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OPINION

Good Habits Nourish the Mind & Soul

By: Sammy Harris

While habits aren’t technically food, good habits do indeed nourish the mind & soul. As a matter of fact,  Ibn Khaldun, universally recognized as the founder and father of Sociology and Sciences of History, stated that “Habits are qualities of the soul”. Not only do habits enable you to be on top of your responsibilities and obligations, but they also allow you to get mindful about your activities each day if you are intentional with them. I keep saying “good habits” and “being intentional with habits” because we all have habits regardless; in fact, a paper published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 revealed that over 40 percent of actions that people perform each day are habits, not actual decisions (Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit). Therefore, in order to have habits that improve our self-worth, mental health, emotional intelligence, and everything above, it is essential to develop good habits and eliminate the bad ones. What this entails is being mindful of how each of our habits makes us feel; for example, last semester it was a habit of mine to stay in Farmer for hours on end without interacting with another person or going home. I realized that this was a huge barrier for me to live a happy and healthy life, so this semester I have made a huge effort in coming home throughout the day or doing homework from home in order to ensure intermittent social interactions with my best friends.

While healthy habits are very important for your wellbeing, I do want to stress that some days we will not always practice our healthy habits, and that is A-OK. It is all about being mindful and intentional, so as long as we do that we are GROWING! Personally, I approach my habits with an 80/20, 70/30 approach that encourages a balance between practicing my healthy habits and letting loose if every now and then I don’t! 

Also, habits change depending on our surroundings, different stages in life, etc.. For example, over J-Term I had read and journaled daily; however, unfortunately, those two habits have been on the back burner while I have been at school (due to distractions, schoolwork, etc.) and that is totally fine, they’re circumstantial. On the other hand, now at school, I have a very structured morning routine that I had not had during J-term when I was able to sleep in forever and was not in any classes. In fact, my current morning routine is what I am going to finish this article with! I want to preface this by saying these are my positivehabits that work for me specifically; just like me, you will find your positive habits too! 

With that being said, I have either class or work at 10 AM every day, so I wake up early and go to the gym right away. A couple of my friends are on the same wave, which is really nice to keep each other motivated; we often text the night before about timing. I also put out all of my gym clothes before I go to bed so that it is nearly effortless for me to go right away. Typically I have always gone on runs as my workout, but this semester I have really enjoyed doing the classic 3-12-30 workout at the gym; I also say 3-12-30 but I always move the 3 and 12 around depending on what my body is telling me on that particular day. To finish off my workout, my friend and I have been doing this 30-day butt challenge with each other, and oh my god it is HARD!!! Finally, to finish it all off the same friend and I  plank to the song “Flower” by Moby. 

After the gym, we all walk home together and I get in the shower right away to make sure I am not late for class. Then when I am completely ready, I make this super quick and easy sandwich nearly every day, with a cup of coffee to compliment it of course:

  • Dave’s Killer Bread Everything Bagel (toasted always) 
  • Kite Hill Cream Cheese 
  • Smashed avocado with EBTB seasoning 
  • Cut up cherry tomatoes 
  • Roasted turkey (heated up first) 

I swear, every morning that I do my positive daily habits, I feel so ready to take on the day. Let’s work together on developing our good habits and eliminating our bad habits!

Please feel free to reach out to me (Via my Instagram) and/or GreenHawks Media with any suggestions, requests, questions, etc. I cannot wait to keep sharing my love for intentional cooking/eating, in addition to tips & tricks for our mental health during the current insanity!

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Photos courtesy of Sammy Harris and Unsplash.

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