Everyone experiences down periods at times. Maybe yours came after you lost your job or when you got dumped by your long-term love. As life ebbs and flows, these periods are unavoidable.
If you’re currently experiencing a protracted period of malaise – or you’ve found yourself just growing ever increasingly discontented with your life as it stands – you shouldn’t just accept this upset as inevitable. By making a few simple changes to your life, you can launch yourself out of your doldrums and transform into a rejuvenated, refreshed and, most importantly, happier person.
Declutter Your Space
If you’re a clutter-bug, your tendency to hold on to odds and ends could be having a larger impact on your life than you think. Cluttered spaces are naturally less conducive to both work and relaxation.
Additionally, when you have to fight against an army of clutter to do anything, you’ll find almost all tasks more arduous. While decluttering can be a problem if you tend towards keeping a cluttered home, your efforts will prove worthwhile.
Touch People
As more and more people opt for texting or emailing instead of engaging in face-to-face communication, actually coming into physical contact with another individual has become a relatively rare occurrence.
If you regularly go days or more without hugs or even pats on the back, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Research indicates that hugging is vital to ensuring overall happiness and health, so if you’re not getting your hugs in, make it a point to do so.
Breathe With A Purpose
Your body will breathe without you thinking about it – obviously – but breathing can do so much more than bring oxygen into your body. By breathing purposefully, you can relieve tension and improve your mood. The next time your shoulders tense up, close your eyes and take some deep breaths. As you do, you’ll likely feel that tension melt right away.
Change Your Scenery
You can do much to improve your mood simply by changing the venue in which you perform your daily tasks regularly. Instead of downing your ramen in the drab lunch room, while probably listening to your most annoying co-workers prattle on or complain, use this time as an opportunity to get some fresh air, stepping outside to enjoy your lunch.
Similarly, make a stop off at a local coffee shop and enjoy a latte while you complete some of your daily must-dos. You’ll likely find this social setting decidedly more conducive to work than your dining room table.
Avoid Comparisons
It’s natural to compare yourself to others. You probably do it subconsciously, thinking: she’s prettier than me, she’s fatter than me, she’s got better hand-writing than I do. While there isn’t necessarily harm in comparing, if you are always considering your performance only in the context of the performance of others, you are setting yourself up to be disappointed.
Try to stop comparing at all; it’s difficult, but it’s worth the effort. If you catch yourself comparing, remind yourself that it doesn’t matter how you stack up. The only thing that does matter is that you are doing the best you can. If you can succeed in avoiding comparisons for an extended period of time, you may just break this habit and become less inclined to compare in the future.
Compliment People
Giving a compliment to someone else can be as gratifying as receiving one yourself. Be the good you want to see in the world and spread positivity wherever you go. If you see a co-worker wearing a blouse you admire, tell her.
If you think that your partner has done a great job on dinner, lavish the praise. Don’t reserve these good tidings only for people you know, either. Saying nice things to strangers may catch them off guard but will almost certainly prove welcome.
Create a Time Budget
Despite the oft-repeated idiom, “time is money,” few people dedicate many minutes or hours to thinking critically about their time usage. If you feel like part or all of your upset comes from just never having enough time, making a time budget could prove a life-improving exercise.
To make your time budget, list all of the things you need to do each day. Consider how long some of the unchangeable things – like driving to work – take you. After you’ve mapped this out, make a plan. Determine how long you want to spend on each item each day. Force yourself to stick to this time budget, and you will succeed in taking control of your valuable time.
