50 Simple Ways To Feel Better Right Now!

This post has been a work in progress for a while now - I wanted to write a little guide full of simple inspiration to help you (and me!) experience more happiness, joy and peace in our everyday lives.

I wrote this over several weeks as I was thinking about how I can improve my own life. You see, in essence, my life is awesome! Seriously. I LOVE my life. But (there's always a but), I tend to be constantly busy. I get stressed. I get overwhelmed. I get panicky and have the occasional complete meltdown. I also tend to put others needs before my own and sometimes fall victim to low self-esteem. Sometimes I totally crumble in a heap on the floor and all I can think is that life sucks and I'm a hopeless case. I know this isn't true. But it sure is hard to beat your inner demons sometimes. 

I've found it can be hard to change your life around, especially when you have a million things on your plate already. And if you're a messy, creative, entrepreneurial and over-thinking soul like me, then it's even harder to find peace and stay happy while doing all the fabulous stuff you want to do!

Basically, I decided to start collecting ideas that would help me combat these feelings and work through those difficult moments. Small ideas that done collectively can make a big difference!

We all know that we would probably feel better if we did an hour of yoga everyday or had weekly massages or hired a personal chef, but we don't generally have the time and money to do all the things that we would like. I know I don't. So where do you start? That's where this list comes in and I really hope you find at least a few little tips here that help you in your own life.

All of these ideas are designed to only take a few minutes out of your day. Some of them can even be done on the run! Some of them are so tiny anyone can find time to do them no matter how crazy your life is. And that's what this is all about. It's not meant to be revolutionary but by making teeny tiny changes and doing teeny tiny things you can revolutionise your life. And I'm here to help you along the way because it's not easy on your own and some good company for the journey is always a good thing.

Are you ready to go? You are? Awesome! I'm excited.... Let's go!

1. To get us started, drink more water!! Go on... a big glass right now! Excellent.

2. Wear bright colours. It's easy to wear the same drab clothes day in and day out, but it's true that wearing bright colored clothes can do wonders for your mood.

3. Do you have stairs in your house? If so, run up and down them three times really quickly! This is sure to get that dopamine moving!

4. What was one of your favourite treats as a kid? I loved whizz fizz myself, and strawberry fredo frogs. Whatever it was that got you super excited as a 6 year old, treat yourself to one today and eat it mindfully, remembering those days when this was all you needed to make you happy!

5. Tell someone you love them. Your other half, your mum, your best friend. It'll take 30 seconds - surprise them with a little text message of love and put a smile on both your faces.

6. Go to your fridge and throw out anything that's been in there a little too long. Wipe it out with a bit of vanilla essence on a damp cloth and your fridge (and consequently you) will feel like a million bucks!

7. When you are sitting at the lights with your partner in the car, lean over and give them a long, passionate kiss. I love seeing people kiss at the lights - it really makes me happy! So this one will make you happy, your partner happy and those innocent folk behind you will be reminded that true love really does exist! Awww....

8. If you're alone in the car at the lights, give yourself a big hug! I know it sounds odd and you might feel a little silly but you'll get the benefits of stretching your shoulders and back as well as a little mental boost from the hug itself. Seriously, this works!

9. Wear colorful, stripey socks! Especially if you have to wear boring work clothes.

10. Make an affirmation sign to stick on the wall in your bathroom so you see it every morning, or on the back of the toilet door. Say something simple like "Today Is Going To Be Amazing" or "Be Awesome Today". Go to Pinterest if you need some inspiration. Make it bright colored because bright colours help to lift our mood. If you have kids maybe they could help you and it could be a fun family activity.

11. Find someone to swap two minute neck massages with. Two minutes of vigorous neck, shoulder and head massage will get the blood flowing and your mind back into gear. If you can't find anyone, give yourself a neck rub - it might not be quite the same but it still feels good!

12. Sing at the top of your voice! Find a place where you're alone - in the shower, in the car, in your room when everyone else is out, and pop your favourite song on the stereo and sing really loudly. You could even dance a bit and mime into a pretend microphone if you want. Doing this for a three minute pop song will do wonders for your mood.

Photo from my friends at twoGGG who make awesome candles!

