(CNN) — If you feel like you don’t have enough time for daily self-care beyond the basics, you aren’t alone. Many people cite their busy schedules as barriers to having healthier lifestyles.
But what if you only needed five minutes?
Believe it or not, there are quick, practical activities you can do in five minutes or less to make a measurable positive impact on your health and wellness.If you’re still not convinced you can find the time, consider reclaiming those minutes from a less productive, time-consuming activity. How often do you check social media accounts, mindlessly scrolling through posts only to look up and realize five, 10 or even 20 minutes have passed?
With excessive social media use linked to negative mental health implications, if you’re one of the 7 in 10 Americans who use social media, it may be in your best interest to trade five minutes of scrolling in favor of one of the five science-backed, health-boosting activities listed below.
Focus on your breath
Want to reduce stress and boost your physical and mental health almost immediately? Take a breathing break. Simply pause and spend a few minutes taking long, deep breaths in and out of your nose.
Better yet, it doesn’t even require a full five minutes to begin reaping the wellness benefits. In as little as 90 seconds, deep breathing stimulates a physiological relaxation response that inhibits stress hormone production, lowers blood pressure and decreases heart rate, according to research. Consistently working on breathing better can also improve posture and decrease pain.
Move your body
Being sedentary, specifically prolonged sitting, is not only detrimental to your physical health but also your mental well-being, increasing your risk of both death and depression. Moving your body for even five minutes at a time can make a difference. In fact, a 2020 study found that just 11 minutes of exercise every day, done in any increments, increases your life span.
How you move your body is up to you. As long as you keep your body in motion, the type of exercise doesn’t matter. You can do a five-minute yoga flow, body-weight exercises or any other creative means of moving your body, such as dancing to a couple of your favorite upbeat songs.
Connect with a friend
Take five minutes to feel seen and heard each day — and return the favor for someone else. If you can’t meet up with a friend or loved one in person, screen time can actually work in your favor by enabling video chatting. It’s always better to talk in person, but socializing in any way that helps you feel supported can ward off loneliness and feelings of isolation, which are associated with declining cognitive skills, depression, heart attack, stroke and early death.