20 simple tips to be happy and achieve well-being

The happiness and well-being should not depend on a myriad of requirements, but rather on meeting a few simple expectations and full of personal meaning.

There is nothing reprehensible in drawing big goals and fight to achieve them, although it is often run into serious obstacles or that the will falters.

Instead, propose a concrete improvement, and achieve it precisely thanks to his modest condition, allows you to savor a small success and consider the next.

“Step by step the path is taken” or “those who cover a lot do not press much”, as popular wisdom recalls.

Frequently a person assumes abusive hours, eats irregularly, sleeps little or poorly, ignores the environment and the details that nature provides, consumes goods that are certainly unnecessary, or maintains a relationship of mistrust and even rejection with those close to them. The smart thing to do in this case would be give priority to the changes that provide the greatest well-being with the least investment.

This article proposes twenty simple steps to that end. It would suffice to choose one of them so that it would have fulfilled its objective.

1. Have breakfast at home

According to statistics, Less than a quarter of the Spanish population eats a balanced breakfastand it is estimated that only 10% of school-age children eat an adequate breakfast.

He typical breakfast for a good part of workers, executives and students it consists of a pasta and a coffee with milk that is taken at the bar of a bar and with little time.

You can give more richness to breakfast:

Incorporating whole grains (flakes or bread), assorted fruit and fresh cheesewhich has much less salt than the cured one. It is convenient that the Fruit juice be homemadefreshly made, which allows you to take advantage of all its vitamin and antioxidant potential. teas without caffeine such as pennyroyal, rooibos or lemon verbena are a good alternative to coffee with milk, and less laxative.Leave some things already prepared the night before -like the table set- is a wise measure.

Start the day with the people we love It is a small pleasure that grows with time.

2. Consume consciously

Not by accumulating more is happier. The excesses in consumption affect the health of the planet and the survival of numerous peoples and cultures.

it is accurate reduce the number of plastic containers and bagsreplacing them with others made of paper or cloth, reject those products that are over-packaged, choose recyclable or reusable containers to the detriment of PVC products and tetra briks, and opt for appliances and appliances with low consumption and long life.

And if possible avoid those products about which there are reasonable doubts whether they have been produced causing severe damage to the environment, harm and displacement to local populations or through the use of child labor.

3. Value what you eat

Gaining awareness at the table implies valuing what is eaten and appreciating how it was produced. Not only because of its possible impact on the body, but also out of solidarity with the planet and other living beings.

In that sense, it is worth contacting farmers and ranchers, observe how they take care of the land and how they feed their livestock, appreciating, for example, the respect that organic producers give to soil, plants and animals, avoiding subjecting them to deplorable conditions or chemical treatments with an uncertain impact on health.

Foods obtained from organic fertilizers and natural agriculture are more authentic, have that flavor that we thought was forgotten and offer a better nutritional balance.

Resorting to eggs, dairy products or meats organic origin means supporting a mode of production that tries to offer a dignified life to the animals. And since animals raised in farmhouses tend to concentrate in their tissues the toxins that they cannot eliminate, it is also a way to protect health in the medium and long term.

4. Eating as before

a good way to bet on a rich, diverse and respectful agriculture with the land is to incorporate those vegetable foods that our ancestors already consumed but that have been relegated or forgotten by the productive dynamics.

Why not resume the consumption of free plants such as purslane and nettles, so nutritious and healthy, romazas, a source of vitamin C and iron, burdocks or buckwheat or buckwheat – fajol in Catalan – whose cultivation is recovering in the Girona region of La Garrotxa?

They can also incorporate into the kitchen foods that are part of the diet of other culturessuch as cassava, okra or okra and quinoa, a staple in Andean cuisine.

5. In the shower, less foam and more health

Water is a scarce commodity and making the effort to save it is a commitment of solidarity with those who barely have it.

gestures as simple as turn off the tap when soaping –even if you no longer feel the hot water flowing directly into the drain– they allow you to save up to 20 liters per day per person. But you can go further.

There are devices like faucet aerators that reduce water flow. A basin in the bathtub allows you to collect the cold water that precedes the hot one and use it for another purpose.

it suits choose soaps and shampoos based on natural ingredients –like calendula, sage, coconut, oats– instead of those that are pure chemistry. Not because of more foam they wash better, rather it can be the opposite. In fact, the foam is usually given by sodium lauryl sulphate, a fat emulsifier that is absent in truly natural products.

