Have you ever learned something that blew your mind but simultaneously made you regret all of the time you spent not doing it? Like meal prepping on Sunday evening, watching your favorite Netflix show while walking on the treadmill, or working remotely instead of commuting. We are always on the lookout for ways to improve the quality of our lives, so why not hear some tips from others online too?
2 weeks ago, Reddit user Kxrll reached out asking others to share the things that improved their lives so much they wish they had started doing them sooner. The comments were flooded with time-saving tips and habits people developed that increased their happiness. So we hope you enjoy reading the responses below, and maybe you’ll even be inspired to start reading every evening or eating healthier as well. Be sure to upvote the replies that resonate with you, and then if you’re interested in finding out more small habits that can have an impact on your daily life, check out this Bored Panda piece next.
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Doing at least one chore a day.
You would be amazed at how well getting *something* done, even if you hate it, can fight back against certain depressive mentalities, particularly the ones that convince you you're useless or are a burden.
We all know that certain things on this list are good for us: exercising daily, eating healthy, taking walks, avoiding conflicts with strangers on the internet, etc. But as with anything else in life, developing healthy habits is easier said than done. We can decide that we want to cook more meals at home to save money, but executing that plan does not happen overnight. Humans are creatures of habit, and to develop a new routine, we usually have to disrupt our current one.
There is a widely held belief that it takes about 21 days to break a habit, as Dr. Maxwell Maltz claimed that most people need about three weeks to get accustomed to a new home, new facial features from a plastic surgery operation, or losing a limb due to amputation. This three-week rule does not always apply though, as getting used to something new is not necessarily the same as kicking a habit you have had for years, like smoking cigarettes or eating processed sugar every day.
Moved away from the state I grew up in. I didn't know how unhappy I was. I had gotten used to being miserable and now that I'm in a better area I'm a completely different person.
Big upvote. For me it was moving away from my toxic, abusive family. I needed approx. 1 year to get used to the calm, quiet atmosphere in my rented apartment. It was unbelievable that days can start without slammed doors at 6 am, with no yelling, arguing and insults. Wish I had done this earlier, instead of desperately hoping that my family would change and treat me better.
If you are really interested in breaking a habit to make room for a new one, there is unfortunately no perfect timeline to follow. There are various factors coming into play like how long you have had the habit for, how often you do it, what rewards you receive from it, whether other behaviors or those around you enable the habit, and what your motivation is for stopping. For example, quitting drinking will be a lot harder if your partner has a glass of wine every evening, and your plans with friends always involve alcohol.
Some research from the University College London even suggests that a more realistic gauge of how long breaking a habit will take is about 10 weeks. Don’t let that discourage you though; sustainable changes take time. Be patient with yourself and implement small changes first. If you want to reduce your sugar intake, for example, do not go cold-turkey. Begin by banning sugary drinks and/or candy from your household. Then slowly work up to cutting out baked goods and frozen desserts as well. If you are torturing yourself, your changes are not likely to stick.
I stopped living my life just waiting for the weekend. When you work 5 days a week and have just 2 off, it's not good to be always waiting for those 2 days. You can plan something meaningful or fun every day, even if it's just a small thing.
Got a cat
On the bright side, it is typically much easier to develop a new habit than to break an old one. So after you finish this list and are feeling inspired, start making arrangements to do at least one chore every day or find a therapist that suits your needs. While all changes take time to get used to, picking up a new hobby or healthy habit that improves your life will always be worth it. For tips on how to get started, I consulted James Clear’s blog post “How to Build a New Habit: This is Your Strategy Guide”.
His first recommendation is to “start with an incredibly small habit”. He notes that often we assume that we lack the willpower to achieve a goal, but willpower is just a muscle that we need to strengthen. If you have a goal of doing 50 pushups per day, for example, remember that is your goal. You can start out doing 5 a day. Then maybe 10 the next week. There is no reason to rush when it makes a small habit seem unattainable.
Stopped caring what others think about me.
this is really hard. i always tell myself not to care too much and that in twenty years i'll think, "why did i care so much about what others though?" however it's really hard to let go of this thought process. maybe it'll come with age.
