Blogs

Stop and Smell the Roses: Reduce Your Screen Time

Ah, the age-old debate: is technology a boon or a bane to our existence? While the internet has provided an incredibly powerful platform for connection, creation, and collaboration, it has also been a breeding ground for distraction and obsession. A 2016 study showed that the average person spends approximately 10 hours a day staring at a screen. RescueTime surveyed 11,000  of their active users and found that we pick up our phones about 58 times a day. Of course, screen time isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. However, extended screen time replacing meaningful human interaction can become a huge problem, particularly for young people on the internet. So how do we fix the problem? In our ongoing bid to help you achieve your New Year goals, here are some ways in which you can reduce your screen time: 

Getting offline is one of the most common New Year's resolutions. However, it is incredibly tricky to put into practice, as pandemic life has forced much of our interactions online. Try your best to engage with the people around you, and make the most of what the world has to offer.

References: 

1. Rampton, John [2020]. 10 Strategies for Reducing Your Screen Time  

Calendar Productivity Center 

1. MacKay, Jory [2019]. Screen time stats 2019: Here’s how much you use your phone during the workday

RescueTime 

Good Gut Feeling: Take Care of Your GI Health

Good Gut Feeling: Take Care of Your GI Health 

Here’s a surprising fact to kick off 2022: did you know that your immunity is invariably linked to your gut health? Keeping your digestive system healthy is key to preventing serious illness later in life. However, today’s world has made it easier than ever to cultivate unhealthy food habits such as late-night eating, stress-eating, unnecessary snacking, and consuming high fat or sugary products regularly. Thanks to the pandemic and WFH culture, many of us are slowly moving towards a more sedentary lifestyle, and have probably packed on a couple extra pounds. Though there’s nothing wrong with a pandemic body, it is important to note how your lifestyle changes may have affected your gut health. As part of our ongoing bid to help you achieve common New Year's Resolutions, here are some ways you can improve your gut health: 

Gut health is an often overlooked but essential component to healthy, happy living. If you’re looking to buy safe, natural, and effective gut health supplements, try HerbsDaily. We’ve got a wide range of products from vitamins for gut health, to fiber, to a potent gut health probiotic. Boost your digestive health as part of your New Year goals with HerbsDaily.    

References:  

1. Gunnars, Kris and Hatanaka, Miho [RDN] (2020). 22 High-Fiber Foods You Should Eat  

Healthline

1. Piedmont. 10 Tips for a Healthier Gut 

Piedmont 

1. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Probiotics. (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/) Accessed 1/11/2022.

Let’s Talk About Feelings: Create a Mood Tracker This New Years

Let’s Talk About Feelings: Create a Mood Tracker This New Years 

Mental health has become a hot button topic in the last decade. But it is safe to say COVID-19 had a major impact on people’s mental health. Isolation, missed opportunities, and lost loved ones all contributed to our society’s emotional experience during the pandemic. Good new year’s resolutions this year should ideally focus on health resolutions. Hence, as part of our  ongoing series on helping you achieve a healthier new year, we thought it would be worth exploring the benefits of being mindful of one’s feelings. 

All this can be achieved through a creating mood tracker, which is a chart that helps you identify your overall mental state on a particular day. Tracking your emotions, behaviors, and habits over a period of time can help you get a sense of your mood, a vital tool towards understanding yourself. Work stress and other obligations can make us easily lose sight of how we’re feeling over the course of a few months, so it is important to log how you're feeling, as well as how often you’re feeling it. Here are some parameters to keep in mind when creating a mood tracker.

1. Do you want to get more sleep? 
2. Do you want to drink less? 
3. Do you want to keep an eye on your temperament? 
4. Would you want to figure out how often you experience anxiety? 
5. What kind of mood booster pills, medications, or mood support supplements are you taking? 

Set a few parameters for yourself to watch over. But make sure you prioritize your overall emotional state on a particular day.   

1. 1- Extremely Depressed
2. 2- Very Depressed
3. 3- Somewhat Depressed
4. 4- Mildly Depressed
5. 5- Stable
6. 6- Mildly Happy 
7. 7- Somewhat Happy 
8. 8- Very Happy 
9. 9-Extremely Happy

Tracking mood is an underrated but integral part of recovering from emotional distress, anxiety, and mood disorders. It can also help you keep track of other wellness factors such as sleep, water intake, medication, and substance use. Therapy, exercise, meditation, social engagements, and supplements are all great ways to improve your mental health. HerbsDaily offers a wide range of mood support vitamins as well as herbal mood support to naturally and safely enhance your mood. 

PLEASE NOTE:

HerbsDaily is not a crisis resource. If you or a loved one feel suicidal or have self-harm thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).  

References: 

1. Gibson, Cameron [R.C.C] (2020). How to Create a Mood Chart for Yourself WikiHow

You Do You: Practice Self Care This New Years

You Do You: Practice Self Care This New Years 

In a world of hustle culture, endless meetings, and an environment that seemingly rewards round-the-clock work, we often forget to take the time out to care for ourselves. Self care isn’t just about mental health, but also physical health. Neglecting your body’s needs will eventually take a massive toll on you, and it's better to prevent than cure a disease caused by forgetting our own requirements. But everyone knows that in theory, self care is important. The question is how do you practice the art of self care in your day-to-day life? This New Years, we at HerbsDaily want to help you achieve realistic self care goals, and help you be the best possible version of yourself. Remember, self care for men is just as important as women’s self care. Looking after your needs has no gender. Here are some ways in which you can inculcate self care: 

Self care is not selfishness. If you can’t take care of yourself, you will be useless in taking care of others. So don’t be afraid to put your needs on a pedestal. Looking to build a self care kit? HerbsDaily has a wide range of products to help you destress and keep your body healthy. Be it aromatherapy products or workout supplements, we’ve got you covered with the best self care brands at pocket-friendly prices. 

References: 

1. Davis, Tchiki (2018). Self-Care: 12 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself

Psychology Today