Healthy habits are the building blocks that create the life that you love waking up to.
The ‘secret’ to happiness is not a some grand gesture, like getting your dream job, or finding your soulmate, or making a ton of money. Sure, those things help a little, but without having healthy habits to build up your life, you’ll still be far from where you want to be.
When it comes to wellbeing, whether that’s mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing, it’s about pulling the right levers.
And our lives are made up of all kinds of levers- all the little things we can do with our days, the choices we make, the words we speak to ourselves, the routines we develop, our mindset, and so much more.
If you want to improve your life, you don’t need some big scary change. What you need is to stop pulling the wrong levers, and to start pulling the right ones.
I’ve compiled a list of 75 healthy habits meant to improve every type of wellbeing. If you can work toward even one of these habits, you’re going to be on your way to a healthier and happier life!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally would use or do currently use. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Note: a lot of the following healthy habits can actually fit into more than one wellbeing category, but I put them where I felt they make the most sense.
Healthy habits to improve your physical wellness
- Drinking plenty of water
- Getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night
- Struggling with sleep? check out the workbook Cozy Nights, Restful Sleep that I just finished up!
- Getting 30 minutes of physical activity per day
- Practicing good posture
- Eating your nutrients
- Wearing sunscreen every day
- Stretching daily
- Brushing your teeth twice/day
- Having a skincare routine
- Flossing daily
- Taking vitamins
- Keeping a food journal
- Focusing on health instead of weight
- Eating less processed foods
- Cooking at home
- Going to your doctors appointments (dentists & therapists too!)
- Focusing on gut health
- Removing your makeup before bed
- Practicing breathing exercises
- Getting 10,000 steps/day
- Drinking green tea
- Eating less red meat
Habits to improve mental health
- Keeping a journal
- Grab some free Self Care Journal Prompts here!
- Taking frequent breaks from technology
- Expressing your feelings (not holding things in)
- Keeping an open mind
- Setting small, achievable goals for yourself
- Stepping outside of your comfort zone
- Keeping a to-do list
- I started using an hourly planner as opposed to just a daily planner, and it is making a huge difference in my productivity and also how I feel mentally about the tasks I have.
- Taking time to think before you make decisions
- Doing frequent brain dumps
- I recommend doing a brain dump every night before bed! If your brain feels cloudy, check out this workbook: The Brain Detox Workbook
- Taking responsibility for your actions
- Taking plenty of breaks
- Giving yourself mental health days (just like sick days, but for taking care of your mind)
- Squash the idea that you need to be productive all day everyday no matter what. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or burnt out or just in need of some rest, it’s important that you take time away for your mental health. Try having a mental health day. Relax, rest, take care of your mind.
- Practicing self care daily
- Even if you’re busy, you can fit self care into your schedule. Here’s how.
- Ending toxic relationships
- Keeping a positive mindset
- Saying ‘no’ more often
- Watching less TV
- Making your bed every morning
- Being slow to anger
- Paying off debt
- Spending time with friends
- Treating yourself with kindness & love
- Reducing stress as much as possible
- Asking for help when you need it
Healthy habits to prioritize spiritual wellbeing
- Devoting time each day to spirituality
- Spending time in nature regularly
- Practicing mindfulness
- Meditating
- Practicing gratitude
- Being kind to others (it’s free!)
- Finding something to laugh about every day
- Facing your fears
- Praying frequently
Habits to that lead to personal growth
- Learning new things often
- Reading books often
- Trying new things
- Challenging yourself
- Experiencing new cultures and points of view
- Spending time alone
- Using a habit tracker
- Traveling often (even locally)
- Having a morning routine
- Having a nighttime routine
- Doing brain exercises
- Practicing slow living
- If you want to start living more slowly, begin here → How to Create a Slow Living Morning Routine
- Reflecting on your life often
- Investing in yourself (monetarily, yes, but also with your time & effort)
- Practicing creativity often
- Having hobbies that you do regularly
- Want to find the hobby that’s perfect for you? Here’s the ultimate guide.
Healthy habits to improve your home & space
- Keeping a tidy home
- Struggle with motivation for cleaning? Read this: How to Clean When You’re Unmotivated
- Making your bed every morning
- Washing your sheets weekly
- Making eco-friendly swaps
- Using non-toxic cleaning products
What to do next
Okay, so there is the huge list of healthy habits. Now what?
Step 1: Take action
Pick 5 habits from this list that you want to add to your life throughout the next month. There of course might be more than 5 that you want to do, but starting small is important for creating a routine that’s easy to maintain.
I created a habit tracker for you to use for this very thing. You can grab it below ↓
Step 2: Learn how to build habits you can actually keep
I’m just a girl who, like you, is trying to improve her life. But I am no expert. If you want to dig deeper into the world or habit-building, here are the two books I HIGHLY recommend:
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Both of these books are great at teaching you how to build habits that actually last, even if you’ve historically been HORRIBLE at keeping the habits you set out to do (speaking from experience).
The healthy habits above are by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a good amount to get started with.
Just remember when you set out to improve your life- take it one step at a time. No one will be able to pick up and master all 75 of these habits at once. Building habits takes time, consistency, and self disciple.
But the goal is simple: aim to make your life 1% better each day. You’ve got this!
Want to join my cozy community where we chat about ways to improve life in realistic and simple steps?
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