Little Ways to Improve Your Day
As your happy outlook grows, good days can lead to even better ones.
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Daily life can be a grind.
So many of us feel overworked, underpaid, tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. While there may not be one clear path to a better life, there are tiny choices we can make along the way to improve each of our days.
While there is a lot we can’t change, how you interpret and interact with the world is within your domain as an individual. By taking charge of your personal choices and building better habits, you can exert control over your life and feel more confident, relaxed, and at peace.
As your happy outlook grows, good days can lead to even better ones. By improving just one day at a time, you can build the pathway for a happier and more meaningful life.
Making tiny adjustments to your day, starting from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep, can have an impact. The key is getting started — make a choice and stick with it.
You might choose to simply start walking in the morning or take a few minutes to clean up your workspace. You don’t have to invest hours in self-improvement before you start to see a difference.
Over time, pursuing these daily tasks can help build lifelong habits that lead to greater overall well-being. These tiny habits can make us appreciate the small moments that make up a fulfilling life.
Enjoy Nature
It’s easy to fall into a mostly indoor routine — from the bed to the table to the subway to the desk and back. Just a few minutes a day of fresh air can have a huge impact on your health and your outlook on life.
A study from the International Journal of Environmental Health Research showed that spending just 20 minutes per day outside in a green space boosted well-being.
Getting outside helps you feel less isolated, allowing you to see other people and get away from your usual surroundings. Plus, being near trees and other plants gives you that oxygen boost that improves your mood over time.
You don’t get the same effect by breathing in the recycled air inside your home or office all day. A little fresh air does the brain and body good.
Sunshine is vital to your physical health, boosting vitamin D, which strengthens bones, reduces inflammation, and fights infection. And it’s no coincidence that when we fantasize about vacation, we often picture mild, sunny climates.
The American Meteorological Society published a study showing the impact of temperature and even wind speed on people’s moods. They found that the ideal temperature for happiness is 57°F — or 13.9°C.
Try one of these new habits to build some nature time into your day: walk to work, ride your bike to the store, stop by the dog park with your furry friend, meet a friend for a picnic, or take a few of your work phone calls outside.
Help Others
Helping others can help you.
Studies have shown that altruistic acts such as volunteering, paying a compliment, charity work, and random acts of kindness can vastly improve your mood.
Those who volunteer experience something researcher Allan Luks calls the “Helper’s High,” a boost of endorphins that can increase euphoria and reduce pain. Even remembering your past acts of kindness can stimulate the same feelings of well-being.
Contributing to an effort greater than yourself can have a spiritual benefit, giving you a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. Volunteering to help others can also reduce loneliness as you interact with new colleagues and get to know the people you are helping.
Armed with new social connections and a deeper sense of empathy, you’ll begin to feel more confident each day. This increased confidence, in turn, can lead to new opportunities in life that make each day that much better.
Sleep and Hydrate
Two keys to overall physical health can vastly improve your daily life: rest and hydration. It’s crucial to get enough sleep. If you don’t, you’re definitely going to feel it.
The American Psychological Association warns of the dangers of sleep deprivation, which include a disrupted metabolism, impaired memory, poor concentration, and increased stress.
Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep — some more, some less, depending on age, gender, and other personal factors.
Even just knowing that you need to get better sleep can be stressful — and make it that much harder to relax. Try to lay the groundwork for a better night’s rest before you even get to bed.
Make sure your bedroom is cool, clean, and peacefully decorated. Reduce your screen time before bed as the blue light can strain your eyes and activate your brain. Ideally, try not to bring your phone or tablet into the bedroom at all.
Instead, consider reading a book or magazine to relax and get your mind off things. Over time, a consistent bedtime routine will start to signal to your brain that it’s time to get sleepy. If you wake up well-rested, you’ll find that you’re already one step ahead of having a better day.
Hydration is another key factor in physical health.
Our bodies are made up of about 70% water, and we use it to deliver nutrients to cells, regulate our temperature, eliminate waste, protect our organs, and maintain healthy joints.
If you’re thirsty, you’ll find that your body and mind might stop operating at top capacity, having a negative impact on your day. According to the Institute of Medicine, adult women should drink about 9 cups of water per day.
Men should drink about 13.
Make Some Plans
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might seem counterintuitive to start making even more plans. But in fact, creating lists of things to do can help declutter your brain and provide an action plan that allows you to focus and accomplish your goals.
Each morning, create a list of the day’s tasks and sort them by urgency. You might find that once you write things out, you don’t have as much to do as you originally thought.
The list creates clarity. You can also keep separate lists of mid-term and long-term goals and then build your daily short-term list around them to help you accomplish those major tasks over time.
A to-do list is not the only type of plan that can improve your day.
The journal Applied Research in Quality of Life released a study showing the benefits of planning a vacation — even if you don’t take it! So, take a few minutes to research a dream location, including hotels, travel routes, landmarks, and restaurants.
A little fantasy never hurts anyone, and once it comes time to actually take that vacation, you’ll already be ahead of the game.
Thank you for reading till the end.
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