10 Small Ways To Make Your Life Better

In Today’s world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the routines and responsibilities that often leave us feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and just unfulfilled. Over time, we begin to think that maybe this is simply how our life is meant to be, that we are just destined to live our lives without fulfillment and happiness.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless of how defeated you may feel right now, please know that you have the power within you to make your life better. You have the power within you to turn your life around and improve it.

When I was navigating one of the darkest moments of my life, I assumed that for me to be able to make my life better, I would have to take these huge leaps, make drastic changes, and constantly strive for greater achievements.

And that worked for a while but after some time, the weight of those expectations just became too much, leading to overwhelming feelings that paralyzed me. The constant pressure I placed on myself to achieve monumental progress in making my life better led me to exhaustion and burnout.

Pushing myself to take huge leaps just made it very difficult for me to be consistent with my efforts. I’ve learned that while significant changes can truly have a big impact, often, it’s the small consistent actions that’ll ultimately lead us to a fulfilling and better life.

In this blog post, I will be sharing with you the small steps I took that tremendously made my life better. I’m hoping that these steps will do the same for you!

How To Make Your Life Better

1. Let Go Of What’s No Longer Serving You

One vital step that’ll help make your life better is learning to let go of the things that are no longer serving you. I’m certainly guilty of holding on to certain habits, mindsets, and even relationships that are only making me unhappy and dragging me down just because they feel familiar and comfortable.

I have always been afraid of change and all the uncertainties that it brings. That’s the reason why even if my relationships or habits were no longer ideal, I still allowed myself to hold on to them because their familiarity provided me with a sense of comfort.

It took a real eye-opener for me to finally have the courage to admit this truth to myself, by holding on to what was no longer serving me, I was not only keeping myself so unhappy but I was also making my life so much more difficult.

I know that letting go is never easy but by allowing ourselves to go through this challenging transition, we are not only leading ourselves to a life that has clarity, purpose, and joy, but we are also allowing ourselves to finally move forward and make our lives better.

We have to keep reminding ourselves that maintaining toxic habits and relationships is only adding more stress and anxiety to our lives. It is only keeping us from unlocking new avenues and opportunities that will help us create the life that we love.

2. Establish Boundaries

Are you also guilty of constantly sacrificing your well-being for others? How many times have you said yes to other people’s demands and requests regardless of how exhausted and drained you already were?

I’m definitely familiar with this feeling. I have always been guilty of over-extending myself to other people, especially to those closest to me. Saying no to other’s demands was basically impossible for me to do because I was so afraid of disappointing them.

To be honest, I’ve always believed that my worth and value were tied to how accommodating and useful I was to other people. This belief made it so difficult for me to say “no”, regardless of my own feelings.

But I was certainly wrong to think that. Consistently prioritizing others at our own expense not only intensifies our feelings of being overwhelmed but also makes our lives difficult in general.

One of the most profound lessons that I’ve learned is setting healthy boundaries is not about being selfish, rude, or unkind. It’s not about shutting other people out entirely. It is self respect and it is about recognizing that just like everyone else, you also have your own feelings, needs, and well-being that deserve to be prioritized.

Please remember that saying NO doesn’t diminish your worth or compassion. Know that it’s not just okay but crucial to say NO when needed.

3. Cultivate Gratitude

I know that you’ve probably heard the advice “be grateful” more than a dozen times. To be honest, this advice used to irritate me.

I used to view that advice as a form of toxic positivity. I mean, when basically everything around you is falling apart, finding something to be grateful for just seems impossible.

When I was struggling in life, every time someone offered me this advice, I couldn’t help but feel so irritated. During that period of my life, every day felt like I was being hit with one struggle after another, being grateful during that moment was just not possible.

I’ve allowed myself to focus all my attention and energy on everything that was going wrong in my life thinking that doing this will make me more dedicated and motivated to turn my life around.

But what it did was the complete opposite. Allowing myself to focus only on the bad things did not make things easier for me. It actually just made it more difficult. Honestly, it made me feel more defeated and hopeless.

That’s when I learned that being grateful is not about pretending that everything is okay. Gratitude is about recognizing and appreciating even the smallest positive aspects and blessings in our lives, even when life gets hard.

It’s not about invalidating what you are feeling or minimizing what you are going through. It is about choosing to find joy in the everyday little things and be grateful for them while still addressing any challenges that you are going through.

When you allow yourself to focus on the blessings, both big and small, you are not only helping yourself find hope even in difficult moments, but you are also improving your overall well-being which will ultimately help make your life better.

