Little Changes To Make A Big Difference

I hate my life feeling static and stale. I am a person of constant change and growth and I can't for a second leave anything be until it feels right. Note that it doesn't have to be right but just feel it. It's an odd statement to make but I'll try to explain as best I can. Do you know that feeling when your space is messy and you know you have to do something about it but don't have the time, energy or inclination to do anything about it that second so you go out and buy a new bedding set or some fresh flowers? Suddenly it's not all perfect because you know that it needs to be sorted soon but it feels better in your mind?

That's how I want to feel about life.

Quite often I feel that things just need a little bit of a change up but I really don't have the money, time or dedication to put into a huge overhaul. It's those times when I realise that the smallest of changes can make quite a lot of difference to my mood and general feeling about it all. Sometimes it's as quick as buying a bunch of flowers or de-cluttering my book shelves and giving old books that I'll never read again to charity but sometimes it isn't and it's more complex. Whatever the feeling is I'm going to share with you a few things I do when I feel like I'm in a closed situation to try and bring a bit of interest to life.

Set your alarm an hour earlier than usual
I really love getting up at around 6am, watching the light change as it comes in over the houses and drinking my morning tea or coffee in silence. I'm pretty set in a morning routine when I'm well with the girls and work which most people are with children or jobs to go to so just shaking that up a little and taking an extra ten minutes in the shower or spending slightly longer perfecting your eyeliner that day can really start it off on a note of positive change.

Add something different
Buy a few scatter cushions for your bed or sofa. Update a room fragrance with a new candle you liked the scent of from the first opening of the lid. A vase of flowers or new bedding? Totally works. Just change something small about a room and it's amazing how much of a difference it can make to the overall feeling you have when you're in it. For me it's all about the candles and bedding. If I have an amazing smelling candle burning and some fresh sheets the walls could be falling down around me and I'd still feel some positive energy.

Write about your day
Every day when you settle down take out a notepad and pen and write a few words. Adjectives are best but whatever it is that you've felt, wanted to feel but didn't and something you'd like tomorrow to hold. It sounds simple but it can really make a big difference in a week or two when you look back and realise that time does go (not always fast but it goes) and that tomorrow really is a new day to implement new change and positive energy.

Stretch
I may be a little biased with this one as without my stretches I seize up and am of no use to anyone but stretching is really therapeutic to me. I work from a desk in a chair for the majority of the day. Even when I'm not in the desk chair I'm not working on my feet or wandering around much of the day so taking two or three minutes to stretch my arms, legs, back and neck gives me a few quiet moments and pain relief. It's amazing what stretching can do for your health too so stretching every day really can have positive long-term benefits as well as the short term relief.

Go on an adventure
I don't mean buy a plane ticket to the first country you think of and go off the next day (unless you can and want to do that in which case - go, do it and tell me all about it) but go somewhere you've never been. It could be a cafe you've never tried or a pub just outside of your home town or city where you can take a walk and explore. Just get out to somewhere you've not really seen in a while or at all and take it in with fresh eyes. It can inspire you to no end and if you take a camera or note pad you'll be prepared when the moment strikes. If you do this once a month or so you'll soon have a whole new stack of places you can say you've tried or you could visit again. Next on my list is to explore Bristol properly. It's only 45 minutes on the train and it's a really cheap train ticket too with lots to do. Plus, the great thing is there's so much to explore I can go back again and again and always find something new.

What are your tips on making small changes to make big differences? I could go on forever because the more I do try small changes the more I realise that there are so many that even if one or two don't work three or four down the line could be endless troves of new experiences and inspiration. Hey, even if it puts a smile on your face it's done something good, right?