Self Improvement with Irinä: Having a positive life : Part two : Further tips for your whole life

Helloooo my friends :)

For those who got started to improve their daily routine and in connection to my previous article about boosting your positive energy through small changes during your day , here's the second part !

The first part targeted what you can do in just one day to make up your mood and initiate yourself into a healthier lifestyle. This part presents various ways to improve your the quality of your life in general, by deeply changing some of your habits. You will also find some tips which will help you feel better and smile even more !
Are you ready? Grab something to drink and... Here we go !

Stick to a healthier diet : If you are not interested in weight loss itself you don't need a strict formula to work on your diet. However, eating healthier has a lot of benefits for you :) It's not simply a matter of calorie intake , it's mostly about quality. Fruits , vegetables , homemade food and snacks are way better to consume since most of them lack of preservatives (or at least they contain significantly smaller quantity), you are aware of what you eat and thus you avoid a potential risk of any food allergy. Furthermore, all these vitamins and nutrients your food provides, will have a significant impact on your shape and health, offering you more benefits than any commercial supplement alone.

Exercise more : Not everyone is keen on the same type of exercisen nor all people have the same goals. Some prefer a typical gym workout, others are keen on exercising through sports ( soccer,basketball,swimming,playing volleyball etc ) and some others love alternative ways of exercise ( dancing,climbing,hiking and such stuff ) . No matter what you choose , increased movement will tone your body, burn the stored fat around your organs which is dangerous for your health, release hormones of happiness, relieve you from stress, improve the blood circulation and much more !

Meditate : it's very effective , helps you relax and has multiple benefits for you . Found out more about meditation here

I know this pic is funny- throwback to 2014 :P

Set new goals : Many of us are on the pick of a hard and unstable situation, even discomfort, since economical crisis , terrorist attacks , extreme weather conditions , political problems and such stuff are taking place in different parts of the world . Many people out there feel disappointed or not motivated to follow their dreams . In a way it's normal to feel like this if everything around you has crushed. Wasted societies discourage you all the time but you are the only one who eventually controls your success . Set new goals and organize them in small and steady steps that can realistically be achieved . Being sincere to yourself and setting reasonable targets will make you try harder for each small success you receive till you achieve the final big goal :D !

Get rid of bad past experiences : There's a reason for everything . For any bad situation you experience there are "wounds" that can not be undone and will remain for some time. The duration and the aftermath are both in your own hands. You have two choices : either be aware, treat them gently , support yourself and continue your life even stronger carrying with you all the lessons/wisdom you gained from this experience OR keep on "scratching" your wounds , make them worse and stuck there. Not to mention that the second choice translates in not being able to move on, wasting actually the gift that you are alive .

Start doing new things ! Having new hobbies is a great way to fill your free time doing something you like , being creative and meeting new people with same interests as you. Furthermore it is the best way to reverse the effects of all that time you have wasted on negative thoughts/anxiety/stress/disappointment/just sitting on a chair/etc .

Start spending time in nature : Even if you have limited free time or you can't afford some days off close to nature , set a specific day of the week /month that you will spend close to a forest/beach/mountain/wherever you feel calm . Setting a specific day will make you excited since you will have something to expect the whole week and release the pressure of your responsibilities . A walk in the park can equally make you relax :) You can also combine it with your dog's walk or playing with your kids ( if you have ) , exercise ( running or stretching in the park ) or even your hobby ( ex. photographing the sunset ) . I recently went for a picnic and it was a great break from my daily routine !

Dare something you wouldn't normally do : Ever dreamt of travelling somewhere far away? Ever craved an extreme experience like bungee jumping or flying parachute ? See your favourite artist live despite your limited time ? No matter what is it , DARE IT ! It's better to regret something you did rather than wondering how would it be if you had gone for it :)

Changes ! Make changes on the environment you spend a lot of your day ( house,office etc ) . Some changes will make the place more useful, operating and inspiring :) Dare to paint the walls with happy colours of your desire (if you are allowed to) , bring flowers in the house , make paintings on your own or with your friends and decorate your house , let more sunlight come in , count on some nice bright curtains that will change the whole appearance of your place :) You can also plant flowers and such stuff ( balcony,yard,garden ) , use candles at night , make further decoration changes and fill your place with anything that will affect you in a positive way .