13. Light a candle. Find yourself a good aromatherapy candle with a beautiful scent and burn it while you work or relax. When you light it, just pause for a moment and think to yourself that by lighting this candle, you are bringing peace and happiness into your life. I know it sounds airy fairy but trust me, this is a tiny moment that can bring some real peace into your day. Light that candle with intention and the intention will stay with you while it burns.

14. Do your hair a different way to normal. If your feeling adventurous, buy some hair dye and make it a different colour! If colouring's not your things, wear a funky hair clip or wear a colourful scarf for a change from the norm.

15. Next time your at the supermarket, take a look in the foreign/imported food section and buy some strange biscuits from a faraway land to have with your next cuppa instead of your usual ones.

16. You know that guy with a guitar who plays outside the train station everyday? Go and give him a dollar and flash him your biggest smile. It's a win win moment!

17. Wear comfortable shoes. It makes sooooo much difference!

18. Breathe. Take three long deep breathes, hold them in for 5 - 6 seconds, then slowly breathe out. This is probably the simplest and most effective tip of all but so easily forgotten!

19. Treat yourself to a big, mega fresh juice from your local juice bar.

20. Do you have a friend overseas? If so, go to your local souvenir shop and buy a 50c postcard from your hometown, write it on a park bench and send it to them.

21. Talk to a stranger on the train (or bus or at the supermarket....), just say hi and then see what happens. You might have a really nice encounter which will brighten your day!

22. Clean the light switches. Now don't laugh, but seriously, light switches get dirty and are often overlooked in your general house cleaning. About two minutes should be long enough to clean all the light switches in an average sized house. It's a good thing!

23. Instead of sitting at the table for dinner, grab a cushion and sit on the floor at the coffee table, Japanese-style.

24. Clean up your desktop and find a new screen saver that has a positive message or an image that makes you feel good.

25. Practice gratefulness. No matter what your spiritual beliefs, take a moment to close your eyes and thank the universe for the wonderful people and things in your life. Taking a moment each day to be thankful is so good for the soul, especially on the hard days.

26. Eat a superfood. Blueberries are a good one and usually not too hard to find.

27. Donate blood. In Australia check out the Red Cross website at http://www.donateblood.com.au/ for all the info. I have a fairly rare blood type and try to donate as often as possible. It's always a good experience and you get a free orange juice and a chocolate brownie afterwards. How can you lose?

28. Throw away any clothes that are too old, too small or that you just don't feel great in. Instead of having things hanging there that don't work for you, work towards a smaller but more fabulous wardrobe, full of things that make you look and feel great! You can tackle this in one big swoop or decide to throw away one item a day til you've got nothing left but awesome clothes you love and feel good in!

29. Make a list and make it pretty. Whether its a to-do list for the day, a shopping list or a list of the top ten places you want to visit before you die, a list always makes you feel a little more in control of life. And if you draw some stars and write in purple pen, you'll smile at your own goofiness when you look at it. Which is a good thing!

by Kristiana Parn, one of my favourites on Etsy!

30. Swing! Find your nearest playground and swing as high as you can! (This is probably my favourite tip of all!)

31. Read a blog. If you have an overflowing blog reader like me, take a moment to organise it and make a folder for inspiration blogs, or blogs that make you feel good. Then they are easy to get to whenever you have a few minutes to read and need a pick-me-up.

32. Give yourself a hand massage. Google 'self hand massage' and a whole bunch of tips and videos will come up so you can learn to give yourself an effective hand massage that will have positive repercussions for your whole body!

33. Hide a little treat under your partner's pillow. Or your kids. Or if you live alone, hide it under your own pillow when you make the bed in the morning to surprise yourself later that night. Even if you're not surprised, it'll still be nice to find your little gift to yourself.

34. Spending time with animals does wonders for our mood. If you don't have a pet, ask a friend if you can hang out with theirs for a little while. I don't know a single dog owner who wouldn't appreciate someone coming round to take their dog for a walk or to throw the tennis ball around the backyard.