The moment of the shower allows you to explore the world of aromatherapythrough massages or scrubs with a few drops of essential oils, such as bergamot, mint, sandalwood or jasmine, of very varied therapeutic indications.

6. Enhance natural textile fibers

2009 was declared by the FAO the international year of natural fibers. Its production is an irreplaceable source of income for many developing countries, for which in many cases it can account for half of their exports. And it is a work, often handmade, carried out for the most part by women.

The fibers made with linen, cotton, silk, jute or wool from sheep, vicuña, llama, etc. provide a natural and renewable resourcewhich avoids the impact of synthetic products, mostly from non-renewable substances derived from petroleum.

Being natural fibers, they adapt very well to the skinentail less problems of irritation and allergies, and its touch is more pleasant.

7. Grow plants at home

Inside and outside the home, plants purify the environment and brighten the eyes and the spirit. A plant is a living being and its presence in a room can be as or more noticeable than that of a piece of furniture.

Caring for her involves some form of dialogue: you have to observe how it reacts, offer it light and observe the state of the soil and humidity. plants at home return the sensationso necessary, de that nature returns to live among us.

Much more natural and healthy than synthetic air fresheners to perfume a room is the sensual fragrance given off by an orchid or the delicate scent of lavender.

The last great luxury is cultivate partly what one eats. There are many ways to set up a mini-garden that provides products of unparalleled freshness, such as tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, green beans, peas, cabbage, chard, aubergines, celery, carrots, medicinal plants…

Nature is generous and its prodigality is highly appreciated. The size of the pot and the quality of the soil directly influence the volume of the harvest. Regular watering will be necessary… and learning from successes and mistakes.

8. Healing with plants

Colds, flu, allergies, migraines, muscle pain, menstrual discomfort, gastrointestinal spasms, gas or small bleeding and eczema are frequent ailments that can well be alleviated with the help of this natural alternative to drugs.

Visiting a herbalist, learning about the applications of medicinal plants and other natural remedies, is a good way to regain contact with nature and the knowledge of our ancestors.

But also, The therapeutic power of plants is supported by highly rigorous scientific studies; It is not for nothing that many medicines in current use come from substances isolated from active principles of plants. And in this field there is still much that remains to be discovered.

Infusions of pennyroyal or chamomile for digestioninfusion of betony or feverfew for migrainehorsetail and bearberry extracts for urinary infectionsButcher’s broom and melilot baths for varicose veinsor myrtle and eucalyptus vapors to allergies and flu they are just a small sample of the enormous possibilities of herbal remedies.

9. Appreciate the cold and the heat

In summer it is hot, sometimes very hot, and in winter it must be cold. Such an obvious statement sometimes comes up against the reality that prevails in many establishments, offices and means of transport, where people shiver in the middle of summer and overheat in winter.

The body takes advantage of the variability of the seasons and is prepared to adapt to it.

To avoid excess heat in summer, it is often enough to air the house or office properly, darkening the part of the building exposed to the direct action of sunlight and ventilating the opposite, depending on the time of day. But since the apartments do not always have two exits to the outside, the use of air conditioning may be an imperative. In some situations, a fan is often enough to cool down a space.

Staying at a temperature between 25 and 30 degrees in summer and between 16 and 20 in winter would be the most natural; In this way, those exaggerated contrasts with the outside temperature would be avoided, which often cause colds and bronchitis.

10. Eliminate toxic products from home

We usually live with an endless number of toxins at home.

The laundry detergents They contain surfactant substances that help dissolve fat, but once they are poured into the water they cause serious pollution problems. electrical and electronic appliances contain halogenated flame retardants, which have a marked bioaccumulative effect. Batteries contain heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury.Mosquito repellents, soaps, deodorants and many other articles of common use contain substances with greater or lesser toxicity.

The solution is to find out well, and try, without obsessing, replace some of these products with similar but toxic-free ones. There are soaps and detergents based on aromatic plants and essences, and vinegar can be enough to keep the bathroom and kitchen floors clean.

11. Sleep and wake up comfortably

To sleep we do not need many artifices.

There are those who choose to do it without constraining clothes. In any case natural fibers are appreciated that help to perspire well.

The mattress should provide a bed that is as hygienic as possible. Mattresses accumulate many dead skin cells and also dust mites, which is why it is necessary…