Once a very small habit has been developed, James recommends increasing it by 1% every day. “Rather than trying to do something amazing from the beginning, start small and gradually improve,” he writes. “Along the way, your willpower and motivation will increase, which will make it easier to stick to your habit for good.” Once you have built up a habit, James notes that it is important to keep your goals reasonable to maintain momentum. Don’t be afraid to break up your 20 minutes a day of meditation into two 10 minute chunks or your 50 pushups into 5 sets of 10. It is much better to have manageable goals then to become overwhelmed and throw in the towel altogether.
Reading books way more
Audiobooks are a great way of adding books into a busy life. I use audiobooks on my morning commute, and before bed.
I started viewing things as potential experiences rather than just opportunities for achievement.
Before that, for example, if I took a class then I was only focused on the grade. If I couldn't get a good grade, I didn't like the class. Heck, I wouldn't even start a book if I thought it might be too hard or too long and I might not finish it.
Then I realized the purpose of classes (and books and other things) was to learn and that hard ones were likely the ones I learned the most from, even if I didn't get the best grade.
I started doing all sorts of stuff with the idea that I just wanted the experience. Even if I was the worst one out there, who cares? I wasn't there for the achievement, I wanted to learn things.
This works socially as well and I started taking way more risks, telling myself that, at the very least, it would be a learning experience.
I saw a saying once: "It's only a failure if you stop trying, otherwise, it's an experiment." I love it.
Left my abusive relationship of 14 years.
Well done, you! They had the chance to learn to be a better person but didn't - now you go have a better life. Arohanui
Inevitably, there will be a few moments where you slip up or fall out of your routine. Life just gets in the way sometimes, with things like injuries, family emergencies, and holidays disrupting our plans. James writes, “Rather than trying to be perfect, abandon your all-or-nothing mentality.” Nobody is perfect, so your aim should be consistency. Don’t beat yourself up for falling off track on occasion, just continue along as normal. Lastly, James says to be patient and “stick to a pace you can sustain”. Long-lasting changes do not happen overnight, so don’t give into the temptation of letting impatience discourage you. If you really want to develop a sustainable habit, there are no shortcuts, but the effort will be worth the reward.
Stopped going to church. Not going to church is such a big part of my life now. I wish I had not gone sooner.
THIS! Best decision I ever made. I tried for so many years to make it work, kept making excuses for everyone and everything there, and then one day I thought to myself, I don't have to come here if I don't want to. The freedom and relief I have had since then are immense and I see things so much more clearly from outside the bubble.
Quitting drinking is the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental and physical health and it’s done nothing but improve my relationships. The last year and a half have been the best I’ve ever had
Congratulations. Your efforts are valuable to yourself and those around you.
Walking! I’ve got stamina again
I'm in complete agreement with this. I went from hardly ever walking to 4 or more miles a day over the past year and it feels great.
While reading this list, you might be realizing that your life could stand to have some improvements too. It is important to appreciate what you have and find a way to be content wherever you are, but there is nothing wrong with a little self-reflection. Maybe you’re realizing that a healthy habit you once had disappeared somewhere along the line over the past few years. Somehow that 6am daily workout got phased out of your life after taking on a new job or moving farther away from your gym. It is easy to slip into a routine on autopilot and forget that we have the power to make changes, however, making an effort to set and work towards goals is a great way to bring motivation and excitement to our lives.
Eating dinner or a late snack at work. Too often I would leave work hungry, and the temptation driving past Chick-fil-A or the corner taco shop was too much. I've kept my weight under control for a couple of years now, having dropped from the 220s to the 170s.
Got a proper diagnosis. I think a lot of people that for years questioned themselves “what’s wrong with me?” when they finally got diagnosed it’s a big relief and changes a lot in a better way
Bachelor degree at 47 years old. Master degree at 50 years old.
Doubled my salary in 4 years, from just getting by to on track for retiring at 60.
Life is one big classroom without the walls, you never stop learning and you never should.
