5 Quick and Easy Daily Habits to Improve Your Life
Wouldn’t it be great if there were small and simple daily activities you could do for only a few minutes to make yourself feel a little better?
Things you could do in the morning before a scary business meeting, or that you could unwind with at night after a stressful day?
Our minds like repetition, it’s the way that we’ve learnt everything since we were children. The more we repeat calming activities and give ourselves positive messages, the more of a lasting impact they have on our brain. Over time they can help us become calmer and happier people.
Keep reading to learn some simple habits you could practise every day (or as often as you can) to boost your mood and calm a busy mind…
1. Breathing
This is the most basic of all human activities, but can be so powerful. The problem is that, when we’re stressed, we don’t breathe as much. Our breathing becomes shallow and very fast, giving a signal to our body that we’re under threat.
The best way to counter this and generally prevent stress getting the better of us in our daily life is to get into the habit of breathing slowly.
Try this:
Breathe in for a count of 4
Breathe out for a count of 6
This can be for a matter of minutes or just a few seconds. Either way, it can make a huge difference to our state of mind and overall health.
2. Positive Affirmations
Now, you’ve probably heard of affirmations before. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably quite sceptical of the idea. But bear with me.
Our minds are extremely sensitive to the messages we receive from other people and from our own self-talk. We give ourselves negative messages so much of the time that we barely notice them anymore. So now, the way to remedy this is to consistently give ourselves positive messages. I personally found that even the act of saying my chosen affirmations would help to calm me down. At first, you might feel like you’re saying things that are completely untrue and that’s only natural. However, if you stick with it then your brain can start to adjust and greatly improve your outlook.
It’s up to you what they sound like, my favourites include:
“I am calm, relaxed and confident.”
“I am safe and secure.”
Try these to start off with and, just like with anything else, fake it ‘til you make it!
3. Simple To-Do Lists
I really like these because it makes me feel better to break down my day into small achievements to feel proud of. Feeling as though we’ve accomplished something can make a big difference to our mood, no matter how small it may be.
This is a good one for the morning and could be as simple as:
Brush your teeth
Have a shower… etc.
Our day-to-day tasks can sometimes feel like a lot to get on with. Breaking them down and writing a checklist that we can tick off as we go can be really effective. This can build momentum so we feel more productive and able to make way for the bigger tasks in our life.
4. Complimenting Yourself
This tactic might sound silly, but the way we talk to ourselves is extremely important. More often than not, we look in the mirror and instantly notice something we don’t like about ourselves. This can have a lasting effect on the way we feel in our own skin.
In the same way the positive affirmations can counter negative thoughts as we go about our day, complimenting ourselves when we look in the mirror (or anytime really!) can counter the negative self-talk that we hear so much of the time.
When you look at yourself in the mirror, find something you like about yourself. It can be anything from “Your eyes look pretty today” to “You look smokin’ hot today!” Whatever works for you. Say it clearly to yourself, even if you don’t fully believe it yet. It might feel silly but it’s another activity that can retrain your brain to see and think about yourself with more positivity, leading the way to feeling more content and happy.
5. Gratitude Journal
Speaking of happiness, there couldn’t be a simpler way to feel happier about your life than to spend some time showing gratitude for the things that you enjoy. Get these down on paper in any way that works for you. In the past, I’ve focussed on up to 3 things that I feel grateful for, but it can still make a big difference to only write down one thing a day.
It can be “I feel grateful for my family for being there for me” or something as simple as “I feel grateful for nature.” Repeating this activity on a day-to-day basis can teach your mind to appreciate the things you have on a more regular basis. This means it takes far less effort to see the good in our lives.
Why is this important?
What we’re trying to do with all these activities is to train ourselves to see more of the positives in life and less of the negatives. We’re conditioned from birth to look out for the negative signs around us because we need to protect ourselves from danger. The tricky part is that modern life has put us in a position where negativity and stress can reach us so easy; at work, on the news, on social media…
This is why the best remedy is to actively introduce more positivity in our everyday lives. Even if these habits feel quite alien to us at first, over time they become more natural and could encourage a calmer and happier state of mind.
Next steps
Committing to doing something every day can feel difficult. Everyone has busy lives and it’s easy to forget these things amongst our other priorities. Life happens. My best advice is to block out time to do these things, much like you would if you’re seeing a friend or have a work meeting. Decide when in your day you’d be able to dedicate a few moments to these things in order to look after your mental wellbeing.
If you like this piece and would like to learn more, you could sign up for my mailing list to receive further advice and your completely FREE Stress Less Toolkit with lots of helpful nutritional and lifestyle tips to limit the effect of stress in your life.
Let me know what you think and if you begin to feel healthier and happier by trying some of the tips in the Stress Less Toolkit!
↓↓↓ PIN IT FOR LATER ↓↓↓
These are only some of the potential habits that could help. If you have any questions or would like to discover which habits would fit in best with your unique values and lifestyle, you could try working with a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach.