Handbook for Today is all about helping you be more satisfied in all areas of your life, and nudging you to make some small changes that improve your well-being day by day. For this, we think, four areas need to be covered. 

Your physical self

It might be obvious that your body is very important for your overall well-being. I had many years of Latin in school, but only a few sentences stuck, and apart from “carpe diem”, seize the day, I remember “mens sana in corpore sane” translating into: a sane mind in a healthy body. What was true in the time of ancient Rome stays true today. Our body is our tool to experience amazing things. It enables us to feel the sun on our skin, smell a flower, dance, taste a strawberry, the list goes on.

Our bodies are fascinating and beautiful, but no body is the same and some bodies are more capable than others. But whatever we have been given through our specific genetic make-up, we have some control to make our body the best possible home for our minds or personalities.

In our habit list, we give examples to help you treat your body that tiny bit better so that it can keep serving you. A healthy body is like a well-oiled machine and the absence of problems with our bodies gives us time and space to focus on all the exciting things we can experience.

As mentioned, not everybody is lucky enough to have a strong and healthy body in this very moment. And there are physical problems that can’t be solved with small habits incorporated in your day. But looking after your body in small ways every day is possible for everyone. In our habit list, we encourage you to incorporate research-driven micro habits to be that tiny bit healthier, no gym-membership or dieting needed.

Your inner self

Caring for our inner self is the backbone for a contented life. Far more abstract than our physical self, our inner self and mental health is not as easily measurable, but just as important.

With the journaling page in Handbook for Today we give you a tool to build resilience and strengthen your mental health by making you focus on the positive things in your life and put your thoughts into perspective.

With our micro habits to tick, we show you a way to look after your inner self by showing self-compassion and getting more structure into your daily life (as outer structure helps inner calm).

You and others

We are highly social animals and therefore need human interaction for happy contented lives. Not everybody might need social interaction all the time, but research shows that even very introverted people become happier by being social in some form. 

Busy lives - and maybe the assumption of other people’s busy lives – might sometimes stop us to connect with others, to the detriment of our well-being.

There are lots of ways to connect with others that don’t cost much money or time. We are giving you gentle reminders to catch up with loved ones, but also to reach out to total strangers as this lifts the spirits!

You and the world around you

We live on one amazing planet and it’s there for us to enjoy. We all understand that one of the worst punishments for a human is being imprisoned. However, sometimes we are creating our own barriers and simply forget the joy that comes with connecting with the world around us. The smell of a freshly baked cake, the sunrise, a funny shaped cloud.

Taking in the world around us can give great pleasure and it is entirely free. Being in nature is what humans are made for, but we can and should enjoy all of our world. Great buildings, the feel of a nice fabric, a beautiful painting are all there for us to take in.

Handbook for Today gives little reminders to make the most of all the free joy that’s there to grab, just in front of you.