Professor of Psychology Leslie Riopel wrote a piece for Positive Psychology titled “The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting” that breaks down the reasons why we should all have aspirations. She notes that it is normal for our goals to change over time as we get older and develop our priorities, but they are still important to have so that our lives don’t become stagnant. It’s easy to feel aimless or meaningless when we don’t have anything to look forward to. But when we set goals, particularly very specific ones, we have something driving us. According to research in goal-setting theory by Edward Locke, “Over 90% of the time, goals that were specific and challenging, but not overly challenging, led to higher performance when compared to easy goals or goals that were too generic such as a goal to do your best.” It is assumed that we all want to be happy, do our best, etc, but not everyone wants to run a marathon in the next year or get a promotion at work before their next birthday. Set your sights on goals specific to you.
When I was told that I would lose my eyesight it made me pay more attention to how beautiful the sky was. I can still see and I enjoy watching the clouds on a level I can't even explain.
Yes, we should all look at the sky, just make sure you’re not looking at the sun
Meeting my wife. That woman fills my heart in ways words can't describe. It just can't be too much sooner because then I wouldn't have my awesome step-sons.
Learning how to do everything myself. Car issue? Look it up. Fix my fence? Look it up. Just do it all myself. Replace valves? Look it up.
If they don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Goal-setting can also be an important factor in taking care of our mental health. Riopel writes that, “Goal setting has been shown to help improve the outcome in treatment, amongst studies done in adults with depression.” Battling depression can take a huge toll on an individual, but by setting goals in treatment, like slowly implementing routines including taking a daily walk or cleaning their apartment, patients can feel proud of what they accomplish and more motivated to keep fighting. Their goals can be reminders that their lives can get better, slowly but surely. One study even found that patients who participated in goal-setting exercises were more willing to accept a mental health referral, which can be crucial to improving their health.
working out and deleting most social media like twitter
Not everyone can afford this but: moving closer to work.
My commute went from 45 miserable minutes in traffic glaring in hatred at the tail lights in front of me to a pleasant 15 minute bike ride. I got an hour of free time every day and better health.
After my old job made me redundant as I didn't want to relocate to the big smoke, my new job took my commute down from 1-1.5 hour drive to a 10 minute walk. It was quite a drop in salary and although the commuting costs saved didn't quite make up for it, the amount of time I got back more than made up for it
Setting concrete goals can also yield more success than working towards vague aspirations. Dr. Gail Matthews, a clinical psychologist from Dominican University of California, found that individuals who write down their goals, share them with a friend and send weekly updates on their progress are on average 33% more successful than their peers whose goals are simply floating around their minds. Though it seems so simple, there is power to putting our goals on paper or speaking them out loud. Making a firm commitment to a task may seem scary, but it also makes us much more likely to be successful.
Daily exercise. It doubled my energy for an hour out of my day.
Trying to be more positive in general.
Yes! It’s so easy to be the negative Nelly at work, I have to catch myself not to criticize unless it’s going to help or if I have an answer. I never have the answer btw
Has this list inspired you to take up a new hobby or adopt a new healthy habit? It has certainly reminded me to stop slacking off on some of my "routines" that used to be daily but are now falling into the "weekly occurrence" category... Whether you aim to learn a new language, cut toxic individuals out of your life or quit smoking cigarettes, write that goal down and say it out loud. Once you have developed the habit, you'll probably be wishing you had done it sooner. Remember to upvote all of your favorite responses, and then let us know in the comments what improved your life so much that you wish you had been doing it all along.
Finding the right therapist. Been in since I was 9, and found the right one at 23. It’s only been maybe 6 months but I’ve already unpacked so much more trauma in that small time than I did all the other YEARS wasted in therapy.
Exercise every day. Anxiety and depression are much easier to manage, and I got some confidence I haven't had in years
Yes. Movement and working out is really key to keep my anxiety at a manageable level. Even if I don't like it - I know it will help. When I want to do it the very least it helps the most. I don't have time to go to the gym everyday with work and kids but try to involve some movement for days when I can't. Like, I bike everywhere (that really makes a difference) and have some dumbbells and resistance bands at home - that way I can always fit in a 20-30min session and feel much better afterwards. I wouldn't say it is the magic cure to end anxiety or depression but it can absolutely make a difference.
Eating more healthily.
Edited: Getting a lot of questions about how I did it. Here's some suggestions with the reminder that this works for me, may not work for you. If you REALLY are serious about losing weight, consult a doctor and/or nutritionist.
