I know I know… not ANOTHER guide to happiness. We have read millions and still are not happy. I will admit, I have tried a lot of “quick fix” remedies to my happiness. This is not that. This is a guide for us girls that want to be in a better headspace, but don’t really want to get off the couch to do so.
Today I offer you five simple steps for you to make simple changes in your daily routine. I have found the smallest changes sometimes make the biggest impact. Don’t worry, it won’t take too much time or effort!
1. Set your alarm for 20 minutes earlier. Getting out of bed is hard enough! Now you want me to wake up 20 minutes earlier? Yes. Why? Studies have shown that waking up an hour earlier can reduce your risk of depression by 23%, according to a study out of University of Colorado Boulder and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Since this is the lazy girls guide, we are going to start with just 20 minutes earlier and work our way to an hour.
2. Start your morning with some simple stretches Now that you are awake earlier, you have some time to start your morning off strong. Before you do anything, you should complete some simple stretches to get your body and mind ready for the day. Dana VanPamelen, co-founder of Hit House in New York City states “By adding stretching into our morning routine, we are waking up the body by boosting circulation, increasing energy, and decreasing pain”. Stretches she suggest are but not limited to; knees-to-chest stretch, supine twist stretch, butterfly stretch, child’s pose, and forward fold stretch. You can follow any stretch routine you’d like. I listen to “10-minute stretching” on my Kindle. It is the perfect guide to complete simple, easy stretches in the morning. I have attached the link below. Most guides to happiness suggest working out in the morning, but we are going to start with stretches. Perfect for us lazy girls.
Find the link to my stretching guide HERE!
3. Clean one specific part of your life. There is nothing us lazy girls hate more than cleaning. On the contrary, a messy and unorganized space also leads to anxiety and stress. It is proven that many are calmer when their surroundings and living space are in order and clean. I pick something small to organize or clean a day. This could be cleaning your toilets, vacuuming one room in your house, or getting all the cups out of your car. I make a list for the week and make sure I stick to it. You will only be spending a few minutes of your day cleaning these areas, but it will make a huge difference in your everyday mental health. You will feel happier, organized, and more productive.
4. Drink lots of water
This one seems obvious, but most American’s are not meeting their daily water goal. Women should drink around 12 cups a day and men should be drinking around 15. That is over a half of a gallon of water a day. I know I have a hard time meeting that goal. I am drinking throughout the day, but I catch myself drinking coffee, tea, or wine before I go for that glass of water. I am not saying to cut out our favorite drinks, but we need to make sure we are drinking the required amount of water in between those tasty drinks. It will make you feel more energized, happy, and healthier. This water bottle helps me get through my water for the day. It especially helps because my students will bully me when they see I am behind! Find my water bottle here: Water Bottle
5. Write down one positive that happened throughout the day. Journaling is a great source of relieving stress and clearing your mind. Journaling also may take a little more time than us lazy girls are willing to give up at the end of the day. I am going to advise you to go buy a journal to write one event a day. This is only one sentence or a few words. It should not take more than ten minutes at the end of your day. This will end your day with you thinking about all the positive things that happened to you throughout the day. We tend to forget the good when we get wrapped up in the stress or our busy schedules. Now, when you are laying your head down at night, this positive event will be the last thing you are thinking about when you are falling asleep.
The secret to happiness does not have to be a complete reboot of our lives. Being lazy also does not infer that we are unhappy. These five steps are effective in keeping our mind clear and positive. Now go get your ass off the couch and clean something!
** All my links are to my affiliate account. I receive money when you click on these! Help a girl out :)
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