To achieve your goals and enjoy the best things in your life you need to be in your best condition. You can't get very far if you're always tired, exhausted from daily challenges, or drained by stress. Positive Psychology, neuroscience, and medicine in general have found that people who are healthier, happier, and more successful share one characteristic in particular: a high level of "stamina" or "energy."
Some authors define "stamina" as "vigor" or the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort; It can also be defined as the strength, endurance, and determination that is required to meet our long-term challenges such as: work projects, studies, and the responsibilities and effort involved in raising children.
In summary, to be more alert, regain our “vigor” and maintain our enthusiasm for life, we need to take care of our body, our energy and our well-being on an ongoing basis.
Now, here we will review 3 fundamental principles of self-care that contribute to our optimal functioning:
Principle 1 - Renovation and Rest
- Sleep well: Rest is the number one step for optimal functioning, nothing replaces 7hrs of sleep at least. In fact, Dr. Daniel Amen, author of "Change your Brain, Change your life", assures that lack of sleep makes us make unintelligent or poor decisions for our lives; In fact, if candidates were asked in a job interview how much they sleep on average, their answers could reveal a lot about their concentration levels and moods. Taking 5-minute “breaks” or “breaks” for every hour work: keeps our brain alert and increases our creativity. Stopping for a cup of coffee, taking a breath or looking out of a window works well to distract yourself and regain energy and focus. Swing between recreation and work:To manage stress it is important to learn to oscillate between responsibilities, challenges and problems, and moments of recreation and entertainment; since focusing our attention on something else, distracting ourselves, laughing or changing our emotional state, even temporarily, helps us to "let go" of the load that the constant pressure of daily life produces.
Principle 2 - Food and Hydration
- Staying hydrated: it has a positive effect on our health, 8 glasses of water a day is a good start. Another suggestion is to reduce the consumption of caffeine and carbonated drinks, its restriction can contribute to living healthier. Do not abuse: sugars, processed foods and fats. It is best to eat a balanced diet combining all the food groups; trying to incorporate fruits, vegetables and grains into meals. Eating at the appropriate time: and not skipping meals or "spoiling", this can even affect your "mood". Some experts recommend 5 meals a day to help you maintain a good energy level throughout the day.
Principle 3 - Exercise and Movement
- 30 min of exercise: a day they help to keep the body in shape and it has also been found to be an excellent natural anti-depressant. Discipline: On a psychological and emotional level they have their advantages since people who have been engaged for more than a year with some type of exercise come to experience a positive effect on their self-esteem and their sense of achievement. Feeling of well-being: Exercising has a direct effect on mood, on the way our body works and also improves our physical and intellectual health because it allows us to be more alert, eliminates toxins and activates different learning centers in our brain.
Sources: Self-Nurture: Learning to Care for Yourself As Effectively As You Care for Everyone Else by Alice D. Domar, PhD, and Henry Dreher (Penguin, 2001).
