Like most people, you may be feeling burnt out and stressed out in the early stages of your life. In light of that stress, self-care, health and wellness have fallen by the wayside. You could let that negative energy accompany you in the midst of your work and family life, but why not rededicate yourself to wellness instead? With these 17 wellness practices, you can start a new life of well being.

1.  Take More Time Off

Regardless of your job, it’s important to take time off. Time away from work boosts energy, creativity, and productivity, and strengthens the immune system. It resets your mind, heart and soul and helps you to start your work fresh and renewed. If you’re one of the 55 percent of Americans who don’t use their vacation days, then make this year the year you change that. If you are not able to take extended periods of time off but want to focus on your health and well being, doing regular exercises for 30 minutes a day will uplift your spirit.

2.  Do What You Love

As the old saying goes, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”, if you’re passionate about what you do and you’re putting your focus and energy into it, you won’t feel like you’re working. On the other hand, many people use this ideology as an excuse. Why put time and effort into something if you don’t love it? The truth is, if you’re doing what you love for a living, you probably started out by taking small steps to reach that goal. Most people don’t enter their careers and immediately have a passion for business. What is the factor these people have in common? Purpose. If you use your own sense of purpose to inform your professional decisions and progress, you will end up being able to do what you love. To really be true to your purpose as it relates to your life’s work, which is key to building a career in which you truly love what you do, then you need to ask yourself, “What is my inner potential, and what are my deepest talents?” By exploring questions that push you to discover your identity, values and what you care about the most, you’ll find  your truth: that you must first understand what your true gift is in order to find fulfillment in your career.

As Tony Robbins says, “Change is automatic, but progress is not. If you want to make progress, you need a plan, a strategy and ongoing habits to get the results you want.” We’ll break down these components and discuss how they’re necessary if you want to do what you love and love what you do.

However, if for some reason you are stuck with a job you are not passionate about, you don’t have to be in love with your job to do what you love. Make time outside of working hours to engage in the hobbies that make you feel in tune with yourself.

3.  Get Rid Of Rotten Eggs

“There’s usually at least one rotten egg in your life that’s dragging down your mental outlook,” Taliaferro said. For example, some of Taliaferro’s clients are especially affected by the news. One of her clients decided that if it’s not on the AOL homepage then she doesn’t need to know about it.

Identify your rotten eggs and figure out how to remove them. Your rotten eggs might seem small. But even annoyances can add up and chip away at your mood and well-being.

4.  Pump Up Your Heart Beat

Standing is only one part of the equation; you also need to get active and moving. Get your heart rate up for 30 minutes every day and use a fitness tracker or smartwatch if you need help staying accountable. Depending on the kind you choose, you can track steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. Of course, the more features you want means the more money you’ll need to spend, so consider what you need in a tracker before buying.

5.  Listen To Your Gut

The bacteria in your gut influence everything from your digestion to your mood. Whether you want to lose weight, improve your mental health, or fight inflammation, it’s important to pay close attention to what your gut is telling you. While unhealthy fats and added sugars feed bad gut bacteria, whole grains, legumes, and vegetables promote a healthy gut.

6.  Eat Less Meat

What’s a great way to get more grains, legumes, and produce into your diet? Going meatless! Replacing just a few meals per week with healthy plant-based options not only adds more variety to your diet, but it also helps save more lives of those poor animals from the slaughter house.

7.  Ditch A Bad Habit

Whether it’s staying up too late during the week, procrastinating, ordering take-out too often, or putting yourself down, pick a bad habit to kick from now onwards. Bad habits interrupt your life and prevent you from accomplishing your goals. They jeopardize your health — both mentally and physically. And they waste your time and energy. So why do we still do them? And most importantly, is there anything you can do about it?

Most of the time, bad habits are simply a way of dealing with stress and boredom. Everything from biting your nails to overspending on a shopping spree to drinking every weekend to wasting time on the internet can be a simple response to stress and boredom. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can teach yourself new and healthy ways to deal with stress and boredom, which you can then substitute in place of your bad habits.

Of course, sometimes the stress or boredom that is on the surface is actually caused by deeper issues. These issues can be tough to think about, but if you’re serious about making changes then you have to be honest with yourself.

Are there certain beliefs or reasons that are behind the bad habits? Is there something deeper — a fear, an event, or a limiting belief — that is causing you to hold on to something that is bad for you?

Recognizing the causes of your bad habits is crucial to overcoming them. Click here for more details.

8.  Mingle With Like-Minded Companions

It is easier to commit to wellness goals when you have the support of like-minded friends. Group fitness retreats or fitness holidays and classes, for example, are great ways to connect with other wellness-focused individuals. You can also try joining a wellness Meetup group.

9.  Practice Gratitude

As you progress through your life, you’ll have a lot to be thankful for. Whether it’s good health or good friends, make time to express gratitude for the positive things in life. Expressing gratitude not only shows people you care, but it’s also a fantastic emotional healing experience too.