1) I was a carb fiend. Pasta, rice, bread, if it had a carb, I wanted fourth servings of it. Sugar is a carb too. So I started watching how many carbs I consumed a day. It shocked me. So now I'm a lot more aware of how many carbs I eat.
2) Building on number 1, serving sizes. To me, an open container of any size was a single serving. I pay attention to how much I'm supposed to eat. For snacks, I'm addicted to SmartFood. You can order a bunch of them in single serving sizes.
3) Vegetables. I always ate veggies, now I eat more. What used to be two thirds potatoes or pasta or rice with a meal is now two thirds vegetables.
4) Cut back on meat. We usually go meatless for dinner at least twice a week. I hardly eat it at breakfast and lunch is about 50/50. I'd say 90% of the meat we do eat is chicken or fish.
5) I have always LOVED to cook but now I'm really stretching my wings and trying things I wouldn't do before. If you don't know how to cook, LEARN. Alton Brown or Ina Garten are great starting places. Don't be intimidated by it, you're not working for Gordon Ramsay, you're just feeding yourself. Learn spices. Steaming veggies sucks. Roast that s**t. Stir fry that s**t. Eat it raw. Anything but steaming. Except boiling, that's worse.
6) Bring your lunch to work. If you eat breakfast at work, bring that too. Same with snacks unless you can get healthy ones there.
7) Don't beat yourself up if you have a cheeseburger. You ARE going to fail. I fail all the time. Every day is a new start.
8) We only eat out or order out once a week.
9) Water. More than you think. Learn to love to pee.
10) I can't do this right now because I broke my foot but a walk after every meal helps with your blood sugar. Ten minutes after breakfast and lunch, a half hour after dinner.
11) All things in moderation. You can have butter or cheese or fried foods, just not every meal. And keep to what you're supposed to eat, it's a lot smaller than you think.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff that *I* personally did. It worked for me, it may not work for you. I'm not a dietician, just a dude who wanted to lose some weight.
Don't consider eating a cheese burger as a failure! Just make it a very deliberate, rare choice. If you only have unhealthy food a couple of times a year, there's nothing wrong with it!
Low impact cardio.
F**k I loved to run, but it destroyed my legs.
I can swim my little heart out :)
I started flower gardening. Really relaxing, you will see results all summer, lots of sucesses and failures but failures bring improvements. And I listen to audible books while I'm at it sometimes. Especially great if you have a desk job.
Edit: It's so nice to know so many are enjoying gardening! I had no idea it would be a reddit thing.
When I stopped worrying about things I could not control. Completely eliminated my general anxiety. Still can’t speak in public, but a catastrophic climate disaster? Sometimes it be like that.
yes. I live in the here and now and whattadayaknow, my body is just made for that, it's an expert in it! And it likes to spend time with a kind person. Life is grand.
I recently took up hand sewing. When I think of how many good pairs of jeans I've thrown away simply because the crotch ripped and all it would've took to fix them was a double threaded ladder stitch.
Hiring a cleaner. I grew up in a house where money was tight. Whenever we heard people talking about their maid or housekeeper, we always assumed they were super rich. I'm not rich. Very much middle class. But my wife and I both work full time and have a lot on our plates. We found a local person who has a small cleaning business. We keep up with day to day cleaning (dishes, laundry, immediate spills and messes, wiping things down, etc). Then once a month, a cleaner does a pass, focusing on dusting, deeper clean of the floors, bathrooms, etc.
It's about the same cost as a date night and it does so much to help us stay on top of things.
I hate housecleaning. Loved it when I had a cleaner. Stopped when one robbed me. But cost wise - so worth it (if they're honest!)
Realizing that my school isn't hell and appreciating the amount of effort my teachers put into their jobs
Just packed up and moved thousands of miles away. Left everything behind and just started over. Besides some debt, a suit case, and contacts for only the non-toxic people in my life, its been an extremely liberating experience. And looking back, nothing was really preventing me from doing it sooner, no real reasons at least, I just kept coming up with excuses not to do it until one day I couldn't think of one
Start only doing things you really want to do.
I always felt this pressure to please others by inconveniencing myself or putting myself in an uncomfortable position as to make someone else happy or not upset.
F**k all that.
It's ok to say no and not have to have anxiety coming up with an excuse.
