10 things that will improve your life

10 things you can implement into your day to improve your life! 

First things first, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT try to do all ten of these things every single day starting on day one. This selfgrowth/healing/life improving journey is slow and steady. One step at a time. If you can only do one of these things once a day at first that is still progress! I have learned (and am learning) this is a turtle wins the race kind of journey. Trying to do too many things can and likely will lead to overwhelm and burn out and take you right back to square one. Start by choosing one or two things to add into your day and do them everyday for a week or two, then add when it feels right to you!

1. Writing sh*t down! 

Grab a journal or a notebook or a sticky note or a literal piece of scratch paper and choose something you are going to write. You could start with a journal prompt and get some thoughts and feelings out, or you can start really simple and just write down 3 things you are grateful for. You can write how you want to feel today, or what you want to receive from today. If it is the end of the day, write about how your day went (good or bad), or write down something that stood out to you from today. You can write affirmations or you can simply just start writing and see what comes out. There is magic that comes from pen and paper. If you are writing in notes on your phone that’s great too, but if you have access to pen and paper I highly recommend doing that! Too much of our lives are on our phone (but that's a whole other topic). A dream, a story, an affirmation, a thought, a feeling, a positive note, whatever feels good to you, write. it. Down.

2. Getting outside

Whether it's for 2 minutes or two hours fresh and/or sunlight is your friend. If you only have time to step outside and take a couple deep breaths that is great, something is better than nothing. Other ideas are taking a walk, taking your shoes off and standing in the grass, dirt or on concrete. Putting your hands in the grass. Reading outside. Even rolling your window down while you're driving for the fresh air is something! It doesn’t have to be complicated, just do what you can! 

3. Meditate. 

When you are beginning I suggest choosing a guided meditation, you can access this on youtube or I loved to use Gabby Bernstiens free meditations. If you can only do two minutes, do the two minutes. As time goes on, sit for longer meditations when time allows. Coming back to your body and giving yourself a moment to relax is a great tool to have in your toolbox. I know it can be intimidating at first, you might think you are doing it ‘wrong’ or that it’s not working because you can’t clear your mind. It is okay, meditation is a practice, it might not feel ‘right’ right away. The more you do it (practice) the better it will feel! 

4. Tapping 

I came across tapping a couple years ago, kind of fell away from it, and then came back to it more recently. The more I do it the more I like it. This is something you can do daily or just use ‘as needed’. Tapping is a great way to come back to yourself and get out of your subconscious. I use tapping for anxiety, my stutter, manifesting, and just to feel better overall and get myself into a really good mindset. We do/CAN choose our thoughts, and sometimes it can be hard to choose good ones, tapping is a great way to focus and let yourself choose those good thoughts. A great way to ‘reset’. This is again something with no time expectation, it can be a quick two minute tapping session in your car before you go into work, or a longer session before bed or whenever time permits. Remember you make time for what is important to you, make these tools important! 

5. Read 

The thing I hear most about this one is “I don’t have time”, and I was once the person saying that too. But again, we make time for what is important. Even if I only get ten minutes in on that day, it's ten minutes. My biggest tip is put your phone down and pick up a book instead. Read literally anything you want, I started with a couple fiction books and then dove into ‘self-help’ style books. It can be a fun book or it can be a serious book, reading is just good for the soul and the brain. 

6. Put your phone away 

Speaking of putting your phone down, better yet put your phone away. Turn it off, put it in a drawer, get it awayyy. Be present, do anything you want, without a phone in sight. If you are someone who scrolls this is a huge life improvement tool. Consuming so much content is overloading our brains, stressing us out, and taking us away from reality. 

7. Set routines 

Some people thrive off of cut out routines and others not so much, for me it’s like a ‘create a routine and do what I can with it everyday’ type of situation. I will say that just having the intention of following a routine helps so SO much, knowing what I want to do on a daily basis and then hitting what I can instead of blindly trying to go through my day. Something that helps me a lot is having a planner. I love a notebook type planner that I can keep on my counter all day. I just got The Skinny Confidential Planner and it sets my day up perfectly. Remember that even if you don’t hit every checkmark of your routine everyday that is OKAY! Do what you can and be proud of yourself for what you DO do. 

8. Move your body!

First I had this titled ‘exercise’ but I feel like that word can be a little intimidating. There are of course so many benefits to going to the gym, lifting weights, adding a little cardio in there. BUT the important thing is moving your body with intention, this can be so many things. Turn some music on and dance, yoga, go to the gym, do a home workout, stretch, go on a walk, lunge across your house, sex, jog in place while you watch TV, do squats while you cook breakfast, the list goes on. Get creative and do what you can! Let go of an ‘all or nothing’ mindset with this and turn it into ‘something is better than nothing’. 

9. Water & Whole Foods 

Just start by drinking a little more water and eating a little more whole foods. Slowly cut out the bad shit, one thing at a time. In my opinion throwing away every ounce of junk food in your house one random day isn’t the route to go because you’ll likely end up buying more and wasting money. When you run out of one thing, buy a better alternative. Try to replace sweets with fruit. Add more veggies to your dinner. Eat more meat. Little swaps, additions, and replacements can improve your life so much. The better you feel the better your life will be. If you have a hard time drinking water, get a tasty electrolyte powder to add to your water for some flavor. Treat yourself to a new water bottle. Make it a game and make a little sheet you can mark off every time you hit your goal and then get yourself a prize when you hit that goal five times. Also, make it fun by trying new recipes. Challenge yourself but don’t make it something you dread, make it fun!

10. Giving compliments and kind words 

This tip is free, easy, and doesn’t take any of your time. If you are already on instagram, leave a nice comment on a few posts (the world needs all the positivity it can get), if you are at the grocery store tell the clerk you like her hair. You get the idea, in your everyday life during something you are already doing slide in a nice comment, compliment, or just some kind words. Giving good energy allows more room to recieve good energy. We get what we give. The law of attraction (look it up… seriously). Not only could it make the receiving person feel good, it’ll make you feel good.

Spread love, it's the best medicine.