HEALTH + WELLNESS
CHANGE YOURSELF , CHANGE THE WORLD cont .
MIND
GO A DAY WITHOUT COMPLAINING
What with thoughtless memes and outright trolling , there ’ s a lot of ugliness that ’ s thrown at people by people that don ’ t even know said people these days . It ’ s not good , for anyone , so flip it and start upping your positivity quotient . OK , there might not be any cucumbers left in Tesco , it might be cold and rainy outside , or Monday morning might fast be approaching , but every time you complain , you ’ re heaping a big dollop of negative energy not just into your life , but into the world overall . Complaining breeds complaining , so before you start waxing lyrical about your peeves , stop and try to think of a way to solve the problem – there will be other cucumbers ; you ’ re lucky to have a warm , dry home ; and , Monday marks a fresh week full of fresh opportunities . If you can ’ t solve it , move on . Life ’ s too short .
SPEAK UP
It ’ s all very well being appalled at how badly the trains are running , or shocked that you ’ ve found out your favourite cosmetics are tested on animals , but in order to make change happen , you need to take positive action . When petitions that you support pop up on your social media feed , sign them ; if you really feel the road outside your child ’ s school needs a lower speed limit , write to the council and your local MP ; if you ’ re outraged by the government ’ s treatment of the refugee crisis , stage a march or mass meeting and call them out on it . Turn your mental complaints into tweets , Facebook posts , forums , letters and meetings in a measured and proactive manner and you ’ ll find your voice and actions have the capacity to make a profound impact on the topics that niggle you .
BE KIND
Sounds simple . Is simple . You might think karma ’ s a load of airy-fairy nonsense , but thousands of years of philosophical thinking would disagree : what you put out into the world is what you get back . If someone irks you and you lose your rag , you ’ ll irk them and likely irk the person who they go on to tell ; it ’ s a whole chain of unnecessary negative energy that can be stopped short if you take a step back and assess if the situation is really worth all the aggravation . Smiling at a stranger , carrying someone ’ s bags who ’ s clearly struggling , or giving a fellow passenger the 20p he needs on the bus to pay for his ticket are all small , simple acts of kindness ; practice them whenever you can .
HOME
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR
As with food , your clothes have to come with somewhere and horror stories regarding dreadful conditions and backbreakingly long shifts in global sweat shops are , sadly , all too common . Is your shirt made from cotton laced with pesticides ? Have your trainers been stitched by underage workers in China ? Research the origins of your clothing by checking out the ethical codes of practice put in place by the manufacturer and boycott those that advocate mistreatment .
LOOK AFTER YOUR HOME
This can be as simple as turning off the lights when you leave a room , or as complex as making sustainable choices when it comes to building your own home , either way practice conservation within your home and it ’ ll benefit the bigger picture . Upgrading your insulation to ward off leaks and drafts in walls , windows and doors can improve your home ’ s energy efficiency by up to 30 per cent and thermal blinds will help retain heat throughout the colder months . Another good tip ? Leave your shoes at the door – it ’ ll stop all of the invisible chemicals and pesticides picked up by your shoes outside being spread around your home .
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