5 Easy Steps to Feel a Little Better Today

Real change involves baby steps and not leaps. I recognize that I have said that before, but also that some of the small steps I shared may not always seem that small when someone is really struggling with strong emotions. So let’s get even smaller!

You would be amazed at how even a tiny action can have a significant impact on our emotional experience in the moment. These steps may not change your outlook permanently, but they can provide a moment of relief or can compound to help lead to bigger change. Here are five little things you can try today:

1. Go for a walk. Fresh air + moving your body = feeling good. If the weather outside isn’t great just get up and stretch or consider heading to a mall, where the weather is always nice.
   
2. Clean and tidy your environment. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed is bound to happen if your space is not conducive to productivity or clarity. Start with making your bed, decluttering your desk or just doing the dishes and you will feel slightly more accomplished. 
   
3. Speak to someone you connect with. It’s easy for us to become disconnected from our friends and family. You might not even realize you have withdrawn. Try finding an outlet to catch up with someone you care about, whether it’s calling a friend or checking in with your grandmother. Just call.
   
4. Shower, clean yourself up and get out of the house. It might seem like bad 1950’s newspaper column advice, but feeling refreshed and looking presentable generally does help you feel a bit better. Also, getting out of the house can be an important change of scenery when we really need it. 
   
5. ​​Breathe. OK, so you are probably already doing this, but are you even aware of how you are breathing right now? A few minutes of breathing meditation or simply breathing intentionally and noticing how the air flows in and out of you can be really helpful when we are upset, anxious or feeling down. Remember how your parents told you take a deep breath when you were upset as a child? Well, it worked then and it will work now.

Image used under Creative Commons license. CLICK HERE for the source.
 Image: Walking the Labyrinth by GPS. See side panel for further copyright information.