Thanks to the hectic, breakneck pace of modern life, it’s easy to become disillusioned. According to the charity Mind, around 25% of us will suffer from some kind of mental health disorder at some time in our lives, and yet so many of us go without help. Whether you’re struggling with depression or just looking to lift yourself out of the doldrums, you can make small changes to your life to boost your mood and make things just a touch more bearable. Here are 10 small changes you can make to help you love your life again.
1. Work on your finances
Sometimes, it’s an unfortunate fact of life that you can’t make any improvements to your finances. However, for most people, this isn’t the case. You’ll probably find there are minor changes you can make to your spending to make each month feel a little easier in terms of your financial health. For example, why not try looking into quick loans you can take out, pay back quickly, and thus boost your credit score? You could also sit down and create a budget to help you manage spending and income better.
2. Take more walks
It’s been proven that walking boosts both physical and mental health, so if you don’t find yourself leaving the house much, it’s worth making the effort to do so more. Even if you get regular exercise indoors – on a treadmill, for instance, or with YouTube exercise videos – going for a walk and being outdoors can still have innumerable benefits for you. If you take just a 15-minute walk each day, you’ll start to see tangible improvements, so try to make time in your day for outdoor exercise.
3. Redecorate your home
Is your home starting to feel just a little drab? Are you tired of the colour scheme, and do you wish you could make your surroundings just a little more exciting? It may be worth doing so if you want to boost your mood. Interior design has a powerful effect on our psychology; if you don’t like how your house looks, it can have a deleterious impact on your mental health. Set some time aside to move furniture around, paint your walls, and switch up your environment a little if this is getting you down.
4. Have a clear-out
Just like interior design, how tidy our surroundings are also has an impact on how we feel. If you live in a cluttered environment, it’s natural to feel boxed in or unhappy. It’s well worth sorting through any junk you have lying around and seeing if anything is worth keeping or if you can dispose of it all. Sell or pass on what you can, then take the rest to a recycling facility. When your home is sparkling clean and devoid of clutter, you’ll likely notice an improvement in your mood!
5. Eat more home-cooked meals
Sometimes, relying on takeaway food or supermarket ready meals can result in a drop in mood. This is because although these foods may seem superficially satisfying, they’re often lacking in nutrition, leaving our bodies craving something more wholesome. That’s why it’s worth cooking more meals at home if you find yourself regularly reaching for packaged food. You can start simple if you’re not an experienced cook; even making something easy like chilli con carne or a stir-fry can work wonders for your health.
6. Try some creative work
Everyone can be creative. If you’ve ever read a novel, watched a film, or seen a painting and thought “there’s no way I could do that”, you’re selling yourself short. Being creative can boost your mood to no end; looking at something and realising that you brought it into the world, and that it didn’t exist before you did so, is immensely rewarding. Again, you can start slow if you’ve never created before. Try a simple sketch, a short poem or story, or a film sequence shot on your smartphone.
7. Sleep better
You can’t control the quality of your sleep directly; after all, it’s not possible to wake up and say “no, I want to sleep like this”. However, there are lots of things you can do to influence whether you have a good night’s sleep or not. Take a break from screens for at least an hour or two before you sleep. Drink some caffeine-free tea to relax yourself, and make sure you’re sleeping in an environment with low light and few distractions. You could also try music or ambient sounds to assist the process.
8. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is the idea of being present in every moment. When you’re experiencing an emotion, mindfulness means understanding that emotion and mastering it rather than letting it get the best of you. There’s no barrier between you and being mindful; many of the best practices for mindfulness are easy to slot into any routine, no matter how hectic. Take regular breaks throughout the day to breathe and rid yourself of potential distractions. Think about how you’re feeling and assess the thoughts you’re having.
9. Reach out to friends and family
If the people around you really love you, then they will be able to accept you when things aren’t going so great. Don’t let fear of being rejected stop you from reaching out to friends and family and asking them for company. Even just an hour or two of socialising can seriously help your mood. It doesn’t have to be physical contact if you still feel uncomfortable with this; just a short Zoom or Skype chat, while not quite as good for mood improvement as a face-to-face talk, can work wonders.
10. Stay true to yourself
Don’t make decisions that don’t feel right. Does that new job just have the wrong ring to it, no matter how you look at it? In that case, don’t take it, regardless of the potential improvements to your career or your prospects. In the end, the most important thing is wellbeing and staying healthy. After all, you won’t be able to enjoy any new jobs or career boosts if you don’t look after yourself. When you’re making decisions, always try to prioritise your mental health.
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