Ask anyone aged 35 and below what they would want to do in a month if money were not a problem. And you would see a schedule crammed full of partying, and believe it or not, ‘self-improvement’ activities. Admit it. You would be guilty of this too.
For young people who are at the peak of their vitality, life is all about experiencing everything. Before the pandemic occurred, there had been this concern for the ‘hustle culture.’ Young people take pride in working hard, accomplishing a lot, yet still have the time to go join triathlons and party like crazy on weekends. This is the work-life balance the young generations know. Every day has to be spent always on the move. A vacation spent idling is a waste of opportunity to accomplish something and be ahead of the rest. Unfortunately, health is the first casualty in this lifestyle.
Many of these so-called YOLO [You Only Live Once] activities are so full of toxic consumption. There’s hardly a party without alcohol, nicotine, even drugs. And often, food is also taken for granted, consumed only to sustain the body for the day. These busy bodies have no time for breakfast; have take away lunches, and just a scrap for dinner because it had been a tiring day. It’s the crash and burn lifestyle that never considers old age. But no one has escaped old age. And then it would be the body’s payback time.
Yes, you understand all of these. But it’s too addictive you don’t know how to get out of this. It’s what fuels your mind and body, the driving force that wakes you up at six in the morning. Well, you can’t simply tell yourself to slowdown. Maybe even during this pandemic you are one of those who are happy they are able to spend their time for commute on work instead. However, give yourself some slack.
1. Get a regular health checkup
First and foremost, get a professional to check you at least once a year. You might think you haven’t gotten sick in the past year and you look healthy. But who knows what kind of products you were able to rub on your skin. Looking healthy should always come from the inside. A superficially glowing skin because of some rubbed salves is temporary and does not show the state of your abused organs.
Get at least some general checkups, but the best move is to get a full medical checkup every year. Get your internal organs monitored. Are they still holding up? There are private clinics that offer ultrasound tests. Surprisingly, it’s not just pregnant women who should avail of this. A lot of the vices young people engage in have detrimental effects on the reproductive health system. Ultrasound can be done for both men and women. Check your heart. Many heart problems are associated with stress and over working.
2. Detoxify both body and mind
It’s easy to detoxify your body as there are now various concoctions available. Throwing in some fruits and vegetables in your blender while you’re printing a report is easy. If you really think you don’t have the time to prepare it, you can easily order with a few taps on your phone and it will be delivered to your workplace. Your gym time training for those marathons and triathlons also detoxifies your body.
While the body can be cleansed while you are multitasking, to detoxify the mind, you will need to invest time. It is the worst nightmare for workaholics. Why waste fifteen minutes staring blankly at your ceiling when you could already get a move on your report with these precious minutes.
But there has been lots of research done to prove that productivity is improved by some hours of doing nothing can do you good. So think of this slack time as one of the necessities to achieve your goal. Just like you need to condition for a marathon, you need to condition your brain. Put learning meditation in your self-improvement checklists. Studies have claimed that fifteen minutes of meditation is already equivalent to a day’s rest and contributes to your general well-being.
Growing up, we have been taught that we should always be doing something so that we make a name for ourselves. The value of having a dream, and doing your best to get to your dream has been instilled in us. We were told that if we slow down a bit, maybe take some time off, we might be led astray and lose sight of this dream. But remember that you are not a machine. If you don’t take care of the most previous tool you have, your body, your dream will eventually mean nothing.
