Change doesn’t have to happen all at once. It doesn’t need to be drastic either. It’s easy to think that if you move to a different state or change your job, you will be happier. As simple as that may seem, drastic changes are never the answer. The changes that will truly improve your life are the small seemingly ‘meaningless’ ones.
These small changes can be as simple as adding a new habit to your daily routine or taking one away. The most important thing is to make sure that these changes are sustainable for you and your lifestyle.
Breaking out of your current patterns can change your life in unimaginable ways. Below are ten small changes that you can start making today to improve your life!
1. Get a Head Start
The easiest way to start your day off on the right foot is to get an early start. An ‘early start’ might mean something different to you than it does to me. Don’t feel overwhelmed by all of the influencers that tell you that waking up at 5 AM will change your life. There is no life changing or perfect time for you to get up. Everyone’s body and lifestyle are different.
Try and wake up just 30 minutes earlier than you usually do. Time goes a very long way in the morning. That extra half hour will open up a long enough window of time for you to do something meaningful.
2. Add Something Meaningful to Your Morning Routine
Does your morning routine consist of waking up and chaotically making a cup of coffee before running out the front door in mismatched socks? Because, same. At least at one point in my life. Although this routine will give you a chance to hit the snooze button a few times, it won’t make you feel your best.
Instead, wake up a bit earlier and use that time to add something meaningful to your routine. Try journaling, meditating, playing a mind game (I love Sudoku!) or simply taking a moment to think. Slowing down and setting your intentions in the morning with one of these activities will provide you with a lot of clarity that’ll translate into other parts of your day!
3. Bike or Walk to Work
Changing the way you commute to work will truly improve your life! Ditch your car and try biking or walking instead.
With rising gas prices, walking or biking to work will save you so much money! For a lot of us, financial stress is one of our greatest burdens. Embracing this frugal habit can change your life by lessening that burden.
Integrating exercise into your commute will do wonders for your mental health as well. Getting your body moving every day is so important for your overall well being. Unfortunately, a lot of us can’t always find the time to exercise every day. By making exercise a part of your every day routine, it won’t ever be something you can’t find the time for.
Biking and walking is also kinder to the planet than driving. Making environmentally friendly changes in your life will give it more meaning.
4. Ring a Loved One
Call up a loved one you’ve been missing! There’s nothing quite like reconnecting with a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. Not only will it make you feel good to speak with them again, but it’ll make them feel good to know that you were thinking of them. Doing small things to make other people feel good will truly improve your life!
5. Create a Check-List
Creating a check-list can be a great way to find some ease in your life. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the things that need to get done. By creating a list, you are able to visualize everything which can make prioritizing easier.
Physically checking off things once they’ve been completed will give you a sense of accomplishment as well. Staying on top of the things you need to get done will truly improve your life!
6. Go on a Solo Date
The best way to break out of your normal routine is to take yourself out on a date. Finding meaningful ways to spend time by yourself will truly change your life! Go out on an adventurous solo date to build confidence or have a self care day at home to unwind. In the same way that going on dates with your partner will help strengthen your relationship, going on a solo date will strengthen your relationship with yourself.
7. Declutter Your Space
It’s no secret that a cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind. The opposite is true as well. Letting go of things in your home that aren’t serving you can feel like a weights been lifted off your shoulders. Items can hold so much energy. Getting rid of things that bring up bad memories or you simply don’t use can drastically improve your life!
Organizing your space and getting rid of things you don’t need will make your day to day life so much simpler as well. You’ll spend less time looking for the things that you need and less time cleaning too!
8. Clean as You Go
‘Clean as you go’ is one of the first things my mom told me when I started living alone. It’s such an important rule and can transform your life if you stick to it.
While you cook, clean as you go. As you get ready in the morning, clean as you go. The list goes on and on. Cleaning up after yourself as you make messes will keep you from having to spend an entire day cleaning down the road. Cleaning as you go so that your space is always tidy will truly improve your life!
9. Invite a Friend
Invite a friend next time you plan to do something you typically just do alone! Having friends in your life that you feel comfortable working out with, running errands with or cooking with will completely change your life. Not feeling pressure to plan something new and exciting every time you spend time with a friend will alleviate so much of the pressure you might feel surrounding your hangouts.
Doing ‘mundane’ things with a friend will also strengthen your relationship in the same way that living with a partner might. Having a closer bond with your friends will truly improve your life!
10. Don’t Scroll Through Social Media Before Bed
Have you noticed that the way you end your day is the way that you’ll remember it? That’s why it’s so important that what you do right before bed is JUST as intentional as your morning.
There are many positive ways to wind down and some pretty bad ways. Scrolling through social media before bed is one of the worst ways you can end your day. Here’s why.
Is it hard for you to fall asleep after you’ve been scrolling through your phone for a while? This is because the blue light that is coming off your phone is actively disrupting your sleep wake cycle (circadian rhythm). It does this by blocking a hormone called melatonin which is responsible for making you sleepy!
Social media can also negatively impact your mental health. It has been linked to anxiety, depression, FOMO and other mental health issues.
It’s so easy to get sucked into things at night. I mean, think about all of the times you’ve pulled an all nighter binge watching an entire show. That’s why avoiding social media before you go to bed is so important for your mental and physical health! It’s such a small change you can make that will drastically improve your life.
To Sum It Up
If you want to change your life, you don’t need to find a new job, travel or move to a different city. Start by making small, but meaningful changes to your routine. Wake up half an hour earlier or don’t scroll through social media right before bed. These new habits might not seem like much, but they’ll add up to make a huge difference when it comes to your happiness and fulfillment. Challenge yourself to make one small, positive change in your life every single day.
Becoming a better version of yourself is the only way to truly improve your life!
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