Do you really want to go out? Or is your friend pressuring you to go? Just say no and be firm. No excuses. Just be clear and firm. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying be an a*****e.
My life has improved greatly. No more social anxiety. No more unwanted social pressure. Just doing whatever I truly want to do because it makes me happy.
My go to response is: No, thanks. I'm just not feelin' it. Nothing else, unless they ask again, then just say, 'Nah.'
I’m fat. I’m always going to be fat and I’m ok with that. That being said, being active. I let my weight limit me. I now realize that no matter my size I need to keep moving. I love getting out and doing things. It makes me feel good especially not with thinness being a goal.
Getting a WFH 40 hour a week job
I was working like 55 hours a week in a warehouse before. So much room for activities
EDIT: This blew up so anyone asking how I did it, there's a comment below explaining it in detail
I stopped acting like a doormat.
I used to think people walked all over me because I was such a nice person and people suck and take advantage of nice people.
It turns out that people like equitable relationships, they like people who can set good boundaries and protect them, and they like people who can take a little push back. They don't want someone just doing nice stuff for them all the time.
By trying to be the nice person all the time I was essentially just trying to manipulate people into liking me because I was useful to them. But this only attracts toxic people and narcissists.
Flossing. (Actually, I use a water pick now.) Now my hygiene and cleaning visits are a breeze, and I haven't had a cavity in years!
An electric spin toothbrush did this for me. Not even a humble brag, I get complimented by the dentist every time!
Swapped TV in the evenings for reading. I've read 19 books since march and my mental health has improved drastically since then. Not sure if it's because of the reading but it's the biggest change I made.
Considering the quality of most TV, it's an easy switch. I love reading, so I applaud your change. Plus I love the Internet for all the print content - that's why I actually registered with Bored Panda. Am enjoying it very much.
A few things...
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1. Started taking walks after every meal that I could. For lunchbreaks at work, I eat something while walking. Walks have allowed me all kinds of time to think about stuff, decompress, and listen to podcasts.
2. If you're like me and you're really out of shape and haven't exercised in years... Put an exercise bike in front of your computer (bonus points for a recumbent one, they're more comfortable), and learn to play more games with a controller. Set small goals with the thing. Play monster hunter? Do a hunt while pedaling as fast as you can, then do a hunt sitting in a chair, then switch back. It's difficult to describe how exhilarating it is to do raiding in FFXIV, and clear a boss for the first time, while completely out of breath and sweating all over the place. It's a truly unique feeling, and I cannot recommend it enough.
3. Somebody already posted "stop arguing with random strangers on the internet," but really I can't stress this one enough. If you see a post on a social media site that you know is going to have controversial comments below it, try and force yourself to not read the comments, unless you are going there specifically to laugh. Life is too short to get mad at people whose opinions you can't change.
4. This one is kind of situational, so it might not work for everyone. I live only 1.5 miles from the local grocery store, and only 2.5 miles from the local mall. When gas prices started going up, I bought myself an insulated backpack and stopped driving for my shopping trips. 3 mile round trip for groceries, and 5 miles round trip for my walks to the mall. It's forced me to buy less garbage food that I shouldn't be eating, and seriously think before I spend money at the mall. The exercise is a bonus.
5. Bought myself a pair of SleepPhones and started listening to nonverbal asmr videos, ocean sounds, rain, anything that seemed relaxing. Used to take me hours to get to sleep, now I'm usually asleep within about 30 minutes of getting into bed.
6. I quit smoking cold turkey last year and while I don't feel very different, I have certainly found that i don't get as winded from basic exercises as i did before.
Setting rules for myself. After covid started, I spent a year drinking and eating pizza every other day and at that time I thought why shouldn't I keep doing it if I enjoy it. You can die anytime so you should make the most out of what little time you have right?. The problem being (apart from health consequences) that it quickly becomes not enjoyable and I realize now how miserable I was during that time
Most things are only fun when you do them occasionally. Sounds obvious I know but it was not obvious for my dumbass. Now I have set rules for myself that I can only drink on sunday's and only eat junk food once a month and its so much more rewarding and fun
Glad you realised that a broader diet is better for your health. Raw and slow foods.
