Healthy Living Guide 2026

Healthy Living Guide 2026
By Metro Creative Graphics | February 2026

Stress affects just about everyone and it can significantly impact maintaining a healthy life. The American Institute of Stress estimates 80 percent of adults in the United States experience stress on a regular basis. Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports that more than 75% of adults experience stress at some point in their lives.

Health woes, employment, politics, and negative news all can contribute to people feeling stressed. So can engaging in a daily routine that elicits the “Groundhog Day” effect, or when each day seems like a carbon copy of the one before. Finding ways to take a break from a daily routine can help individuals become happier and healthier. Here are some tips to help:

• Focus on self-care – Dedicate time for activities that help you unwind, such as exercise, reading, or taking a walk outside. Just a few minutes of self-care each day can help. Individuals can incorporate some deep-breathing exercises into a lunch hour or use time after dinner to stroll the neighborhood with the dog or family to decompress.
  
• Make time for hobbies – Add time for hobbies to your daily calendar and assign them the same significance as work-related tasks.
  
• Prioritize exercise – The Mayo Clinic says exercise can alleviate stress and release endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce anxiety. Exercise also can clear the brain by helping a person focus on movements instead of worries. Make exercise a non-negotiable component of daily life. Taking the stairs, walking to work or school, parking further away from stores in parking lots, and doing little bursts of activity several times a day can ensure exercise becomes part of the routine.

Emotional well-being – Every person experiences different emotions at various points in their lives. Emotions can be fleeting or exhibit some staying power. Emotional reactions are part of being human, but sometimes people may have trouble managing their emotions, particularly those that are considered unsavory. It’s possible to regulate emotions without suppressing them, and such an approach can positively affect mood, relationships and even decision-making. The following are some simple strategies to manage emotions in a healthy manner.

• Understand upbringing affects emotions – People begin to learn how to manage their emotions during childhood, says Medical News Today. As babies are not able to self-regulate emotions, they learn from parents and other caregivers. Those who grew up in unsupportive environments during childhood may have difficulties managing their emotions and more issues with self-regulation than those who were reared in supportive homes.
  
• Turn on some music or change scenery – Focusing attention outward is a way to tap into something tangible to help manage emotions, as emotions themselves are intangible. Often simply directing focus off of the emotions themselves and onto something else can help reduce the intensity of one’s feelings.
  
• Employ deep breathing – Breathing techniques can help restore balance to emotions. A 2018 systemic review published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found deep breathing activities activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body relax and restore balance. The “box breathing” method can help. Inhale slowly for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds, trying to avoid inhaling or exhaling. Then, slowly exhale through the mouth for four seconds. Repeat.
  
• Keep a mood journal – Writing things down can help people identify patterns of behavior or emotional triggers. Once triggers and patterns of emotions are established, people can take steps to elicit change, such as stepping away from hostile conversations.