Living Mindful
It is important to recognize that living a holistic lifestyle supports solid oral health and is proactive. It's a daily effort of choices to create balance in your life and achieve the highest state of well-being in the body, mind, and soul connection. Living a holistic lifestyle means a lifestyle that influences the "WHOLE PERSON."
SIMPLE TIPS TO LIVE BY
Take a moment of gratitude for the day upon awakening. How you start your morning routine is essential to setting up a "good day ." Practices like a cold shower within 5 minutes of awakening, meditation, and no phone or internet can help bring clarity first thing in the morning.
Make solid choices about what you put in your body. Mindfulness about proper food choices and controlling your environment with positive influences dramatically affect your overall mental and physical well-being.
Breathe deeply. Dr. Johnson tries to educate his patients about the importance of nasal breathing and airway management. Aside from the tips above, a great start to your morning is to practice deep nasal breathing during mediation.
Limit TV watching to a few favorite shows or none at all. You would be surprised how abstaining from watching television can impact your mental health. Instead, try spending time connecting with a loved one in meaningful conversation, reading, or taking time to learn a new skill or insight. If you must watch television, try a documentary. You might find them motivating and informative.
Take time to quiet the mind daily. Try 15-20 minutes of silent meditation, especially first thing in the morning or right before bed, which can significantly impact your life.
Enjoy the work you do and the people you help. Positive and supportive efforts to help others will leave you feeling fulfilled at the end of the day and make some of the more frustrating parts of your life less harmful. Balance is key here.
Creativity. That doesn't mean you have to be an artist and paint pictures or draw. Creativity can come from what outfits you choose to wear, taking a new route to work or a friend's house, or taking up a new hobby like photography.
Be a good listener and stay open to new ideas. Often inspiration can come from others simply by being a good listener. The old Chinese proverb that you are given two ears and one mouth can promote growth and creativity by listening twice as much as you speak.
Take care of yourself first. Our bodies are very resilient when allowed to grow and heal. Taking care of yourself first and foremost will enable you to take care of others and be a good citizen, parent, sibling, or adult child to aging parents.
Value finances. So often we shop or spend to make us feel better, but that feeling is short-lived or diminished by spending more than we should. Security comes from making choices, and saving more than you spend is empowering.
Contribute to helping the planet thrive. This can come in many ways, from recycling to mindfulness of consumption. For example, holistic habits like taking reusable bags to the grocery store, choosing a long-lasting water bottle instead of plastic bottles, and walking or riding your bike on short errands can significantly impact daily life.