25 Ways To Make Your Life Better Immediately

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

1. Listen to “The Circle Of Life.” Seriously, it’s like a musical version of caffeine. Once that naaaaaaaaaaaa sevenyaaa hits, you’re awake, you’re refreshed, you’re alive. This song makes a great alarm if you want to wake up feeling amazing every morning – just be prepared to have the “pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom” part stuck in your head all day.

2. Stop answering the calls you don’t want to answer, replying to texts you don’t want to reply to, and saying yes to the invites you don’t want to attend. It may be hard to say “no thanks” or ignore a person, but if you feel the urge to, there’s usually a reason for that… And even if you’re just being an antisocial homebody, that’s your prerogative!

3. If someone you hang out with is content going nowhere in life and doing the things you guys did five years ago, don’t be hesitant to branch off solo. That doesn’t mean cut them off entirely or stop caring about their well-being – just make sure valuable time isn’t going to waste on unproductive tendencies.

4. Give any heartfelt compliments to people who you genuinely feel deserve ‘em. Tell them your really nice, deep down opinions of them – the stuff that you’d say if they passed away — but since you can actually relay those kind words to them today, take advantage of it.

5. Stop dedicating yourself to any significant changes that you’re ONLY making for the satisfaction of others.

6. If you’re at a job that you HATE, find a way out. Start applying other places so each day has the possibility of a callback and some change. And don’t just seek another job that you’d dread going to, but a place you’d feel happy to do work at. Obviously we can’t just quit if we want to have food, water and all that good stuff, but if you aren’t happy you certainly shouldn’t be content.

7. Do that thing you’ve always wanted to try (e.g. make a short film) but have been too scared, unconfident, self-conscious, etc. to attempt. Just decide — I’m going to give it a real shot and see how it goes.

8. Go get a workout in. It can be short or lengthy, but how many times have you EVER worked out and not felt better (mood-wise) afterward?

9. Read the news. Not just where you’re at but across the rest of the globe. I promise you there’ll be multiple stories of horrific stuff that’ll make you grateful. Surely anyone with Internet access and the ability to read could have it worse.

10. Reading the news probably made you feel a little crappy, so listen to this as you continue reading:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5TqIdff_DQ%5D

11. Get some comfort food and just have at it. Don’t count calories, just eat all of the carbs and grease until you feel good mentally or physically ill.

12. Just unfollow what’s-their-name who is always annoying or offending you via Twitter, Facebook, etc. Use your stress on more important things.

13. Focus on now instead of lingering on the uncontrollable. The past is history and the future’s mystery. While the beginning of your story has been written in permanent ink, you’re still the author in full control of how it ends. Make an effort right this minute on a cause or person that matters to you.

14. Clean up around yourself. As someone who hates cleaning, I know it can seem so undesirable at first thought, but once you start and finish it’ll be well worth it. After living in a pigsty, an organized, dust and grime free home is a much happier one.

15. Forgive someone you’ve been holding a grudge or anger toward. NO, it doesn’t count if you just say to yourself, “Meh, I don’t hate him/her anymore…” You’ve got to do better than that. It’s not like you have to move in with ‘em or make friendship bracelets, just send a text or Facebook message smoothing things over.

16. Buy something you’ve been wanting for a long time. It’s probably like a new cell phone or something of that nature, but splurge and indulge your inner materialist for a bit.

17. Watch one of your favorite childhood movies. One of the kid films you memorized every single line to and have parts of embedded in your brain for life. Here, I’ll start things off for you with one of my all-time favorites, It Takes Two.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUFVZ1Jc60E%5D

18. Quit being fake. Nobody wants to admit it, but sometimes we get caught up in unauthentic activity and after one or two white lies, we’re caught up in a web of fabrications. It becomes stressful to uphold these facades — do yourself a favor and be the real you. Trust me, anyone who matters will remain a part of your life.

19. Make sure you have enough alone time daily. Maybe you want to go to the movies alone or have a meal by yourself – do that. Just be forewarned, if you run into anyone you know they’ll think you’re depressed, because doing things solo in this day and age has been deemed lonely and sad.

20. Perform a random act of kindness. Seriously, you’ll be so happy you did it. Anything from volunteering your time to donating to a good cause — there’s nothing more beautiful than a capable human doing something to help a less fortunate, fellow human, and expecting nothing in return.

21. Don’t be a pushover. This doesn’t mean you have to be stubborn or rude either, but make a stand for what you believe in and speak up when you’ve been done wrong. It doesn’t even have to be that serious – but I can’t tell you how many incorrect Starbucks drinks I’ve consumed because I was too passive to bother speaking up.

22. See the story in any current crappy situations, and revel in the fact that you’ll be able to reflect on ‘em and tell interested, funny, sad, emotion provoking tales in the future.

23. If there are any apologies you owe for wrongdoings but you’ve been putting off, get them out immediately. Whether they accept it or not, you’ve done what you can to resolve the conflict.

24. Dance like nobody is watching…. But if you’re really bad, make sure that nobodyis actually watching — because as good as it feels, it probably won’t be something you want finding its way on YouTube or filed in someone’s memory.

25. Love hard. Whether it’s friends, siblings, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives or children – let them know you love them. Because we’re so comfortable in their presence, we tend to treat the ones we love with less respect than we would a complete stranger. Do what you can to let those important few know they’re appreciated and most importantly, loved. TC Mark

image – Shutterstock

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