4. Seek Help When Needed

Most of us are guilty of wanting to solve all our problems on our own. I certainly am guilty of this. In today’s world, we are often made to believe that battling challenges independently is the only way to go. We celebrate self reliance and while that trait is certainly commendable, it also somehow gives us this notion that asking for help is a sign of incompetence and weakness.

That is certainly what I used to believe. That’s why every time I would struggle, regardless of how bad it was, I would never let anybody know what I was going through thinking that since this was my problem, then naturally I should be the one to fix this.

Also, to be honest, I was afraid of talking about my problems with other people because I didn’t want to burden them with it. I thought that asking for help and telling them my problems would just make me a burden and I never wanted that.

If you also feel this way, please know that regardless of how you feel, you will never be a burden to the people who truly love you. Those who genuinely love you not only want to support you, but they also value the trust you place in them when you confide in them.

Life can be difficult at times and isolating ourselves and refusing to reach out and ask for help even when we need it the most will only make life more difficult. Please know that asking for help is never a sign of weakness nor a testament to our abilities.

I actually believe that acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers and having the courage to reach out and ask for help is a testament to our strength. There will always be moments when everything will be too much for us, in those moments please don’t hesitate to reach out and seek help.

We all need someone in our corner from time to time and that’s perfectly okay.

5. Prioritize Mental Health

Prioritizing your mental health is one of the most vital steps in helping you make your life better. I know that it’s so easy to take our mental health for granted.

It’s so easy to get caught up in all our never-ending responsibilities and endless to-do list. When we have so much on our plates, finding the time to take care of our needs just seems impossible.

I was guilty of this too. I was so eager to accomplish all my goals and I wanted to do that as fast as possible. So, I constantly pushed myself to exhaustion and burnout believing that once I achieved success I’ll finally be happy.

But that certainly wasn’t the outcome. I failed to realize that by persistently driving myself to exhaustion and burnout, I was also greatly compromising my mental health and joy. The thing is, we can’t continue to push ourselves and neglect our needs without expecting any consequences.

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. It was wrong for me to believe that the only way to a happy and fulfilling life was by relentlessly pursuing my goals regardless of how exhausted and drained I already felt.

Taking care of our mental health should not be treated as a luxury. Please know that allowing ourselves the chance to take a break and prioritize our mental health is not a waste of time. It is actually a necessity.

Taking care of our mental health does not only lead to increased focus and productivity but it also allows us the chance to lay a foundation for a life rich in joy, purpose, and satisfaction.

As cliche, as it sounds, you truly cannot pour from an empty cup, by prioritizing your mental health, you are not only nurturing yourself but also you are enhancing your capacity to care for other people.

6. Stop Negative Self Talk

Learning to be kind to yourself and offering yourself patience, understanding, and compassion is another crucial step in helping you make your life better. Are you also guilty of being your own harshest critic?

I know this feeling all too well. I have always been guilty of being my worst critic. I know that maybe most of us are guilty of this, especially in today’s world where we are relentlessly pushed to do more, be more, and continually prove to everyone ( often to ourselves ) that we are worthy.

And the moment that we fall short of all our unrealistic expectations, we beat ourselves up and put ourselves down. I’ve done this too, believing that by being my worst critic I was making myself more accountable, more responsible, and more motivated to achieve my goals.

But that certainly wasn’t the case. I failed to realize that by constantly putting myself down, I was also slowly diminishing my confidence and self-esteem.

This just made everything more difficult for me because instead of saying yes to opportunities and going after my goals, I would turn them down believing that regardless of how hard I tried I would never measure up.

If you’re guilty of being your harshest critic too, please know that you deserve to give yourself the same amount of love and compassion that you so freely give to your loved ones. Please remember that self compassion is not about being self indulgent. It’s certainly not about settling for mediocrity.

It is about acknowledging your imperfections and mistakes without harsh self criticism. It is about providing yourself with a safe space where you are allowed to grow and learn from your mistakes.

Please don’t hesitate to wrap yourself in the comfort of self compassion, especially during the times you feel you need it the least.

If you want to learn how to start loving yourself more, take this 30 day self love challenge.

7. Start With The Easiest Task

When I was digging myself out of rock bottom, I thought that making significant strides was the answer, but the issue with consistently aiming for massive leaps is that it can quickly become overwhelming and intimidating.

There was a moment when the weight of it all left me feeling so paralyzed that instead of actually doing it, I ended up procrastinating. I’ve discovered that a reliable way to prevent this overwhelm is to give myself permission to begin with the simplest and easiest task.