Learned Spanish. Now I have a lot of amazing latino friends and I got a lot of great gigs and opportunities because of it.
Stop drinking and doing so much drugs. I was a terrible alcoholic with first signs of cirrhosis and puking qnd losing enough blood to need a transfusion so kind of a wake up call that still took years to actually stop altogether.
So glad to know you have chosen a healthier pathway. All the best for a better life!
Moved to Washington.
It literally turned my life around.
I was a cab driver in Arizona. And had been barely hanging on when 2008 recession hit. There were more drivers than cabs to lease. There was a lottery every day at work to see if you even got a car.
My luck sucked.
I ended up getting two evictions on my credit in under a year cause I just couldn't pay rent. Not even living paycheck to paycheck, but day to day...
A friend let me stay at his place in Georgia to see if I could do better there. Sadly it was almost worse than Arizona.
I decided to ask my parents if I could stay with them and try Washington.
NIGHT AND F*****G DAY.
I started doing office jobs for like $15/hr. Then something happened. Since I was staying at parents and kicking them some of my income for "rent" though it was low dollar, I was able to save money.
When a job that I had gotten at $17/hr layer off the entire department I put my foot down. Unemployment and savings allowed me to say F**k Off to the "I need a job NOW" opportunities. You know the ones, the ones with s**t bosses and s**t businesses just destroying the workforce.
Then it happened. I found my unicorn. The company was impressed at my resume due to my ability to find a problem and create a solution to fix said problem.
I got hired as a data coordinator. $19/hr. VERY shortly into that position the manager noticed my excel skills and hired me full time from the temp service well before contract was up. $22/hr. After a year he promoted me and moved me to a higher skill position. I was given a raise to 56k/yr.
I quickly proved my mettle in this new environment and earned promotion to Business Analyst 1. I was bumped up to 69k/yr. Just last October in mid pandemic I asked for a raise after proving myself even more in that new role. My boss agreed and went to bat for me.
Came back (after a bit of delay) with a raise to 76k/yr. With a cost of living bump in March of 22 that has put me at 79k/yr.
In 14 years I went to living day to day pay, to having a fully funded emergency fund, I bought a condo May 2021, and have a new car that is almost paid off.
My credit has skyrocketed to 769 and climbing. I have about $30,000 worth of credit cards with 0 balances, and a 401K that while stunted from years of not having...is getting there.
The absolute biggest change is that I do not have to worry about a big bill. I don't have to put off any payments as my savings and income can handle fluctuations.
It has done wonders for my life and wellbeing. If I had done this YEARS earlier, just think where I might have been.
True - it's what we don't know that we don't know that can hold us back. Plus fear of change and the unknown. All the best!
Improved my finances and my health.
Tucking away money for retirement was something I should have started in my early 20's. I'm in my early 50's now and will probalby end up retiring to Costa Rica or Portugal to make the most out of my money.
I also had a deviated septum fixed when I was in my late 40's and man, I wish I'd fixed that sooner. You forget how important breathing through your nose is until you go to the dentist, or sleep, or eat, or exercise. HUGE inconvenience for a week or so while it healed for a gigantic upgrade in my lifestyle.
I started this about a year ago when my partner moved in with me because he does this: budget $10 for lunch everyday. Every day that you don't spend the $10 (most days, I bring my lunch so this works out well for me), transfer that money into a savings account. See how much you have at the end of the month. Since doing this, I am much more inclined to bring lunch, eat healthier, spend my extra time walking, etc.
I begrudgingly started lifting weights when I was 30 due to some back pain that caused me to barely be able to get out of my office chair, I forced myself to go for a few weeks, then I started looking forward to going to the gym, then after a while I became a total gym rat meat head. I wish I had started lifting when I was a teenager, not only did it cure my back pain but I lost weight, look and feel much better and the doctor says all my health indicators are spot on now as I am in my 40s and in addition it's like a hobby for me now that I tinker with and socialize with other people who are into the same thing etc
Understanding that just because they’re your parents, doesn’t mean they get a mandatory place in your life. Although it’s not what I wanted, walking away was the best thing for my mental health. Now that my father has passed, I seldom think of my mother and brother.
They had the chance to show unconditional love and chose ... not. You made the right choice.