In the midst of your busy schedule, take time to list down all your blessings you have now such as health, your loved ones and the roof above your head. Even recognizing your talents will give you that immense boost in your well being. This helps you to reflect all the good things you currently have and it gives you that boost you will need to carry out your tasks for the rest of the day. You will have an experience like you never imagined before.

10.  Remember To Breathe

With every triumph comes challenges and setbacks. Rather than letting them get you down, practice mindfulness. Breathing exercises are the perfect way to center yourself in moments of stress because you can do them anywhere. A meditation retreat can be the best place to really learn how to focus on your breathing.

11.  Immerse Yourself in Wellness

If you really want to commit yourself to wellness in 2020 and beyond, dedicate time to an immersive wellness experience. A wellness tour is a perfect opportunity to learn without the distractions of work and life, and many find the experience helps them maintain their habits at home. No matter what your interests are, you can find a tour to inspire you.

Traveling for your physical or mental health isn’t a new concept, but it might have you thinking about enforced exercise, strict diets, or engaging in activities you are simply not interested in. Wellness travel is one of the fastest growing areas in tourism and that means the possibilities are expanding too.

Wellness travel promotes your health and well being, both physical and mental, through activities that you do during your trip. The goal is, check out feeling healthier and better than when you checked in!

Good examples of wellness travel are hiking, surfing, partaking in the luxury of a spa vacation and going for a yoga retreat,

With the growing trend for staying healthy while you travel, you can make your entire trip an adventure to feeling better in both body and mind.

If wellness travel makes you think of spartan facilities and strict bland diets then you’ll be happy to know that things have come a long way. There are plenty of wellness retreats in five-star accommodation and options for as little or as many restrictions on your diet as you like.

Whatever your health and fitness goals, it’s likely there’s a wellness holiday out there for you.

12.  Do Not Be Afraid To Pat Yourself On Your Back

Finally, celebrate yourself! You’ve come a long way in your wellness journey. While there are always new goals to work towards, take time to appreciate everything you’ve accomplished and all you’ve learned. Treat yourself to a good movie or a nice dinner. Everyone’s journey to better wellness takes a different path; while yours may look different than others, what matters is that you’re still moving forward.

13.  Practice Yoga Exercises

It’s time to roll out your yoga mat and discover the combination of physical and mental exercises that for thousands of years have hooked yoga practitioners around the globe. The beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to be a yogi or yogini to reap the benefits. Whether you are young or old, overweight or fit, yoga has the power to calm the mind and strengthen the body. Don’t be intimidated by yoga terminology, fancy yoga studios and complicated poses. Yoga is for everyone.

14.  Drinking Plenty Of Water

Keeping hydrated is crucial for health and well-being, but many people do not consume enough fluids each day. Around 60 percent of the body is made up of water, and around 71 percent of the planet’s surface is covered by water. Perhaps it is the ubiquitous nature of water that means drinking enough each day is not at the top of many people’s lists of priorities.

Fast facts on drinking water

• Adult humans are 60 percent water, and our blood is 90 percent water.
• There is no specific quantity of water that must be consumed daily.
• Water is essential for the kidneys and other bodily functions.
• When dehydrated, the skin can become more vulnerable to skin disorders and wrinkling.
• Drinking water instead of soda can help with weight loss.

So always bring a drinking bottle with you wherever you go to keep yourself hydrated and enhance your health and well-being.

15.  Accept And Acknowledge Your Emotions

“Some would argue that most of our physical, mental and relational problems come from our inability to adequately experience emotions,” Howes said. “We deny, bury, project, rationalize, medicate, drink away, smother in comfort food, sleep off, sweat out, suck (it) up and sweep under the rug our sadness, anger and fear.”

Some people spend more energy on avoiding their emotions than others do on actually feeling them, he said. So the key is to give yourself unconditional permission to feel your feelings. “When you feel safe enough to let your guard down, whether that’s alone or with someone you trust, you can focus on the situation, fully experience the feelings and may then be able to better understand why it hurts and what you want to do about the situation,” Howes said.

Writing about negative emotions also helps. According to clinical psychologist Darlene Mininni, research has shown that people who write about their deepest emotions are less depressed and more positive about life than before they started writing.

16. Live In The Present

“Mental health tends to become challenged when we get sucked into what used to happen or what people ‘did to me’ rather than taking responsibility in what I am doing or creating today, right now,” according to psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber. He encouraged readers to live in the present without hyperfocusing on the future or the past.

17.  Laugh

Everyone enjoys a good laugh, but who actually makes time for it in their lives? Sure, we like hearing a funny joke, talking to people with a good sense of humor and watching comedies. But few of us take our laughs seriously nor do we make a concerted effort to laugh more. But we should! The science of laughter – though still preliminary – suggests that it has tremendous benefits for our health and psychological well-being. Here is a list of benefits of laughing

• Improves relationships
• Boosts memory and lower stress levels
• Makes you more resilient
• Improves your health
• Makes you a better learner
• Makes you more attractive and pleasant
• Helps you to make the world a better place as it is contagious