Once upon a time I was having a really hard time seeing positive things and a very good friend of mine recommended I try record three good things at the end of each day.
When I really needed it, my brain formed a habit of looking for positive things.
Sure, it took a bit of time and a lot of practice (it still does) but it’s been a great way to begin a journey towards focusing on the positive rather than the negative.
Sometimes I find I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing them down and it doesn’t take me long to start feeling the ill effects. It’s simple. I keep a small notebook next to my bed and at the end of the day I reflect on three positive things that happened. I take the time to remember how those things made me feel – and I get to feel that again. It doesn’t matter how big or how small my three good things are each day – just as long as there are three of them and they were good. Easy, right?
Did you know you can nail down a new habit in as little as 21 days? Imagine all the good things you’ll have reminded yourself about in that time (that's 63 good things!)
I have a lot of tools in my belt that help me to keep my mental health on track. For many years I’ve dealt with some pretty awful bouts of depression and an ongoing anxiety disorder. You know what? It’s a drag. But I’ve made some resolutions that are helping. New Year’s Resolutions? Nah. Although I’ve been working on some of the new ones all this year, there are some that have spanned many years, like the three good things exercise. There are also some new ones I’ve picked up along the way.
To me, autumn feels like a chance to change things up. If you don’t like something, do what you can to change it. The leaves on the trees are changing, the weather is changing, and as nature is preparing for the winter ahead, so am I. I don’t want the change in weather to bring me down (and let me tell you, it usually does – not only the lack of vitamin D but the fact that I just LOOOOOVE summer and everything about it) Sometimes I feel like I’m almost mourning the loss of summer when autumn comes around but at the same time I also find it to be a really great time of year. I like getting cosy just as much as anyone else, and I’ve got a weak spot for hot chocolate.
So here we are, the new season is here and I’m resolving to change up my blog. I want to use it better. I want to use it to share three good things each week. I want to share my three good things in hopes that they inspire you to enjoy three good things. There are a few things I definitely know about myself: I’m nosy as hell and I love lists. This is my gift to those of you who are just the same as me. You can learn a little bit more about me, and hopefully find some inspiration and ideas in what I share. I’ll be sharing a big mix of things in my three good things each week. I’ll be sharing the self indulgent things I’m doing to take care of myself. Things I’ve read, self-care tips that are working for me, habits and loads more.
As this week is #WorldMentalHealthWeek I’m going to kick things off by sharing
THREE SIMPLE SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES TO DO IN 15 MINUTES.
- Leave your phone at home and go for a walk - it doesn’t matter how far you go but make sure it’s at least 15 minutes. I find if I promise myself to do 15 minutes, regardless of how rubbish I’m feeling, by the time I’m out there and enjoying the fresh air 15 minutes flies by and I keep going for much longer. If you’re not feeling it, you’ve at least got out there for 15 minutes!
- Take time over a hot drink. Sure, for many of us hot drinks are just a way of getting caffeine into us as quickly as possible. I decided to quit my caffeine addiction earlier this year – I still have coffee as a treat and I still have hot chocolate but I don’t have ten cups of coffee a day and my anxiety thanks me for it. Put the kettle on, enjoy waiting for it to boil. Just sit. Wait. Listen to it boiling, pour the hot water into your cup and when it’s finished brewing drink it. Don’t leave it on the side to get cold because you’ve started doing something else. Just enjoy drinking it. What a luxury!
- Find a book that you’ve wanted to read for a while and read 10 pages. Put time in your diary to read. Make the time for it. It seems really indulgent. I had stopped reading for ages because I “didn’t have time” so I made sure to make time. I get in bed an hour before I want to sleep every night and I read my book. I don’t look on my phone. I don’t watch TV. I read. The break from screens before bed really helps me to relax and chill out before bed.
There – three super quick and simple things that I’m doing to make myself feel better this week.
What are your three favourite quick ways to relax?
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