My social skills. Looking back, I could have made some awesome new friends. But nope, my anxiety driven a*s had to be difficult back then.
Got a bidet toilet attachment. There’s nothing like having a clean a*s all the time.
water guns on all toilets would help everyone and save on the need for smearing poop all over your a*s
I did fencing in college and after that I just couldn't make it work with my school and work schedule. Fifteen years later, I found a club and started doing it again. I hate every other sport and exercising just to exercise is unpleasant and boring; this is the only one for me and I needed something to make me active.
Hiring a sleep coach to help figure out why my kids wouldn't sleep.
She didn't suggest anything radical, just a bunch of little changes. But she held us accountable several times a day for two weeks through a shared spreadsheet, and the improvement was incredible. Kids slept way longer, were happier, and better behaved. Spouse and I gained hours together in the evenings, had a way calmer home, and also got to sleep more.
We hesitated for months because of sticker shock, but it ended up being a huge investment in our quality of life.
Playing Minecraft.
I'm a fully grown adult that used to think it was really stupid. But then my friend set up a server, and now we all play together. It's a wonderful creative outlet that isn't anywhere near as stressful as some games can be.
Getting good earplugs for sleeping.
Stop adding sugar to my coffee
Cut sugar out 100% - your pancreas will thank you! Use stevia if you must have sweetness.
Using a cup instead of tampons and pads.
I got really heavy periods since i started and it was ALWAYS a pain for me to deal with just how often i had to change them and how much i had to use. I could have a super tampon, night pad and toilet paper and still bleed thro em all in a few hours.
Got a cup and while annoying to use, it gets so much more blood than the others and i dont have to worry about TSS as much. Also sleeping soundly for more than 8 hours a night was a bleesing for me.
Sounds like there could be a medical problem here that should be addressed, perhaps fibroids. That much bleeding isn't healthy, I've been there, and I'm finally getting a hysterectomy
Getting my deviated septum fixed.
Too many broken noses when I was younger eventually lead to me as an adult barely able to breath out of my nose. Sleep was horrible for me. I basically couldn't. I got to the point where I was a zombie sleep walking through the day. One operation and suddenly I could breath. Even with the bandages still on, I could breath better than before. And I could actually sleep. After the first night I realized I had experienced a dream while sleeping - something I hadn't had in years.
I should have done that years earlier.
I learned self-defense, real street fighting skills, down and dirty.
It did not make me feel invincible, but it gave me a framework to access risk more accurately and gave me situational awareness.
Best thing I ever did.
Has to have given you greater confidence. I bet you stand differently, approach new situations and people differently, all of which other people will note subconsciously so they treat you differently. Hopefully better.
I just started this one! I wake up 10 minutes sooner. That's it. 10 minutes. But it has motivated to move my butt early which let's me get a few quick things done before I leave for work and my husband appreciates coming home and not having to do *all* of the meal prep (since he's home before me and cooks dinner every night).
It feels good!
I used to get up an hour before I had to leave for work just so I could spend time in my garden. Like you, it set me up for the day.
Finally talking with my (then-new) family doctor about my misuse of decongestant nose spray. He told me it's a common issue and that there is help. 1.5 years of tapering off and two surgeries later I used bad nosespray for the final time. I could kick myself for not talking about it for more than twenty years.
Edit: I am working my way through the comments and questions, I posted it before going to bed and didn't expect much reaction, so:
The addiction's name is Rhinitis medicamentosa. So it's not an addiction like alcohol (in the way there's a "reward" system in your brain), but it's a self sustaining process - you have an infection and take nose spray. If you do it more than a few days the reason why you took it at first is gone, but these sprays mean the nose clogs again. So you take nose spray against nose spray, which got worse and worse over the years.
Many asked which spray I took: I largely gave up talking about any names in this regard - by definition of stereotype every redditor except me is from the US, so your stuff has different names in the store than the German stuff I took.
The nose spray I used is sold in Germany as Nasic which has xylometazoline as main active agent.
Some others asked about the surgeries, so here is more about the process:
My new family doctor sent me to an ENT for help. He mentioned that next to the effect of the addiction, there's often a background to it. Turned out my concha were enlarged and my septum deviated. I must have broken my nose once, the ENT insisted ot must have happened although I didn't know it. Maybe when I fell off my bike as toddler or so. Both limited how much air could pass and made it even more prone to clogging, which was boosted by the misuse of Nasic.
