Modern living offers us a lot of convenience. It’s just unfortunate that a lot of us focus on convenience more than what’s truly good for us. If we take the easy way out, be a little lazier, and don’t think about what we’re really putting in our life, it can do us a lot of harm. In some instances, it can make us feel worse about ourselves and keep us from focusing on what really matters. In other cases, it can genuinely endanger us physically.
Eat real foods
You can’t talk about clean living without talking about clean eating. There are some distinctions that people make when it comes to this. Whether you fall on the side of insisting that everything is organic or not, that’s up to you. However, the benefits of eating whole foods rather than processed foods is very well known. At first, it might seem restrictive, limiting options from you entirely. But the truth is that a whole foods diet often leads to you choosing ingredients you never have before and using them in more capacities, meaning you actually broaden your diet. It helps you avoid overeating things like salt and trans fats which, while good in certain amounts, can quickly become dangerous. Processed meals always tend to carry a much lower nutritional value compared to their whole food components.
Be kind to your body
A lot of us care about how we present to the world, as well. We want to look younger, to hide flaws, and to smell better. However, not all the cosmetics we use are good for us. In fact, not even all of the products we use to make our exteriors healthier really are. For instance, many skincare products we use with algae extract actually end up clogging our pores. Similarly, modern manufactured fragrances are widely recognized to contain a lot of harmful components in them. Look at the options for natural and organic perfumes, for skin creams that are genuinely good for your skin, and more. Your body deserves to be treated right. Don’t take the most convenient option but research products online before you buy them. You will find plenty of people picking through the ingredients and helping you identify those that might actually be harmful.
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Don’t pollute the home
As far as toxic environments go, we tend to think of our home as a protection for them. However, as with cosmetics, perfumes, and skin care, many of the products we use in our home can actually make it that toxic environment. Bleach, fragrances in detergents, and more can act as an irritant in our skin, cause or worsen conditions like asthma, and even play a role as carcinogens. There are a lot of natural cleaning products starting to come into the market because of them, so keep an eye out for them.
Sleep like you were supposed to
The exact nature and purpose of sleep is, by and large, unknown. What we do know are some of the helpful functions of it. It serves as a reset button for the mind, for one, helping us greet the new day with more focus and a great capacity to deal with situations and challenges as they arise. But it also serves to refresh the body and is where most of our natural healing and repair mechanisms take place. Make sure that you’re getting your full night’s sleep. For instance, don’t stay on the computer or the phone right up until you go to bed. Give yourself half an hour or an hour not staring at artificial light. Instead, relax outside, take part in a nightly face cleansing ritual or even go for a walk.
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Cut the clutter
As far as the home goes, it’s not just about what chemicals we put in it. You should also be concerned with what kind of state it’s in. Physical clutter in the environment very easily translates to a cluttered, stressed mind. Sometimes a little extra storage like a hamper to temporarily store odds and ends can help you live with a much cleaner home. However, a much better long-term approach might be to go for the minimalist style of décor. Not only do things look much cleaner and better organized. It also becomes a lot easier to clean, to dust, and to wipe. You can get a lot more time in the day back thanks to a little minimalist touch here and there.
Clean the mind, too
Clean living isn’t just about making sure that you’re not letting too many harmful influences take residence in the body. You should give your mind the exact same treatment. Throughout the day, we pick up stresses, fears, and anxieties that stop us from simply relaxing, taking stock and appreciating the moment. When we go to bed, we take a lot of them with us. Instead of letting them fester from day to day, take some time to yourself. After you get in from work is the perfect time to meditate, to light some aromatherapy candles, or even to exercise. It lets us live the rest of the day in a healthier mindset.
Don’t fixate on failures
Sometimes, you’re going to fail to eat as clean as you would like. You will still use that one makeup brush you use even though you know it’s no good for you. While it’s important to make these changes, in time, you shouldn’t be beating yourself up for every little failure in life. Forgive yourself, look where you went wrong, and commit to making the change next time. Focus on the future instead of the past. Otherwise, you are going to constantly second guess yourself and your attempts at clean living will come with an unpleasant baggage that makes them harder to maintain.
Clean living is healthy living. You just have to make sure you focus on doing it both inside and out. Don’t let it become a fixation, but rather a series of changes you make slowly throughout your life in order to end up in a happier, safer place.
