People Share Tips That’ll Literally Change Your Life
Life is often a grind, and it feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day to engage in self-care, or to take steps that'll improve your quality of life.
That doesn't mean that small changes can't make a big difference, though - and commenters on Reddit came through big-time when asked what changes they made to dramatically improve their quality of life.
Changed in days.
"I started having severe "tiredness/depression" and this lasted a couple of years. No matter how much sleep I got, it didn't help. I became irritable, and eventually started having headaches. I thought it was sinus headaches because it felt similar. Then I had severe migraines. I went to the doctor and everything came back normal."
"Eventually I found out that it could be eye strain. I started resting my eyes every 30 minutes, focusing on something around 20 feet away. If I am using my phone, I use it a reasonable distance away. A few days later all of my symptoms disappeared."
Cutting down screen time.
"When my kid comes home from school, putting my phone in a drawer and not touching it again until he is asleep in bed."
"I think if kids now are going to have any 'issues' with your generation of parenting one of the major ones will be based on how much parents are on their phone. This will be so impactful - well done!"
It's worth a little extra.
"Replacing my Amazon Basics office chair with something that actually offers lumbar support."
"Look for local office liquidation sales online! you can get some nice name brand chairs for cheap because they have 500 of them."
We don't need to feel so defensive.
"Understanding that working with someone smarter than you is a privilege and an opportunity to learn and hone your own skills, not a threat."
"Same thing for sports. I always love to choose to play against better players in competitive sports (unless our skill is so far apart that I drag them down/bore them). Yes I would get my butt kicked most of the time, but I improved way more than if I stuck with players my or below my skill level."
Just circadian things.
"Blackout curtains. Absolutely life-changing."
"So I'm learning I’m not normal. I like my blinds open so the sun wakes me up. I love summer when the sun is up close to 5 and it’s easy to wake up then without an alarm."
No more glasses.
"Laser eye surgery. I had -7.5 and -7.25 vision and couldn't even read my phone screen at more then 3 inches. Now, I can wake up and see what time it is on the alarm clock. The catalyst for me was when I put my glasses down on the bathroom counter and couldn't find them."
"I was looking, 2 inches from the countertop, and just couldn't find them. This was a few weeks after I knocked them off my nightstand and under my bed."
It's daunting, but sometimes for the best.
"Moving out of my hometown. I never felt like where I was from was home. Was never comfortable. Kept hitting hurdles trying to come up and be better. But once I left my entire life trajectory changed for the better."
"That was me. Now I think of my small hometown as a nice place to visit, but good god I could never live there."
Know what you don't know.
"In my early twenties I learned it was okay to say 'I don't know' instead of pretending I knew what someone was talking about."
"People are excited to share what they know. It's such a simple thing that led to a lot of professional and social growth for me."
Let your mind wander - to a point.
"Being intentional about where my mind is going and whether it's constructive or not."
"What's helped me when I catch I'm doing this is turn whatever I'm negative about into a thankfulness exercise."
Don't burn out at work.
"Former teacher here. I didn't realize what clinical burnout looked like until I quit teaching and looked in the mirror."
"I feel like I left such a purposeful profession as a life saving measure. Not taking care of yourself for a job isn’t worth it. I’m happier now. I miss the kids."
No more dishpan hands.
"Buying a dishwasher..."
"I don't know a single person who enjoys doing dishes, but I had no clue just how much I would enjoy having one. Takes ~ 5 minutes of my time to load the thing, and it does the dishes for me, while I watch TV/game lol."
Little by little.
"It sounds cliche, but diet and exercise. Doesn't have to even be extreme. Just eat more fruits and vegetables and try to do something active every day."
"Yes the best advice! The easiest way to 'diet' is to just worry about adding in more healthy stuff. Life changing for me."
Forget the haters.
"Stopped putting so much weight on what other people thought."
"My therapist put me onto the 'let them' theory, its helped a lot recently. Let them think what they may, and also to stop assuming I know what they're thinking or judging me on."
Sounds tough, but you'll feel better.
"Not drinking alcohol. Stopped at 44, should have stopped at 24..."
"Thanks to people like you wishing you'd quit earlier, I took the advice and quit in my 20s. Thank you!"
Just go for it.
"I stopped being scared of failing at my hobbies or finding the learning process too difficult. I just say 'F it' and jump in. It's art at the end of the day so however it turns out is however turns out."
"I dreamed for years of experimenting with making music, but was always intimidated by expensive setups and a tedious learning process. About a year ago I slowly started teaching myself modular synthesis, and when I’m creating I feel so free and happy."
Talk to your doctor.
"Getting diagnosed and medicated. Sometimes you can't just bootstrap yourself into a happy, productive person."
"Started ADHD medication 2 weeks ago. Wish I started 12 years ago!"
Handymen love it.
"High water pressure."
"This should be top 5,i went into a rental viewing and even asked to test the shower pressure out to see the water pressure because the last place I lived in was so weak and the bathroom was huge with no heater that it was awful having showers in the winter, I felt odd asking but the landlord completely understood."
A touch of luxury.
"Curved shower curtain rod. Real talk. (Ninja air fryer as well)."
"Same it's like doubling your shower space and I don't touch the cold shower curtain."
Inexpensive and simple.
"Taking vitamins. I take an iron, magnesium, and multivitamin supplement every night."
"I now sleep through the night, wake earlier, and rarely need a nap in the day (I have chronic illnesses so this is wonderful for me)"
Sometimes you need to pull the plug.
"Breaking up with my ex…I wish I did it back in 2023.."
"I stayed with my ex for nearly 4 years, but I saw the first red flag about 3 months in. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had loved myself enough to leave right then."
No one ever looks back.
"Bidet. I'm honestly annoyed that I lived this long without one."
"Yep! So disappointing I went 40 years without. I recently spent a week out of town for work and missed it 'sorely'."
More money, more time.
"Sub contracting, as opposed to working full time."
"Made 3x more money and i actually get to spend time at home doing things and have far more freedom"
Finding the right chemistry.
"Antidepressants. Thought I was just lazy and perpetually exhausted 24/7. Stopped listening to people in my circle who said 'it was normal given my circumstances' to feel this way and spoke to my doctor."
"Wish I would've done this a decade ago, I feel so much better now"
Getting out of the house and lending a hand.
"Volunteering - meet people with the same interests and values as you, be in the community making it better, feel good about yourself, learn new skills for free."
"Honestly, there is no downside. Everyone should do it - especially if you're bored, lonely or having any sort of existential dread."
Tuning it out.
"I didn't delete my accounts but I removed social media apps from my phone and I started to ignore most political news. I’m so much happier and productive."
"I do a regular social media and news detox. It's definitely better for your mental health."
A little extra space.
"Buying a single family home. Love not sharing walls with neighbors."
"Just closed on a house last week and can't wait to move in. Supposed to be this Saturday. I've lived in apartments for 14 years now, so really looking forward to having my own place."
A furry companion.
"Getting a cat."
"My life still isn't great, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my first cat. Lived alone in a city with no friends or family right out of college. That little ball of fluff was my only company on a lot of dark nights."
Less sodium, more kick.
"Peppers. I started using way less salt once I began spicing my food with peppers."
"Thank you. I'm gonna get some jalapenos today."
You need to feed yourself one way or another.
"Learning how to cook like a chef. Went to a community college culinary program, and it was hands down the most useful investment of my time."
"I won't work in restaurants, not my cup of tea, but being able to think and cook like a chef has been a very net positive skill."
Treat yourself.
"Taking a hot bath every night before going to bed."
"I get tension headaches, and having a very hot bath really helps reduce the frequency of them, and does my whole body good."
Dan Gray