35. Start a Treat Jar. Recycle a jar from the kitchen and decorate it with some pictures and glue or washi tape or fabric. Then label it with what you'd most love to treat yourself with (a day at a spa, a romantic night away with hubby, that amazing pair or shoes you saw on that blog the other day....) and put a coin in it. Then everyday afterwards, pop another coin in. Each time you do this, whether it's 20c or $2, you'll be getting that little bit closer to your treat without ever breaking your budget.

36. Do a puzzle. Puzzles help keep our brain in good condition so at those moment when you're feeling flat and your brain seems to be in slow motion, grab the paper and tackle the crossword, challenge a buddy to a Words with Friends game or, my favourite, play Scramble on your iPhone (free app!). There are heaps of other apps out there with little games that will help exercise that brain muscle!

37. Buy fresh flowers on your way home.

38. Bake cupcakes. Get some food dye so you make make crazy coloured icing and decorate them with hundreds and thousands or whatever other goodies take your fancy.

39. Download some inspiring podcasts to your phone or iPod so you can listen to them while you're walking to work, walking the dog or driving home. Ted Talks are great for a bit of inspiration. Another favourite of mine is BlogcastFM. But there are lots out there for every interest area.... get on google and find a few so they'll be there when you need them.

40. Write in your journal. If you don't have a journal, find a scrap of paper and write on that. Try not to think, just write about what's going through your mind, what's troubling you and what's making you feel the way you do. You can throw it away as soon as you're done. Sometimes just the process of writing stuff down helps transform confusing or vague thoughts into something more concrete, thus giving you something to work with.

41. Jump! I tried to jump the other day and couldn't believe how hard it was! I guess my 35 year old body doesn't jump much any more.... but doing so is good for you and makes you feel great! And if you do it with other people, you'll probably ending up laughing a lot which is also good for you.

42. Try some short 5 minute or less guided meditations. There' are plenty online that you can download for free and listen to on your phone or iPod.

43. Eat dinner outside. Better yet, cook dinner outside! If you don't have a barbeque of your own, you should be able to find a public one not too far away. So grab your snags, a loaf of bread and tomato sauce and get into the great outdoors.

44. Get a new toothbrush. I know this may sound silly, but most people don't change their toothbrush nearly often enough, and brushing with a fresh brush somehow makes your teeth feel cleaner!

45. Brush your hair and then give yourself a hair treatment while watching telly one evening. After you wash it out you'll feel great and your hair will smell amazing! If you want, you can even make your own hair treatment from common household items. Check out this site for some inspiration!

46. Have a little dance party in your living room, with your family or alone! Turn the music up, dance like crazy then drink lots of water. It's good exercise and can be ridiculously silly and fun!

47. Stretch! It might be hard to dedicate 30 mins to stretching in your morning routine but try to remember to stretch at  those odd moments throughout the day. Reach down to your toes while you wait for the kettle to boil, stretch out your shoulders when you're sitting on the toilet, stretch your neck out while waiting for the lift at work or while you're on the phone or waiting at the lights. Back when I used to have a boring office job, I would have a 20 second routine I'd do every time I went to the bathroom - it usually involved 5 star jumps, a couple of waist twists, a good shoulder stretch on each side and then an attempt to touch my toes. Sometimes I'd do a few push ups on the basin. This all helped me stay awake and get through the day!

48. Lend money to an entrepreneur in the developing world with Kiva. These guys do an amazing job - you can help with just $25 and once it's paid back you can lend it to someone else so it just keeps helping and helping!

49. Buy or make some room spray. I use one that is supposed to aid productivity - it has basil, rosemary, lemon and grapefruit in it. I don't know if it really works but it smells fresh and clean and has become something of a focusing ritual for me. Spraying my studio is symbolic of me about to settle down and do some good work. Go here for some recipes to make your own. 

50. If you found something fun and useful on this list, please consider sharing this post with your friends! I'd love to reach as many people as possible so we can all start to feel a little better, everyday!

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Thanks for reading and I hope you found a few things in here that help energise your spirit, soothe your soul and bring a bit of extra sparkle into your days! 

What's your favourite thing on the list? Do you have any great ideas to add? I'd love to know what you think and if you have any suggestions that can be added to the list so please jump into the comments section below and let me know!

Have an awesome day! Jen x