to 9 hours of sleep (certain studies say 6-8, while others state 7-9). At times sleep issues might be stuck in a never ending cycle: you are stressed, so you cannot sleep. You cannot sleep, so you stress out even more. If this happens, please make sure that you speak to you medical professional. However; if your sleep patterns are not our of control, there are few things you can do at home to improve it.

• Have a sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
• Listen to you body and learn how many hours of sleep you need each night. Then, adjust your schedule accordingly.
• Turn of any electric devices at least 30 minutes prior to going to bed, but preferably an hour.
• Establish a nightly routine.
• Do not eat heavy foods, drink caffeine or alcohol too close to your bedtime. Give your body at least 3 hours to process.

It is important to remember that we are all bioindividually different. Certain individuals might be biologically wired to be able to handle certain things better than others, and that is ok. Make sure that you focus on yourself. Get in tune with your body and what it is trying to tell you. Hope you find this post helpful.

XOXO