Interestingly, much of what health psychologists teach (deep breathing, mindfulness, stress reduction, etc.) works for everyone. Our fast-paced life and increased dependency on technology often results in disconnection, stress and lack of sleep, which all wreak havoc on our health. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take today to begin living a healthier life.

Here are 10 tips for living more happily, peacefully and mindfully:

1.       Breathe deeply: Want to do something in the next five minutes that will change your life? Breathe deeply.

2.       Give and get a hug: Hugging makes you live longer. Human beings need touch.

3.       Be mindful: Forget about that mounting to-do list, the fight you had with your best pal, or your Facebook update or Twitter account. Take time out to get back to the present moment.

4.       Stop the cruel talk: What’s one way you can start being kinder to yourself? Learn to be more self-compassionate.

5.       Create your own family of choice: You cannot control the family you’ve been given. But you can create your own.

6.       Love yourself and then love your neighbor: In their pre-flight instructions, flight attendants demonstrate how to use the oxygen mask if needed, and tell passengers to put on their own mask first before helping others with theirs. The same applies to self-care.

7.       Take care of your physical health: This may be a shocker, but the optimum recommendation for physical activity (including aerobic exercise and strength training) is 90 minutes a day. That might seem overwhelming for most.

8.       Take back control: There are a lot of things in life that we have no control over. But the key to healthy living is focusing on what your thoughts and reactions — the things you can control.

9.       Make sleep and healthy eating priorities: Getting enough sleep is vital to your mental health and physical wellbeing. A healthy average is seven to nine hours a night. How many hours do you get on a regular basis?

10.   Find someone you can confide in: You don’t need millions of Facebook friends or even hundreds of in-person ones, Social support is that important.

Start with these steps, to start living a healthier life.