Making Little Changes

Everyone has goals in life whether it's being healthier, being richer, being more sociable or trying something new. Whatever the goals are, make sure that they're for you and nobody else. As long as they'll make you happier and be a more positive version of yourself then that's okay. Sometimes achieving our goals requires us to make a few little changes in life to get us one step closer to our goals. Here are a few little changes I've made recently and I've already started seeing the benefits of doing these little changes. 

Let's get started.

Journaling

I always had an on and off again relationship with journaling. Sometimes I'll really commit to it then other times I'll just completely forget about it. Recently I've started to journal a lot more. Particularly in the mornings when I wake up but sometimes in the evening when I have a lot of feelings that have built up in the day and I just need to let them out. Journaling really helps me with that because it's almost like talking to a therapist except you're just writing all your thoughts on paper. The best part of journaling is there's no rules to how you do it. You can structure however you want to. I'm traditional and write dear diary at the start of each entry because it's almost like I'm saying hello to my journal. Then I just write all my thoughts down on the page before signing off with my name. It's really helped me to take a lot of weight off me because I'm an overthinker so it's nice to have a place to release all the thoughts onto. 

Going to bed and waking up at the same time 

This one I struggled with because I'm someone that easily can get distracted in the evenings with TikTok or a YouTube video and before you know it, it's like 1am and I have to get up at 7am. I notice my mood gets affected by how much sleep I've had. If I have enough sleep then I'm normally okay but if I don't have enough sleep then I'm normally tired, a little cranky and just waiting for the day to be over which is never really good. Then I end up having an afternoon nap when I finish work and that just throws my sleep schedule off. Going to bed at the same time each night will really help your body clock because your body will know when it's time to sleep. Be sure to avoid going on your phone right before you sleep or you will get distracted. Have a time period where you put your phone away and try to sleep. If you're struggling to sleep then try some journaling as you may have a load of thoughts on your mind but don't reach for your phone. The screen will put you off sleeping. Hopefully this will help to sleep on time. When it comes to waking up, I used to be the person who would have multiple alarms in the morning and I would train myself to switch them all off just so I could have a few extra minutes of sleep. This was a risky game as you risked switching off the last one without realising it and before you know it, you're late. Having one alarm will train you that when you hear it then it's time to wake up. Setting it at a reasonable time will be handy for you. I set mine at 7am as I normally leave the house at 8am so it gives me enough time to get ready, I can even have a shower in that time as well and normally that's enough time for me. As I'm so used to getting up at the same time, my body clock prepares me sometimes to get up. It's a great feeling when you wake up naturally and it's 6am, it means I can have an extra hour of sleep and that's essentially my snooze button. Your body clock is clever and knows when it's time to get up as well as when it's time to sleep. Especially if you stick to the same times every day, soon it will go to sleep naturally and wake up naturally. This will really help you in the long run getting a good morning and evening routine for the rest of your life. 

Going for regular walks

This one is really important, especially if you're someone like me who doesn't exercise that often. Going for regular walks each week is a form of exercise. I do try to reach 10,000 steps when I can and for me it works. It makes me feel like I'm doing my bit to be healthier while also just getting out of the house. It's not good to be cooped up in your house during your time off work so making the effort to get out of the house and go for a walk will really benefit you physically and mentally. You can also switch up, try and find new places to walk. I did this when I lived in Manchester. I googled the nearest park/nature reserve and ended up walking there. It was a lovely walk because I would just walk around the whole park before walking back home. I just stuck my headphones in and listened to either an audiobook or music which kept me entertained during my walk. You could even take a picnic with you and have lunch outside somewhere. Plus you can walk on your own or with someone. There's no rules. If you want to go for a walk then go for that walk. Don't let anyone stop you. 

Developing a hobby

This is really important because someone once asked me if I had any hobbies or interests and my mind just went completely blank because I realised I didn't have any hobbies. It made me panic that my life was boring and honestly, having a hobby or interest that you're really passionate about makes you a better person because one it brings joy into life and two it can sometimes help you to find people that have similar interests. It could even help you to find a relationship because you can talk to your date about what your hobbies and interests are which might intrigue them more about you as they know you don't sit around all day not doing much. You actually do something that excites you in your life. I'd rather date someone that is passionate about something then someone who hardly has any interests. It's also a great conversation starter. Just find a hobby that brings you joy and soon your life will be better for it. 

Reading more

Reading is great because you learn things from reading. Also, there's no better feeling than getting lost in a book. I love those kinds of books that as soon as you start reading then you can't put down because you want to know what happens next. Reading is also great because you can read anywhere whether it's at home, on your break, when you're travelling, in a cafe or just outside somewhere. Personally, I prefer a physical book but if you prefer an audiobook or an e-book then that's okay too. Also, it gives you extreme bragging rights if you can say you've read a lot of books. One of my pride and joys is my bookshelf as it has all my books on it but also I've nearly read the majority of my bookshelf which makes me super excited because I've never done that before. Reading more is a great benefit to your life but also it's a hobby too so it's something you can talk about with people. I honestly love reading and I feel like reading more will really make your life so much better.

Those are five little changes I've made to my life and they've really helped me out in a positive way, mentally and physically as well as sociably in some cases. Let me know a little change you're going to make in your life. I would love to hear it in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to view my blog and I'll be back tomorrow with another post. 

See you then. 

Megan x

*This is not a sponsored post*

For business enquiries or just a chat email: megantimeblog@gmail.com