12 Things You Should Do Every Day

Attitudes are more important than facts, writer Karl Menninger once said. Many years before, the American author Dale Carnegie had already said “Believe that you can change your life, and it will happen”.

Many homeopathic and allopathic physicians have confirmed that patients with positive attitudes are more likely to fight serious illness. Another unanimity concerns preventive medicine, good eating habits, the practice of physical exercises that also increase the quality of life, thus preventing physical diseases and psychological disorders.

The American Journal of Epidemiology published studies from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which indicate four beneficial habits to strengthen health. They are: exercising regularly, maintaining weight, following the Mediterranean diet and not smoking. These four attitudes alone, according to studies, can reduce the risk of death from any cause by 80%. The study was carried out over a period of eight years.

Cardiologist Daniel Ramiro Silva usually recommends social habits and anti-monotony exercises to his patients. “Many diseases are a reflection of bad habits, many are linked to the psychological. Fear, rancor, low self-esteem, impatience, intransigence are not diseases, but they can turn around”, he warns.

Below is a selection of simple attitudes that can transform your life:

1. Make your bed

It sounds basic, or even silly, but starting your day by making your bed gives your brain a sense of organization and productivity. When you return home, the bed will be well made to welcome you for another well-deserved night’s sleep.

2. Stretch

Once, in an interview, singer Adriana Calcanhoto said that a habit she had was to stretch in the morning “so the day doesn’t start shortened”, she justified. This habit is highly effective in awakening the body and giving it energy and should be one of the things you do every day.

3. Compliment someone

A compliment may be short, but if it’s sincere it can make someone’s day better. We like to be recognized, either for our skills or for some choice of the day. If you’ve ever received a compliment that changed your day, think that you can offer that good feeling too. Compliment someone at least once a day and spread that good vibe.

4. laugh

If you don’t laugh at least once a day, something is seriously wrong. Laughter is very powerful in the long term, in the short term it is able to ward off pain, nausea, because laughter or smile sends a message to the brain that everything is fine. Laughing is the best thing you can do in life, and it’s free. Just find a reason every day and let yourself be infected.

5. Gift yourself

A new outfit, a perfume, it’s always good to value yourself and respect yourself. Donate old clothes that don’t fit or that are yellowed, with polka dots, it also goes for stained tablecloths and sheets and utensils whose useful life has passed. It’s worth taking a week off, taking an unexpected trip on the weekend, or setting aside 15 minutes at the end of the day to let your thinking free from worries.

6. Exercise

It can be hard to go to the gym every day, but one of the daily habits you should cultivate is exercise. It’s worth a bike ride at night, a walk at lunch, a jog in the morning, as your metabolism accepts it better. According to Daniel, the practice of exercises is a “natural drug” and without risks, it releases adrenaline and endorphins. It makes you feel good in the short and long term and is a great way to stay healthy.

7. Remember good feelings

“Happier” author Tal Ben Shahar suggests an exercise: look at a picture of yourself smiling and ask yourself what made you so happy. A date with friends or relatives? The beautiful setting? Then imagine what you can do to repeat the same feeling or situation in the future.

8. Try something new

Every day try to discover a new flavor, make a new path, try another combination. It can be small things like a new flavor of popsicle, a new brand of coffee, or hitchhiking or walking to work. These little things stimulate creativity, stimulate the brain. They give you other perspectives on life, they put you in a new angle. By trying something new every day, you are living a little longer each day.

9. Make a “RAK”

As in the classic movie “Current of Good”, try to make one RAK a day. RAK represents a “random act of kindness” done anonymously to someone you don’t know and without expecting anything in return. They can be smaller or bigger acts, take advantage of the opportunities that life gives you to help. Taking a daily RAK will not only make you and your beneficiary feel good, it will also make the world a better place to live.

10. Say “I love you”

Surely your parents, siblings or children would love to get a call just to say you love them. This short, meaningful sentence should be said every day, if not with words, then with gestures. Just don’t let a single day go by without telling those you love how important they are to you.

11. Be grateful

The best way to get rid of anguish and annoyance is to be grateful for what you have. You should feel happy because not everyone has the same opportunities in life as you. Before going to sleep, upon waking up, or in an extreme situation, lie down (since it’s almost impossible to stress lying down) and mentally list 10 things you’re grateful for. It can be from your iron health, to your achievements, to the presence of the people you love and also to the little joys of everyday life like the warmth of your bed, a friendly hug…

12. Make plans for tomorrow

In a popular parable a teacher presented a cup to his students asking if it was full or empty. Faced with the answer that it was empty, he replied that the glass was full, with air. Then he put stones in the glass, his students said that now the glass was full. The master then threw sand between the stones and this time the students stated without a doubt that the glass was full. Then the master poured water that filled the empty spaces between the stones and the sand. The lesson behind this metaphor is that even if your schedule is full, you can always make room for the things or people you like. By planning the day ahead, you can make room for the things that matter.