3 Easy Ways to Feel Healthier and Happier

Living a healthier and happier life doesn’t have to be as hard as we tend to make it. Sometimes if we’ve gotten into a spiral of unhealthy life choices and aren’t feeling the greatest mentally or emotionally, getting back on track and making healthy decisions can feel like the hardest thing to do. I’m not saying the steps below are the only things you have to do to be more healthy and happy, but they are great habits to get into and will help you feel better overall.

Motivation can be hard to find for a lot of us (me), so starting with small easy habit changes can help us feel like we have accomplished something, which leads to wanting to do more.

Keep reading to find small healthy changes you can start right now!

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Feel Healthier and Happier by Getting More Sleep

Have you ever noticed if you go to bed upset or thinking about a problem, in the morning things seem so much clearer? Our brains essentially “reset” as we’re sleeping. Sleep is also the time when the body rebuilds and heals itself. So if you don’t get enough of it your body’s not able to properly take care of itself.

There are a lot of people out there with the mindset of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or I’ll “catch up on sleep” another time. But really to be functioning at your highest, getting ample sleep each night is essential. Make sure you’re scheduling a good 7-8 hours every night.

Have a wind down routine. This can really be anything you like, but start a routine that lets your body know it’s almost time for sleep. A lot of people read before bed. Taking a warm bath or shower can also help you relax before bed. I typically watch something until I feel tired. To be honest this isn’t the best routine. Light from screens doesn’t really tell our brains that it’s time to wind down, but it’s truly what I do.

Make your bedroom a sanctuary

My doctor told me that if we spend too much time in our beds throughout the day, it can affect our ability to sleep at night. So try not to relax, eat, work, or doing anything else in your bed if you aren’t planning to go to sleep right away.

Create a space that is comfortable and welcoming. Get cozy sheets and even add a fluffy mattress topper to make your bed feel more luxurious. Make your bedside table functional and pretty. Forget your harsh overhead light and use lamps when it’s closer to bedtime.

Feel Healthier Through Drinking More Water

During colder months you may notice your skin and lips are drier. Moisturizers and lip balm are great but the best thing is to hydrate your body from the inside out with good old fashioned water. In the warmer months it is so easy to get dehydrated because we sweat more. We’ve all probably heard the human body is mostly water, so we have to make sure our bodies are replenished.

Drinking more water may also help you to not overeat. Many times we mistake thirst for hunger, so drinking a proper amount of water can keep you from overeating or eating when you’re not really hungry. Keep a water bottle with you that you can refill throughout the day.

There are so many cute water bottles out there, so make make drinking water fun! This one even has markings on it to help you remember to drink throughout the day. Don’t like plain water? Add lemon, lime, or berries to your water to lightly flavor it.

Feel Happier Through Gratitude

One way to feel happier quickly is to think about something (or a few things) that you are grateful for. When you are in a moment of gratitude it’s hard to think about things that makes you unhappy.

If you are in a very negative place, it can be hard to get started, but you can seriously think about anything! If you are sitting somewhere reading this post, you have things to be grateful for. First you have the ability to read and to see, and you have some way of accessing this post. Sometimes you may have to start with basic things like the abilities you have and your needs that are being met. Really we should all be grateful for these things because this isn’t the case for everyone in the world.

Try to come up with a few things each day that you feel grateful for. The more often you do it, the easier it will get. You can obviously just think these things, but writing them down is a more tangible way to see that you have a lot to be happy about. You also can go back and read what you have written in times you feel sad.

It may seem trivial but having a pretty notebook or journal can help motivate you to use it. They are typically an inexpensive investment to help boost your mood.

What do you do to feel healthier and happier? I’d love to hear!