For some people, life doesn’t always go swimmingly. While we would all like to be happy at all times, life throws us curve balls which means we can be struck by many other intense emotions. Perhaps you find yourself in mammoth amounts of debt, maybe you go through a messy relationship breakdown or maybe you are finding your stressful job just too much to bear. These situations can lead to anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed with our everyday existence. To combat these feelings we need to consider our mental health and make sure that we look after ourselves.
Being selfish doesn’t come easily to most human beings. We are used to looking after others whether this is our friends or our offspring. To focus on ourselves can feel alien and odd. However, by looking at your needs and wants, you can try and get your life back on an even keel. Being burdened by negative emotions and feelings can prevent us from moving forward. Take a look at these simple ways that can help you revolutionize your life and have you living for the moment rather than worrying about the future.
Your Job
Unless we are born into money, we have to work to earn it. When you are young, it’s hard to work out what you want to do for forty odd years or more to earn a living. We may fall into a career rather than actively seeking one. While the IT position you slipped into pays well and you can do the job blindfolded and with your hands tied behind your back, you might not enjoy the work. The job leaves you feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied. Add to this an overbearing boss who demands tougher targets and you can struggle to get up in the morning as your job becomes more and more unappealing.
You need to be proactive and make a change. New job opportunities won’t just land in your lap. You need to go out there and find them. Start networking with contacts and take a look at online jobs boards. The mere sight of different roles elsewhere can leave you with a boosted morale. Do some work on your resume and look into completing more advanced qualifications and undertaking some professional development to ensure that you fit the criteria for the next role you are going to apply for.
For some of us, our job is not right. We no longer want to follow the same career path. This is ok. Some people have three or four different careers in their lifetime. You can be the same. Perhaps you want to start your own business and follow a passion. If you love cooking up a culinary storm in the kitchen, why not go into catering? If you adore designing jewelry, get your wares on Etsy. And if you want to work for yourself and help IT contractors with their accounts, set yourself up as an independent financial bod. You can do it, you just need to be proactive.
Money
Our finances can be the cause of many sleepless nights. If you have a large mortgage, credit card debts or store cards, you cannot afford to keep your head buried in the sand. You need to contact a firm like McCarthy Law Debt Settlement Lawyers and have them assess your financial situation. Firms like this can help you to avoid bankruptcy and can manage your debt in a more effective way.
For some people, seeing all different sorts of debt repayment fly out of their account each month is confusing. Paying off the bare minimum means that you won’t even begin to start paying back the capital. Instead, consider consolidating your debts. This one payment will leave your account each month to pay back what you owe. You’ll eat into the capital and you will begin to pay your debt off faster. While it may take a few years, seeing your remaining balance of debt fall each month will help you to budget accordingly.
Set up a personal budget and stick to it. You don’t need to live like a pauper, but you do need to cut back. Head out for dinner once a month instead of once a week, and go to the movies midweek instead of at the weekend. By adapting your lifestyle, you can limit your spending without becoming isolated. Managing debt can feel like a momentous task, but with the right professional advice, you can do it.
Stuck In A Rut
If you are bored with the monotony of life and you have no ties, why not do something more exciting? It’s all too easy to stay put just because it’s easy. However, the world is a massive place that is ripe for you to explore. Consider scratching a wanderlust itch and taking a sabbatical from work to go traveling. Venturing overseas to go backpacking in Thailand, trekking the Inca Trail or doing a tour of the Far East is thrilling. You may want to slum it around backpacker style, or you might prefer to take a more luxurious organized tour. Go with your preferred style.
Traveling is one of life’s most incredible experiences. You can immerse yourself in new cultures, meet new people and see new vistas. Let out your pad, get yourself as debt free as possible and start planning your trip. Six months gives you plenty of time to explore the world. Go for quality over quantity. Don’t just do a whistle-stop tour of every nation on the planet, and focus on some key destinations that you want to immerse yourself in. The longer you stay in a place, the more opportunity you have to see the authentic side of life. Learn the language and try to live like a local.
Planning your solo trip across the globe can seem like a mammoth task. However, the more you prepare, the more enjoyable your trip will be. Book yourself some accommodation, secure your flights and plan out a skeleton itinerary. Get any visas that you need sorted out early on and enjoy ticking off things on your to-do list.
Do Something New
If traveling is a little too risky for you, and you’re keen to keep your job and stay at home, then consider doing something new with your time. You can revolutionize your life by meeting new people and making new friends. The easiest way to do this is by taking up a new hobby or pastime. If you have always fancied learning Mandarin, sign up with a local evening class. If you are keen to try out a new martial art, register with your local group. And if you want to hone your cake decorating skills, get enrolled in a course. There are plenty of things that you can do with your time other than watching TV or venturing onto social media.
It’s all too easy to become isolated when we are tired, anxious or depressed. To get yourself out of that mindset, you need to try and get out of the house and extend your social circle. Think about taking on a mindfulness way of living. By living in the moment and retraining your thought processes to be more present rather than worrying about what may or may not even happen in the future, you will feel more calm and relaxed. Mindfulness helps you to feel freer and more content with what you have.
Social Media
The world of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has a lot to answer for when it comes to procrastination and low self esteem. The days before social media, we had to talk to real life people, see their faces and hear their voices and actually meet up to chat over coffee. These real-life social situations are now becoming lost in favor of online connectivity.
Some Facebook friends, you will never even have met. Instead of scrolling through your feeds every evening, why not do something more real with your time. This can stop you from dwelling over the perfectly filtered images of healthy meals, selfies and idyllic beaches on Instagram. What should be aspirational has become fake Amaro filtered advertising that can leave us feeling inadequate. Scrap the social media and have a detox. Without your smartphone strapped to your hand every minute of the day, you’ll learn to enjoy your own company and can focus on yourself for a little while.
Being down, low or bored can lead us to disengage with life and become more reclusive. While we were young and enthusiastic once, we can soon find ourselves feeling older and more bitter. This negative sense of self is not healthy. We may become depressed, anxious or stressed. Poor mental health can lead to bad physical health. We need to combat this by being more mindful, changing up our jobs, being more social, fixing our finances and taking a social media detox. Take your head out of the sand and follow this guide to revolutionize your life for the better.
