Welcome to “My Guide to the 12 Days of Wellness,” a 12-day journey to enhance your well-being. From limiting screen time to embracing self-love and connection, each day offers a simple yet impactful wellness practice. Join me in prioritizing joy, mindfulness, and resilience, taking intentional steps toward a healthier and more fulfilled life. Let the 12-day wellness journey begin!
- Day 1: Device Free Day – Limit screen time (not including work) to under 1 hour
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In today’s day and age, it’s easy to become slaves to our screens and scroll on social media for hours. Additionally, studies have linked rampant social media usage to increased rates of depression, body dysmorphia/eating disorders, and anxiety. So, for our first wellness day, let’s aim to stay off our devices and keep our screen time under 1 hour! Limiting screen time and time spent on social media is a simple step to gain more control over our moods, productivity, and time.
- Day 2: Exercise – Go for 2 walks, one in the morning and one in the evening
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Exercise is so important for our well-being — it keeps us physically fit and healthy and releases dopamine, leading to improved moods and energy. Additionally, walking (especially without excess stimulation like music) is a great way to spend time in nature and practice mindfulness, both of which improve mental well-being. On this second day, we’re going to fit 2 walks into our schedule, each for at least 20 minutes.
- Day 3: Nutrition – Eat 3 full healthy meals today
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Fueling our bodies is essential for our physical and mental well-being. Good nutrition enables us to feel energized throughout the day and keeps us mentally alert and sharp. Thus, on our third day of wellness, we are going to ensure that we eat 3 full meals, each with a serving of fruits and vegetables to ensure we are filling our bodies with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Day 4: Embrace the Gift of Giving — Perform 4 random acts of kindness
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While it is important to treat and pamper ourselves to feel good, taking time to share the wealth and give to others also has a host of long-lasting benefits. Take advantage of these benefits during this fourth day of wellness and perform 4 acts of kindness.
- Day 5: Productivity — Accomplish 5 tasks you’ve been meaning to get done
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Far too often, we find ourselves procrastinating and pushing off necessary tasks for later until they pile up and overwhelm us. Today we’re going to combat this by completing 5 tasks we’ve been meaning to accomplish, whether that be laundry, a grocery run, a haircut, or something else! Completing these tasks is going to help us feel accomplished and productive.
- Day 6: Self Love – Journal 6 things you love about yourself
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We are often our worst critics, but that won’t be the case today! We are going to take some time to love and appreciate ourselves by writing down 6 things we love about ourselves. These can be anything, from a physical aspect like our smiles, or a character trait like resilience. Whatever the six are, we are going to read and refer to them throughout the day and remind ourselves how amazing we are!
- Day 7: Early Start – Wake up at 7 am and do an in-depth morning routine
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Today we’re going to give ourselves a jumpstart to our day by waking up early and romanticizing our morning. These extra hours in the morning can be used to do something that gives you joy, like making a fancy coffee drink, reading a good book, or doing a morning workout.
- Day 8: Hydration – Drink 8 Glasses of Water
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If you’re like me, hydration can often take the back seat (I’m horrible about getting my necessary water intake). But staying hydrated is a key aspect of wellness, helping us to reduce fatigue and memory loss! Aim to drink 8 16 oz glasses of water today.
- Day 9: Gratitude – Write down 9 things you’re grateful for
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Especially during this time of year when work and school tend to ramp up before the holiday, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and focus on everything we need to accomplish or are lacking in our lives. Today, we’re going to combat these negative fixations by focusing on all the things we are lucky to have! Write 9 things down that you’re grateful for today.
- Day 10: Mindfulness – Meditate for 10 minutes in the morning and evening
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Practicing mindfulness is an essential component of wellness that can help to reduce stress, improve mood, prompt better sleep, and even cope with pain. Because of this, we are going to take some time today to practice morning and evening meditation, whether that be sitting and doing breath work or following along to a guided meditation.
- Day 11: Connection – Talk to a family member or friend for at least 11 minutes
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Taking time to connect with others has a plethora of positive effects on our physical and psychological well-being, from decreasing stress to building resilience. So today, we are going to incorporate connection into our day by talking to a loved one for at least 11 minutes, whether that be virtually through a call or in person.
- Day 12: Endurance – Do a cardio workout for at least 12 minutes
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On this last day of wellness, we are going to put endurance at the forefront of our minds. Whether that be going for a run, doing a HIIT video, swimming, or biking, take at least 12 minutes to do a cardio workout.