NINE THINGS TO DO TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF

Lately, I have been researching about mental health and the problems that can arise from individuals with cognitive imbalances in the brain. This, in turn, made me think of what I personally do after being placed in a stressful situation. If you want to read more on why life is worth living, you can read more here.

FOCUS ON THE MOMENT

Stop—stop for a moment and try to focus entirely on a random object. For example, in front of my desk is an orange. Some questions that quickly arise are—where did this orange come from?, how many hands have touched it?, or was the orange fruit named after the colour? The answers to the questions themselves can remain a mystery but at that moment in time, I am directing my focus entirely on the orange and nothing else. As ridiculous as what you read might sound, it works simply because the orange acts as a bridge between life being complicated and life being as simple as that, an orange. Try it on something, on anything.

CLEAN

Clean. Clean the dishes. Clean your room and the entire house if you have to. I know, cleaning is boring and requires physical work—but think about how you will feel after you are finished. Think about how accomplished you will feel from such a simple activity. Who knows, maybe you’ll find money or an old belonging that brings back some good, old memories. If that isn’t enough, think about how a clean house will feel—an organized room, folded clothes, dust-free laptop and tables—it’s uplifting.

EXERCISE

Run. Go outside of your safe space and just run as fast as you can. This will get your endorphins going which will result in happiness. Run until you are out of breath. Walk it off and repeat until you can’t run anymore. You feel yourself gasping for air? That is what it means to be alive.

TAKE A SHOWER

Shower. Not only is the shower a perfect place to sing your favourite songs out of tune but a place to reflect and feel sorry for yourself as well. Have a long, hot shower and cry your heart out if needed. Sit on the ground and let the hot water clean every inch of your body. Let the steam soak into your skin and just focus on breathing. That said, promise yourself that the moment you turn off the water, you will move on from whatever troubles you felt. Leave the shower with a clean slate.

WRITE

Write on paper—with a pen—I don’t necessarily mean words. Let whatever is on your mind, whatever emotion or problem translate to the paper in front of you. Scribble furiously or draw a picture of Toby if you have to. Write anything and have it not make sense to anyone but yourself. When you are done, rip the paper into tens, hundreds of pieces and watch as they fall to the floor—the paper is your enemy. Sometimes having destructive thoughts can make you feel good. Don’t carry it out for too long though.

DRINK TEA

Boil some water and make some tea. There are so many health benefits that come with tea—I will leave this to the experts. Watch as the tea leaves disperse and change the colour of the water. Realize that watching colours change is a simple experience that we often overlook. Sit on a chair with the teacup in your hands and wait patiently for the tea to cool. Feel the warmth in your stomach as you slowly sip the tea.

BECOME THE PERSON YOU WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH

Go outside and open doors for strangers. Smile as they walk past you. Go for a drive and let cars merge into your lane. Pay for an extra parking ticket and leave the second one in the machine. Compliment people on their clothes. Compliment them on their personality. Ask people about their day or story even. Talk to acquaintances and try not to interrupt. Become friends with them, even if there are language barriers, age gaps, or cultural differences. When you see someone struggling, act selflessly to help them. Maybe it will take the weight off of your shoulders—who knows?

WRITE DOWN A LIST OF GOALS

Write down a list of goals to achieve for the day or week. Start with easy tasks such as waking up, brushing your teeth, drinking water, or going for a walk. Tick them off as you finish them. Being organized in such a manner teaches you that every small task can be seen as an accomplishment, as a success. Not only will you feel as you are doing more than usual, which will pep your mood (woohoo), but it will teach you to take on a more structured approach to planning things.

TAKE A BREAK FROM THE INTERNET

Take a break. You can do it. Do you know how many meaningless little things you trouble yourself with? These platforms—Email, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Quora, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Facebook—you can take a break from them for a few minutes. For a day even. Don’t get me wrong, these socials have changed our lives for the better but when you become so enamoured with them that you can’t take a small break for yourself, it can become tiring. Very tiring. Make some time for yourself—just yourself.