10 Little Things that Lead to a Happier, Healthier You

I am the biggest list maker that I know. I have notepads all over the house, my smart phone has two to do list apps installed, and I have a notepad in each car.  With all that said, it really doesn't help if you don't read the lists each day right.  Here are my 10 little things that can lead to a happier, healthier you, in my opinion.

1. Take 5 minutes in the morning to make a list.  In my case, that would me to consolidate my lists.  Everyone sleeps at least I hope that they do.  I know that when I sleep, I forget EVERYTHING!  By taking only 5 minutes to make a list for the day, I keep the list short and simple.  Instead of writing four pages of lists that I know I won't finish in a million years (well, two weeks to be exact).
2. Clean only 1 room a day.  I work full-time, but I still have my mountain of house work to do.  In order to keep my sanity, I have started only cleaning one room a day.  By the end of the week, you have cleaned the whole house, well almost the whole house.  This allows you to have more time to yourself on the weekends.  Oh, and more time to your family.  We must not forget the family.
3. Iron only 1 day a week.  I have family and friends that stress themselves out each day by trying to iron their clothes and their children's clothes for the next day.  Set aside one hour on Sundays to iron enough clothes for one week.
4. Take a stroll. Walk around the neighborhood preferably with the family, but that may not be an option for you after dinner. If not with the family, a few minutes around the block won’t hurt. The television is not going anywhere, and the dishes will not be mad that they didn’t get washed immediately after dinner. All of that can wait while you take a few minutes to “smell the roses” each day.
5. Do your favorite thing once a week. By doing the one thing that makes you happy at least once a week, you are keeping your sanity. It could be playing the piano, painting, dancing, listening to music, mopping the floors, reading a chapter of a book, or whatever it may be. Fit it in your schedule once a week and it will really help.
6. Make 1 meal your Healthy Meal and 1 snack your Healthy Snack. Our lives are so fast and hectic, it is really hard to accomplish healthy in a fast food drive-thru. By planning one of your meals each day to be healthy, it helps you to organize your day and helps your body in turn. Eventually, you will grow to 2, 3, and eventually the whole day will be full of healthy meals.
7. Learn something. I have so many items on that “mega to do list” that I want to learn, it is ridiculous. I have come to grips with not completing the list each week let alone each day. In order to make my “inner child” happy, I try to learn something each week. Even if it’s something as simple as learning how to focus better on my digital camera to learning how to use some new gadget that my husband has bought for the kitchen. At the end of the week, I can say that I accomplished something this week.
8. Laugh. I am the first to say that I am too serious. I feel most days that if I am not serious, then I am not going to finish the “mega to do list” each day. I have come to “lighten up” on myself and on my “mega to do list”. By lightening up, I routinely act silly with the children or even watch our favorite Funny Videos re-runs on the television.
9. Pray. This seems to be the hardest things for people to do in this day and age. We get too tied up in the world and forget why we were so blessed with what we have each day. Say a prayer for those family members and friends in need. Say a prayer for each blessing that you have been given. Say a prayer for our country, government, and for those less fortunate. Keeping it simple will help to accomplish so much more.
10. At the end of the day, take 5 minutes to reflect on the day. Think about the triumphs and pitfalls of the day, and just be thankful that you get to have those experiences each day. Not everyone is so blessed.

I know that you are saying, “How do these make me happier and healthier?”  By organizing your time and giving yourself time to enjoy life that makes your life much happier and healthier.  You are alleviating stress more than you know by making these simple changes in your life.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tropicana Trop50 blogging program to be eligible to win 6 free Juicy Rewards points and a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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