The concha were cauterized (so a small intervention, about 30 minutes + a few days sick leave), the septum deviation was corrected via full anaesthesia surgery in the hospital by the ENT + 2 weeks sick leave
The process took so long as the ENT started with tapering off by flooding the nose spray with hayfever and sea salt ones, (effect: Reducing bad nose spray from 5x a day to 1-2x), then cauterizing after which the nose needed to heal (reducing it to 0-1x per day) before the surgery. As the septum deviation is done in hospital I needed to wait a few weeks until I could do it, and afterwards the nose needs some weeks to heal again.
The nasal spray in the US that causes this problem is usually oxymetazoline. Brand name that's most well known is Afrin. It's a very common problem here, especially with healthcare being the dumpster fire that it is in the US. People just cobble together whatever over the counter stuff they can to try and make it to work.
Moving out of my home country.
I understand this so well. I also HATE the expression "home country" - it's not my home; it hasn't been in almost 10 years. And f**k that place.
Taking birth control to clear my skin. I wish I'd started popping those pills at age 11 and avoided 9 miserable years with acne
Working out almost everyday, even if it's only for an hour. Smiling at my reflection everytime I look in the bathroom or bedroom mirror.
Accepting adversity as a part of any process. We may get too overwhelmed from time to
time when adversity hits, but if you take a peak at the future, it all starts to feel smaller and make more sense.
For me, I started eating sugar. I'm not talking about nutritious complex carbs, I mean actual junkfood sugar. I'd been told it was evil for so long that I didn't understand that you actually sort of need it to survive. Or at least I do. I may have undiagnosed hypoglycemia, but after I stopped being afraid of it, I started having energy and was able to gain weight for the first time in my life. My mental capacity and mood have improved, as well. My whole life, I thought I was eating healthy by eating whole foods and vegetables and avoiding sugar, but I could never figure out why I felt so sick all the time. It was so frustrating. Doctors were no help. It still blows my mind that sugar can actually be healthy. It just flies in the face of everything I've ever been told.
A month ago I stopped reading the news. I realised I had become so depressed from reading about all the endless crises. I stopped looking at any news website, and it has done my mental health the world of good.
Agreed. Turned off all notifications from news apps and the doom and gloom feed has stopped. Huge change to overall daily attitude.
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I would add learning to delegate. I used to feel the need to do everything myself because I grew up poor and that is how it's done. I'm finally learning to pay people for services by respecting that my time is valuable. So I don't more my own lawn anymore or manage my businesses social media, and I am so happy.
Oh God yes! I pay someone to deep clean my house twice a month and it's soooo nice. Then I don't feel shitty about my house and can spend my free time doing things I want to do
Load More Replies... For me, I started eating sugar. I'm not talking about nutritious complex carbs, I mean actual junkfood sugar. I'd been told it was evil for so long that I didn't understand that you actually sort of need it to survive. Or at least I do. I may have undiagnosed hypoglycemia, but after I stopped being afraid of it, I started having energy and was able to gain weight for the first time in my life. My mental capacity and mood have improved, as well. My whole life, I thought I was eating healthy by eating whole foods and vegetables and avoiding sugar, but I could never figure out why I felt so sick all the time. It was so frustrating. Doctors were no help. It still blows my mind that sugar can actually be healthy. It just flies in the face of everything I've ever been told.
A month ago I stopped reading the news. I realised I had become so depressed from reading about all the endless crises. I stopped looking at any news website, and it has done my mental health the world of good.
Agreed. Turned off all notifications from news apps and the doom and gloom feed has stopped. Huge change to overall daily attitude.
Load More Replies... I would add learning to delegate. I used to feel the need to do everything myself because I grew up poor and that is how it's done. I'm finally learning to pay people for services by respecting that my time is valuable. So I don't more my own lawn anymore or manage my businesses social media, and I am so happy.
Oh God yes! I pay someone to deep clean my house twice a month and it's soooo nice. Then I don't feel shitty about my house and can spend my free time doing things I want to do
Load More Replies...