If you’re in a bit of a rut, maybe it’s time to take a step back and work on some easy ways to make your everyday routine a little better and brighter. Here are seven simple things to try, to get you started on a happier path.

_______________________

 

Switch It Off

We’re all so connected and switched on all the time, nowadays it’s easy to feel like your phone is an extension of your arm. Research has proven that spending too much time on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook increases anxiety, as we inevitably end up comparing our lives to those of other people, forgetting that online profiles only present a very select view of our friends’ lives.

 

Take a Trip

It doesn’t have to be a five star holiday, and it doesn’t even have to involve a plane, but seeing something new is good for your soul. Roadtrip to the Irish beauty spots you’ve never been to. A walk along The Giant’s Causeway or the Cliffs of Moher can be enough to make you realise how beautiful this world can be at times.

 

Cherish the Little Moments

One Her.ie reader told us that on New Year’s Day she started keeping a jar of notes. Every day, she’d write down one nice thing that happened that day, so that when New Year’s Eve comes around again she could look back on all the little things that had made her happy in that year. Cherish the little moments.

Keep a memory jar so you can look back on all your best moments (pic via The Steamy Kitchen)

 

Lend a Hand

One of the best ways to feel better about yourself is to help someone else. The satisfaction gleaned from helping others does wonders for your self-worth, so make the time. Even if it's something as simple as offering to walk the dogs for a local shelter, or spend an hour or two a week in a local charity shop, knowing you're making a difference is a very powerful feeling.

 

Plan a Date with Yourself

Set aside some time every week to be alone, quiet, and doing the things you like to do. Run a bath, try out some beauty treatments, read something you’ve meant to for years or cook a delicious meal for one. Whatever your form of relaxation is, devote time to it, and the brain break means you’ll be better able to get through the hectic times when they roll back around.

 

Your Health is your Wealth

Don’t put off any niggling concerns. Make sure to have a health screening once a year whether you feel like you need it or not. Take your smear test appointments when they come, get your teeth checked and cleaned once ever six months, and follow a healthy diet not in a bid to lose weight, but knowing that good food is the fuel that keeps you going, and if you’re clogging up with crap you’re doing both your body and mind a disservice. Treat your body with the love and care it deserves – after all, it’s the only one you’ve got.

 

Embrace the Fear

A niggling feeling of not being good enough/strong enough/brave enough or talented enough plagues us all from time to time. It’s on these occasions that you really need to ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’. It’s your adrenaline kicking in, but back yourself to know you can achieve your goals, and let ‘nothing will stop me’ be your mantra. Say it enough times and you'll believe it too.