What do you want out of life?

Get Moving and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Aim to exercise 3 to 5 times a week for 60 minutes of moderate exercise for optimal physical health. Walking, swimming, and cycling are all good examples of exercise. Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight and helps you to manage stress.

Choose a Healthy and Well-Balanced Diet, Drink More Water, and Get More Sleep

Practice mindful eating with healthy foods, start off by drinking at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day, and aim to sleep for 6–8 hours of sleep every night to stay healthy.

Have a Plan to Stay Tobacco-, Alcohol-, and Drug-Free

Using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs takes a toll on your appearance, finances, and health. Get help here.

Stay on top of your health by seeing a health care provider regularly.

See your health care provider for a check-up once a year by attending your annual well-woman visits. This is your chance to talk about your health concerns and prevent health problems in the future, especially if you have a family history of chronic illnesses. Examples of chronic diseases include high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, and obesity. If you are unsure about any of these, discuss your concerns with a health care provider as soon as possible.

Discuss if you want to have children or not and any related birth control needs.

Understand the medications you take.

Share what type of prescription and over-the-counter medications you are taking with your provider. Some medications don’t interact well together, and your provider can help you weigh the risks and benefits of each.

Take a multivitamin with folic acid every day.

Folic acid maximizes your energy, promotes good heart health, and is good for your hair and skin. Folic acid also helps to prevent birth defects in your developing baby during pregnancy. Take at least 400 mg of folic acid every day whether you’re planning to have a baby or not.

Know your family’s medical history and discuss it with your provider.

• Health problems can come from parents or other relatives.
• If you know the health backgrounds of your family, you’re a step ahead in understanding problems that could affect you, your future, and any children you may have. That’s why it’s important to know about your past.
• Check if any relative has had:
  • A baby born too soon or too small
  • Health conditions such as: diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy, depression
• Be sure to talk about any health problems with your provider at your next visit.

Stay Up to Date with Your Health Screenings:

• Immunizations or vaccines can help keep you from getting certain diseases. Make sure your vaccines are up to date.
• Manage chronic illness. It’s better to know about health conditions early and prevent others.
• You and your partner may choose to get tested for HIV/AIDS and other STIs/STDs. It’s important to get tested because some can cause serious health problems if you don’t treat them, and not all STIs/STDs show symptoms.

Take Care of Your Oral Health

Visit your dentist yearly, brush your teeth twice a day, and floss daily. Your oral health can affect your physical well-being.

Learn about yourself ... what makes you happy, calm, or sad

Once you learn what makes you feel happy, sad, or stressed, you will know what you need and want (or don’t want!). It helps all of us build better relationships within ourselves and others. For information, resources, and tips about your emotional health, go to ShowYourLoveToday.com.

Learn positive ways to deal with stress

What stresses you out? When stress happens often, it can harm your body and will eventually make it difficult to function. So, it is important to identify what stresses you and find positive ways to relieve that. Some activities that could reduce stress include exercising such as walking, self-expression activities such as coloring or drawing, meditating, and talking with a trusted friend.

Connect with Others

Connecting with others can help you find meaning in life and feel valued. Find a trusted friend, family member, mentor, or counselor you can vent to or share your thoughts with. If you are feeling depressed or helpless, or think you need help, dial 988 to be connected to a Lifeline Response Center. You can also dial 2-1-1 or text 302-231-1464. You may also text your ZIP code to 898211.

Think Positively

It can be tiring when you try to dismiss negative thoughts all the time. Instead, try to pick what you can and can’t change. If there is something you can change, choose to change that negative thought and turn it into a positive one. Of course, that doesn’t always go according to plan, but know that you have the choice to change your thoughts into positive ones. If you or someone you know is thinking about hurting yourself or others or feel sad and anxious for long periods of time, call 1-800-262-9800 or visit Delaware’s Contact Lifeline.

Reserve More “Me” Time

Make time for activities that you enjoy and that are meaningful to you. Alone time sparks creativity and empathy and builds emotional strength. Unplug, give space to reflect, and give thanks for the strengths you have.

Self-Reflect

Self-reflection allows you to go deeper into yourself and connect with your heart and soul. This can be powerful as you are searching for your life purpose, values, and faith.

Create a Value List

Ask yourself, what do you value? Think about what is important to you and write it down. Is it your job? Your family? Not sure? It’s okay to take time to figure this out.

Faith and Prayer

Do you follow a faith practice? If not, do you want to? You can look into various faiths to see if one is the right fit for you. Having time to pray or meditate can be helpful to spiritual health and resiliency, or recovering from hard times.

Find people you can connect with who respect and value you.

Surround yourself with caring and supportive family and friends.

Resolve conflicts in your relationships.

• All relationships have conflicts at times; what is important is how you solve them.
• Be more mindful of others and their situations.
• Identify with your own racial, ethnic, or cultural background and learn about other cultures.

Walk away from unhealthy relationships.

If you feel unsafe in any relationship or at home for any reason, you can get help! For free help, dial 2-1-1, or text 302-231-1464. The Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers a 24-hour domestic violence hotline. If you live in Sussex or Kent County, call 302-422-8058. If you live in Northern Kent County, call 302-678-3886. If you live in New Castle County, call 302-762-6110. For bilingual services, call 302-745-9874.

Try new things and challenge yourself.

Trying new things by yourself or with friends or family can help your overall well-being by stimulating your mind and can help you feel more content and fulfilled in your life.

• Aim to develop new skills that can help you reach your full potential.
• Engage in a hobby.

Balance social life and personal time.

Manage your time commitments. Being able to balance social and personal time is important. Schedule time with family and friends to maintain your social connections. Don’t forget to take time alone to reflect and relax. Your “me” time is essential, too!

Live and work in a healthy and safe environment.

• Live in a drug-free and violence-free environment.
• You need a safe home to feel secure. If you feel unsafe at home or in any relationship for any reason, you can get help! For free help, dial 2-1-1, or text 302-231-1464. The Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers a 24-hour domestic violence hotline. If you live in Sussex or Kent County, call 302-422-8058. If you live in Northern Kent County, call 302-678-3886. If you live in New Castle County, call 302-762-6110. For bilingual services, call 302-745-9874.

Avoid exposures to chemicals at home, at work, and outdoors

Harmful chemicals can get into your body if you breathe, eat, or drink them or if they are absorbed through your skin.

• Before using chemicals in your home, read the warning label, follow the instructions, and do not remove the chemical from its original container.
• Keep harmful chemicals stored and locked away properly to avoid chemical exposure. This includes keeping them away from your food, pets, or children.