Psychologist makes a number of recommendations for healthy living that work for everyone. The fast paces lives we all lead these days, in combination with being overwhelmed with technology has cause a lot of health problems for a lot of people – disconnect, sleeplessness, and stress. Here are five great tips for healthy living.  

1. Deep breathing – Most of us breathe from our chest rather than deep in the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic breathing involves breathing deep from our bellies in a slow, paced manner. It is one of the best stress management tools you have. If you are not sure how to carry out deep breathing and you have a smartphone you can find apps to help you.

2. Be present in the moment – Forget about the fight you had with your friend, you growing to do list, or the insults hurled on Facebook. Be mindful of the present moment. To help you focus on the moment list five things you see, feel, hear or smell. This can help you stay in the moment.

3. Share hugs – Give a hug and get a hug. According to recent research we need at least four hugs a day. Hugging makes us live longer . As humans we need touch – it calms us, and brings down our reactive arousal system that can be activated when we are stressed or feel threatened. The good news is our hugs do not have to be from humans. The hugs we get from our dogs or cats count too. 

4. Take care of your physical needs – You need 30 minutes a day of exercise, or 10,000 steps a day is what you need to keep your body in a healthy state. You can break you’re the time into shorter periods if you like, which can make it easier to sneak your 30 minutes in. 

5. Stop being mean to yourself – We are our worst critics, attacking ourselves – about the money we make, the clothes we wear, our weight, our shyness, etc. In fact it is at epidemic levels. What you say and believe about yourself becomes your reality. If you call yourself stupid and give yourself that label, you find yourself feeling stupid. As of today, you no longer say negative things about yourself. Instead empower yourself with positive thoughts.

These five psychologist recommendations will play an important role in keeping you happy and healthy.