Your appearance also needs a change :) Usually small changes in our appearance help a lot , they boost our self confidence and are often connected to a ' Brand new start ' feeling which is super suitable to the new beginning you are already up , if you are reading this blog :D New haircut ? New style ? A new piece of clothing ? Growing a beard (for men! I recently reviewed this article and thought it's so funny to read that without this note!) ? The choice is yours :3

DDSLS : Dream - Dare - Smile more - Laugh - Share moments with your loved people ( or pets :3 ) . It's amazing what can any these processes do to your mood and body ! Most significant example is the love hormone release , oxytocine , which makes you feel super excited ! Endorphin (happiness hormone) is also a really good friend of your positive life . It's released when you get happy with something , post workout , during and after sexual activity and much more ! :)

Work with your inner self : In order to get an attitude to make you focus on the bright side of life, you should work with your inner self , fears,insecurities,memories and such stuff to get over them , find their cause , be honest to yourself and work hard to get rid of any stain hurting your soul . Life is so much prettier without selfish , jealous and insecurity issues out there :) It's gonna be hard but you will thank yourself later . I know this from experience , 18 years of suffering ended up in just 2 years of sincere try .I still work with myself but i am now able to enjoy moments that i used to lose because i didn't feel comfortable . You may need some help to do it but don't worry it's gonna be alright :) I am now much more efficient in anything i do because i can focus and be concentrated there instead of keeping my mind busy with such issues . It's the best gift you can do to yourself .

[ Update: More than 4 years after publishing this article, I am more than ever engaged to the positive way of living and the feeling i get with myself is insanely good, relieving and satisfying! How happy I am that I took charge of it and transformed my life! It is really an investment on your well-being ]

Love yourself : Linked to the paragraph above, accepting , evaluating , improving and finally loving yourself should be your number one priority. When you love yourself you are able to love others as well meanwhile being able to accept their love too :) If you don't love yourself it's really possible to hurt people around you in many ways. Love yourself then , you are awesome :)

Help people around you : Offering help is one of the most powerful ways to spread smiles and happiness out there :) The feeling you get when you see someone smiling because of your help is really priceless and can work excellent as an antidepressant . Help your friends/kids with studies , help elder people when they need it , help your friends by supporting them and give them a hand when they're in need. What you offer will come back to you eventually :)

Express yourself : An also important issue here . Compressing your needs , not expressing yourself and ignoring what you truly want will only cause endless sadness . Free yourself and express your feelings, make your stand, let your thoughts see the light out, in any way you prefer : dancing , singing , playing/listening to music , drawing , acting , composing are only a few of the possible choices !

Reduce the time you spend on computers and such stuff ( tablets, iPhones etc ) : If your job/studies require excessive computer usage, try at least to avoid them on your spare time. Virtual light affects the biological synchronism of your organism with the sunlight , causing you sleeping disorders and damaging your eyes as well . I used to spend really many hours on the computer and i suffered from headaches . TIP : When you are in front of computer try to lighten up the whole room so that the screen light won't be so bright and harsh for your eyes.

Set a plan for your daily activities ( specific time for sleeping , eating etc ) and also a plan for your whole week including responsibilities like work/bill payments/outdoors stuff/household/homework/projects and also the activities you do with pleasure ( gym, walks, hobbies etc ) . It's really important to organize your time and FOLLOW THIS SCHEDULE. Programming what you have to do, not only helps you handle better your time and be loyal to your needs ( eating,sleeping etc ) but will also save you from deadline anxiety .

Improving yourself equals to making your life easier and happier through correcting the negative features which block you from enjoying life . It's a hard task but it's the most important one of your life ! Being happy means you have inner peace , you are free to be yourself , you are able to manage your life , set priorities and be satisfied with your beliefs, feelings, personality, appearance and choices. Worth it, don't you think ? :) It's never too late to start . You will only be a winner of your personal story . For every time you fall , you stand up stronger and that's the spirit . Don't give up , you'll have a whole kingdom of happiness in the end ;)

This was my personal point of view on the whole part :) I started from bottom zero and i managed to wake up every morning smiling and feeling good. The opportunities and moments i missed due to the darkness inside me inspired me to be the best possible version of myself . Look back only to see how far you've traveled and be proud of yourself :)

Hope each one of you will explore the satisfaction of a positive life . Bad moments and bad people will always exist , the point is how you respond ;) !

If there's anything you want to ask/share/discuss feel free to contact me . Have a great day :)

Irinä