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Your Self-Improvement Guide to a Healthier Life: A Journey for Women

by Nicole's Blog


Self-improvement is crucial for women on a healing journey. It’s hard to overstate the importance of establishing a happier and healthy version of yourself and taking concrete steps toward your goals. You can expect your improvement journey to be challenging, but few things are as enriching!

This guide from Nicole Doherty is written to help you find a new direction, live fully, and thrive. We’ll discuss how to achieve your goals, establish a new career, eat healthily, and much more!

Establishing a New Business

Your career impacts your life and can significantly influence your entire healing journey. Take time to identify your interests, skills, and passions, and consider turning them into a viable business idea. You might attend online courses to acquire new skills, network with industry leaders, and devise a plan for your new venture. You can streamline the process by writing down your strengths and weaknesses. Seek out advice from close friends, family members, or business professionals who can offer insight.

Writing a business plan involves outlining your company’s objectives, defining the target market, identifying competitors, analyzing financial projections, and developing a marketing strategy to ensure long-term success. Forming an LLC offers asset protection and tax advantages, but you’ll need to create an operating agreement and name a registered agent.

After choosing a promising business idea and creating your business plan, think of how you can market your company and get off to a strong start. Digital marketing is key, but don’t underestimate the power of a good business card. Create an attractive business card that leaves a lasting impression on potential customers.

Stopping Destructive Habits

Any self-improvement journey involves addressing bad habits and negative thought patterns. A few common destructive habits include procrastination, overeating, and addiction to drugs or alcohol. Acknowledge these patterns, and reflect on the reasons behind them.

Creating a plan to break the chain of negative behavior is the next step. You may need to seek professional help, join support groups, or replace destructive habits with healthy ones. Don’t be too hard on yourself — remember that healing is a process. Celebrate small victories, and understand that every tiny step can make a difference.

Minding Your Diet

Maintaining a healthy diet can help you keep your energy levels up, boost your mood, and improve your overall health. Our bodies tend to consume nutrients differently, which is why it’s necessary to have a balanced diet. It’s vital to listen to your body’s signals and adjust your diet accordingly.

Eating enough protein, healthy carbohydrates, and heart-healthy fats is crucial for optimal wellness. You can get essential vitamins and minerals and reduce inflammation by incorporating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into every meal.

Setting New Boundaries With People and Things

There are often people or activities we engage in that don’t serve our best interests or that trigger negative feelings. It might be time to set boundaries with those individuals and things. This could include limiting the time you spend with specific people or social media, saying “no“ to certain activities, and surrounding yourself with supportive and positive relationships.

Effective communication plays a vital role in this process. Learn to say no without feeling guilty, and prioritize self-care while establishing healthy boundaries.

Getting Better Sleep

Sleep is a critical aspect of self-improvement. Getting adequate rest ensures your mind and body function at their best. Disrupted sleep can cause low energy, poor decision-making, and overall mood changes.

Try establishing a consistent sleep schedule to improve your sleep. You may need to wind down with a relaxing activity (e.g., taking a bath, listening to an audiobook, writing in a journal). Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and blue light for a few hours before bedtime can also help.

Conclusion

Nothing can prevent you from succeeding in your healing journey if you commit to it. Remember that self-improvement can’t happen overnight — it requires time and dedication.

Taking small steps daily toward establishing a better version of yourself is what brings true transformation. Although challenging at first, each of these strategies can help you improve your overall wellness and bring about positive life changes. You have the power to create the life you desire!

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about my coaching services? Please visit my links here on this website or at nicoleanandacoaching.com

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Article by Sean Morris
sean@learnfit.org

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5 Tips for Beating Sleeplessness Without Medication

by Nicole's Blog

Written by guest blogger/author, Gabriel Patel

Sleeping poorly? Waking up tired? Feeling groggy all day? You’re not alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over one-third of Americans fail to get enough sleep on a regular basis. Since sleep deprivation causes disruptions to various brain functions, people who don’t get enough sleep often face challenges with decision making, problem solving, lowered immunity, mood control, and memory. They also have a heightened risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. Although prescription sleep aids can help, they come with many side effects and can be extremely addictive. So, instead of heading to the pharmacy, try out these natural sleep hygiene tips for healthy ways to improve your sleep.

1. Exercise Regularly

Did you know that you can track your fitness progress by analyzing your sleep? Physical activity—even in small amounts—can result in a huge improvement to your sleep quality. Exercise increases the amount of time your body spends in the deepest, most restorative level of sleep that is vital to healthy daytime functioning. Getting your body moving can also help you fall asleep more easily at night because it burns up excess energy in your body, preventing restlessness at the end of the day. Ideally, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.  You don’t have to pay for the gym, you can try this no-gym workout resource to get in peak shape. Getting outside in the natural sunlight for a morning jog can help reset your natural sleep-wake cycle, while working out in the afternoon can help your body relax more easily in the evening.

2. Make Your Bedroom More Comfortable

According to The Alaska Sleep Clinic, a comfortable sleep environment is paramount to a good night’s sleep. Your bedroom should be dark, cool, and quiet. If it’s not, consider putting up blackout curtains, purchasing a white noise machine, and turning your thermostat down in the evening. If your bed isn’t very comfortable, you may want to buy a new mattress and replace your bedding with something soft and breathable, like bamboo or organic cotton sheets. It’s also a good idea to remove clutter, workout equipment, and electronics from the bedroom and stick to calming décor.

3. Go to Bed at the Same Time Every Night

Our bodies run on a natural sleep-wake cycle. When we follow a regular bedtime, our bodies have a much easier time falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning. So, try to go to bed at the same time each night and stop sleeping in on the weekends. Aside from improving your sleep quality, this will also help your body regulate other functions, including digestion.

4. Cut Back on Caffeine

If you’re sleep-deprived, you may be relying on caffeine to keep you going during the day. Unfortunately, consuming caffeine as early as noon can prevent you from falling asleep at night. Feeling restless in the evening or waking up frequently during the night may be indicators that caffeine is disrupting your sleep.

5. Fix Your Nighttime Habits

Most of us have bad bedtime habits that prevent us from falling or staying asleep. For example, watching TV in the evening encourages us to delay our bedtime—while the light from the screen prevents the production of sleep hormones in the body. This goes the same for your phone, which should be put away at least 30 minutes before you hit the sack. Practice a calming bedtime routine to help your body relax and free your mind from any stressors or nagging items on your to-do list. Some great before-bed activities include yoga, meditation, reading, or taking a warm bath. Finally, avoid snacking on fatty foods or those high in sugar, since these prevent sleep onset. If you look forward to your bedtime snack, reach for a banana, some almonds, or sugar-free oatmeal instead.

There’s nothing more frustrating than lying awake at night, unable to sleep as you watch the clock tick closer to your early-morning alarm. Although it’s normal to have difficulty sleeping once in a while, particularly during times of stress or upheaval, chronic sleeplessness can quickly get in the way of your physical health and mental functioning. Instead of turning to addictive sleeping pills, use these wellness and lifestyle tips to help you slumber more soundly.


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