Page 12 - The Lotus Jan-Feb 2021

Small steps, Giant leaps: Habits to start

by Ronan Godinho

It’s never too late to change your life, be more intentional, more balanced, more present in
your memories and experiences. Here’s 5 small changes you can to greatly improve your
quality of life, so you can give your best to those around you.
Exercise

We start this list with exercise. Research shows that people who are physically active for 150
minutes a week have a 33 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who are
physically inactive. So even if you just go for a 25-minute walk or jog every day or just play
a sport that interests you, you lower your risk of a premature death, reduce your risk of
depression and over all just improve your quality of life.
Journaling

Next in this list is journaling. For those who don’t know what this means, journaling is when
you write a journal at the end of your day describing the events you experienced on that day,
in which you can express your feelings. Journaling helps improve your mood by helping you
prioritize your problems, and understand your emotions, fears, concerns. There’s nothing
more freeing than writing down or drawing out what you feel. Pen and paper can be your best
friend.
Meditation

Next on the list is Meditation. Meditation has proved to be a very good stress releaser. There
are many benefits to meditation like it helps increase your attention span and self-awareness.
Meditation also doesn’t take much time; research shows that even 10 minutes of meditation a
day can help a lot.
Practice Gratitude

The next thing on this list is practicing gratitude. Everyday be grateful for what you have.
When you wake up, be grateful for a new day, be grateful for the food that’s put on your
table, thank people who help make your life easier like your parents, your domestic help and
even your grandparents as much as you can. And yes, we know you’ve heard all this before,
but how many times to we truly understand the great depth of our privilege? Now’s a good
time to start.
Spend more time with nature

The last thing on this list is spending more time with nature. Nowadays with school and other
classes being online, we spend a lot of time in front of screens. This is not good for the mind
as it can cause irritation and short temper. Hence whenever you get a chance, get out of the
house and just relax in the openness of the nature in your garden or any open space. Research
shows that spending time in nature can help reduce stress by lowering your heart rate,
increasing your vitamin D level and strengthening your immune system.

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Your mind is the only place you’ll live in so remember to
take care of yourself. Everyone has their joys and sorrows in turn and our hope is that you
realize how resilient YOU are. It’s never too late to get started. Tiny changes all add up, so
don’t ever discount your progress:)

Ronan Godinho is from Class 11C and is a guest contributor for the Lotus.
He has a great interest in cars and finance. In his down time, he enjoys
cycling around the city, reading car magazines and spending time with his
dogs.

Photograph: Meera Patel