If you too get easily overwhelmed by monumental tasks, please know that there is certainly nothing wrong with taking small and easy steps. I’ve learned that the problem with always pushing ourselves to take these giant leaps is, that it’s so easy to get burnout and not be consistent with our efforts.

Facing monumental task can often be so intimidating. When we choose to handle the simpler task first, we can avoid the feeling of overwhelm and the satisfaction that we feel after checking that task off our to-do list provides this motivational boost, making the next task seem less intimidating.

By allowing ourselves to take gradual and manageable steps, we are making it so much easier for ourselves to stay consistent and to keep going. Remind yourself that the path to success is not always measured by taking all these monumental leaps, often, it’s the small, consistent steps we take daily that truly count.

8. Deep Breaths

Taking deep breaths can be a simple act but this can have such a profound impact
in helping make your life better. When life throws us a curveball, it’s so easy for our thoughts to spiral out of control and magnify our worries and anxieties.

That’s why it’s crucial especially in moments like this to pause and allow yourself to take a few deep breaths. Taking a few deep breaths anchors our minds in the present moment and keep
negative thoughts from taking over and consume us.

It gives our minds a moment of clarity and calm amidst the chaos surrounding us. Now that may seem like just a small thing but when the feeling of overwhelm is threatening to consume you, taking a few deep breaths is like a breath of fresh air.

Integrating deep breathing into your daily routine doesn’t need to be difficult. Start by allocating even a few dedicated minutes each day. When you do this practice, focus your whole attention on the act of breathing. Feel the air entering and feel the air leaving.

Over time, this simple practice can be a source of serenity and peace.

9. Complain Less

I know that often complaining can be a good thing. This gives us a chance to vent out and express our problems and frustrations. The problem really starts when we allow ourselves to complain about every little thing.

I’m certainly familiar with this feeling. When I was going through a difficult time in my life, I would complain about even the smallest inconvenience and the slightest setbacks.

I’ve allowed myself to wallow in the negativity believing that doing this was actually making me more productive and motivated to improve my life. But that wasn’t really the case.

Constantly complaining did not make it easier for me to turn my life around. For the record, it just made things even more difficult. It made me bitter and angry at the world.

It conditioned my mind to only focus on everything that was going wrong in my life and doing that just made me feel more hopeless and defeated. I’ve learned that complaining less is not about pretending that everything is okay.

It’s about shifting our focus from what’s going wrong to what’s going right, even the small things. It’s about seeking solutions instead of allowing ourselves to constantly dwell on our problems.

I’ve realized that it’s actually possible to recognize and acknowledge the challenges that we are going through without constantly complaining. Learning to complain less did not only help alleviate the stress that I was feeling but also led me to a more balanced perspective and better mental health.

Here’s a great post that’ll help you learn how to stop complaining from Declutter The Mind.

10. Live One Day At A Time

How many times have you caught yourself constantly worrying about the future or dwelling on the past? How many times have you spent so much time and energy ruminating on all the what-ifs and planning for all the possible outcomes?

I know this feeling all too well. I have always had this habit of wanting to control every little detail of my life. I would spend so much time and energy planning for every conceivable outcome. I believed that as long as I continued to do this, I was preventing things from going wrong.

But of course, I was wrong. Because regardless of how much time and energy we spend constantly worrying and planning about future outcomes, often things still won’t go as we planned.

This will only cause us more frustration. The hard reality is regardless of how hard we try to meticulously plan every aspect of our lives, doing this still won’t shield us from the uncertainties of the future.

Instead of spending so much time and energy ruminating on past mistakes or anxiously anticipating future events, let’s give ourselves the chance to be fully present on the things currently happening in our lives.

Life is far too short to spend it trapped in the past and consumed by the worries of the future, we have to learn to set ourselves free and allow ourselves to live every moment of our lives. Doing this will make every moment more meaningful ultimately leading to a happier and better life.

Final Thoughts

Making your life better is a deeply personal journey. Know that these tips are not fixed rules that you have to follow, they are just suggestions that can serve as your starting point in discovering what works best for you.

One of the things that I have learned while navigating this journey is that the key to making your life better is not about expecting to achieve a constant state of happiness. It’s about learning to embrace the ups and downs of life with grace and resilience.

It’s not about wanting things to be perfect. It is about equipping ourselves with the resources, habits, and mindsets needed to navigate life’s adversities and bounce back stronger from every setback.

As you start your journey, please don’t forget to give yourself patience and understanding. The way to making your life better is not a straight path, you may encounter bumps along the way, during these moments please don’t hesitate to wrap yourself in the comfort of self compassion.

Please always know that I’m constantly rooting for you!