Stop comparing yourself to other people.
In a world where you can know everything about another person’s life–their latest vacation, their new significant other, their mom’s birthday–at the drop of a hat, it’s difficult to not compare yourself to others. The toxic feelings that come from trying to one up another person take away from your ability to focus on the one person that really matters–yourself. Everyone is their own person and progresses at different rates. You are living your own life on your own terms, as you should be, and the way in which another person lives their life cannot and should not discredit that.
Release yourself from the past.
Holding on to grudges from the past can lead you to lose sight of your happiness in the present. To give yourself peace of mind and clear your thoughts, forgive yourself and others for any mistakes that have happened in the past. The past is the past and you can’t change that, so there’s no need to continuously put yourself in a bad mood over them. Forgiving yourself and others will allow you to move forward towards a path clear of resentment and full of clarity.
Get active.
Grab a friend for an exercise class or find a workout routine that works best for you. Exercising keeps your body healthy and releases endorphins that bring you happiness, decrease pain, and lessen the negative effects of stress. Do it to love the way you look, not for other people; exercising should be a tool for you, not for appeasing the way other people think you should look. What do they know, anyways?
Take in the beauty of nature.
Watch the sunset. Watch the sunrise. Take a breath of fresh air. Going outside and embracing the beauty of the nature around you will put into perspective how much there is to life, how much you have seen, and how much there is to be seen. Appreciate what’s around you; you are part of what makes up the beauty of what’s there.
Tone down your people-pleasing attitude.
We all want to be liked, so we do everything we can to make others happy. When we work to the bone to get attention from others, we forget to focus on ourselves. You should be doing things that make you happy and are geared towards your future goals, not what other people want from you. This is not to say that you shouldn’t help people out, but you shouldn’t be wearing yourself thin and losing sight of who you are just to satisfy other people. Do what makes you happy; the people who stick around are the ones who matter.
Keep your space clean.
Tidying up at least once a week and maintaining a clean living and work environment can help you feel less bogged down. Not only will you feel productive for cleaning, but you will also increase productivity in other tasks you have. Do yourself a favor by straightening up here and there–it’ll clear more than just the mess in front of you.
Challenge yourself.
Stepping out of your comfort way gives you the opportunity to get in tune with what your limits are, as well as how to move beyond them. Whether it’s trying out that new exercise class, making the first move with someone you have your eyes on, or even trying out a new recipe, putting yourself in a position of challenge will force you to learn more about your capabilities, thus allowing you to forge a stronger connection with yourself.
Smile more.
It takes more effort to frown than to smile, so why not smile more? Whatever it takes to make you smile–your favorite song, a cute puppy video, talking to your best friend–do it to boost your mood and increase your smile count. Smiling puts you in a better mood along with the other people around you. Say cheese!
Remember who you are.
Take a minute and think about how you got to where you are now. You’ve made it this far in your life, and that means more than you realize. Every hardship, every crying episode, every bad day–you’ve made it through them all to get here. Remember who you are.
