Something I don’t talk a lot about on the blog is my depression and anxiety. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember and it’s something that can make bad days even worse to endure and good days even harder to have. I’ve worked on myself a lot over the years to improve it and while I can (very) happily say it’s improved, it’s still there. And I’m pretty certain it will always be there. I’m come to terms with that and know that I’ll have tough days that feel tougher because of it. But I can still work to avoid it completely consuming me.
And to do that, I try to do certain things each and every day. Things I like to consider staples of my daily routine to have the best day I can, despite whatever happens. These are ways to have more feel good moments that leave you really feeling like you kicked some major butt every day. If you have any more tips, I would love to hear them!
Be Present | Don’t let your mind wander to the past and definitely don’t worry about what the future holds. Focus on the here and now. You can’t change what’s happened and you can’t control the future so all you’re left with is managing the present. Enjoy what’s going on right now, right in front of you because you can’t get that moment back.
Connect With Someone Else | You may be perfectly content being an introverted wallflower like I am, but this one is key. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own struggles if we aren’t reaching out to others. Send a card, write an email, give someone a hug, do a good deed – whatever you’re capable of doing, do it. It’s only a few minutes (if not seconds) of your day.
Find Something to Celebrate | Even the worst of days have something to celebrate. It may be small and it may be rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it’s there. Some silver lining is just waiting for you to discover it. It may be something as small as getting out of bed or getting to work on time, but it’s there. Find that moment, embrace the heck out of it and celebrate like you’ve just won the lottery.
Do One Important Task | It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or work related. It doesn’t matter if it takes five minutes or five hours. It just needs to be important. In your big picture of how you want your life to play out, this is the one task you need to do today. You need to know that it will lead to something even bigger and better further down the line. Do it today. Do it every day. Make your life add up to something magical.
Under-Schedule Your Day | Stop scheduling your day until it’s overflowing with tasks that you’ll most likely not cross off that day. Schedule less. Schedule half the amount of work you normally do. Schedule only the most important things. And then get it done. Celebrate it. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment. And then, if you have time left over, decide if your time is better spent working on the next day’s to-do list or if something else is even more important.
Find Something to Be Grateful For | Every day, I try to find three things to be grateful for. I always do it before I wrap up my day, no matter what time I end and no matter what kind of day I had. They can be big or small. They can be things that are simple or complicated. But these are the three things I force myself to remember when I’m falling asleep. That way, I’m trying to fall asleep with a heart full of gratitude instead of frustration.
Declutter Something Small | For me, clutter yields one thing: a lack of motivation. I’m not a clean freak, but I’m also not a slob. I’m somewhere in the middle where motivation and creativity overflow when things are a bit neater. Boost your mood, your creativity, and your motivation with a quick clean-out. It can be your purse, desk, a drawer – doesn’t matter.
Be Proud | Figure out something you can be proud of every single day. Take pride in the things you do and how you treat the people you interact with. Then find a moment that you can look back at these things and bask in the pride that you feel over the work you’ve done or the actions you’ve taken.
Laugh | Laughter is always a mood booster. Laugh at yourself, laugh with your friends or coworkers, laugh at a YouTube video, or laugh at a lame joke. It doesn’t matter what it is. It just matters that you seek out that time to laugh and be present enough to enjoy the moment.
Get Moving | You don’t have to do a strenuous workout, but you should move. Dance in your office, go for a walk, play with your dog, bike to your local coffee shop – just move. Too much inactivity in a day can lead to lethargy and you’re rarely going to have a feel good moment when you’re lacking energy.
Do Something For Yourself | Last, but probably one of the most important. A lot of these things are doing something for yourself (being proud, celebrating your success, etc) but this one’s a little more broad. Make yourself your favorite coffee drink, indulge in a chapter or two of a good book, do yoga, go to the spa, etc. Do something that makes you feel good and embrace that moment as one that’s just for you to enjoy.
For me, I love to grab a delicious snack in the afternoon so I can push through the rest of the day as that’s usually when my slump kicks in. I love grabbing these Perfectly Simple Protein Bars (especially the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk ones!) because it they keep me full until dinner. Not only that, but they don’t taste like a protein bar. Between their simplistic ingredients, great flavors, and their protein content – they’re perfect to grab and head out for a quick walk mid-afternoon. Two birds, one stone!
You can get the Perfectly Simple Protein Bars in the following delicious flavors:
- Almond Toffee Crunch
- Bing Cherry & Almond
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk
- Roasted Cashew & Dark Chocolate
Want to get your own? Grab this $1.00 off coupon or you can buy these delicious bars in tons of flavors on Amazon.
And I want one lucky winner to be able to get these for free so I’m giving away another $25 gift card to Amazon! If you want to enter to win the other giveaways I have going on, check out this page. Good luck!