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Do you frequently feel stressed out? You might feel weighed down by your job, daily obligations, or the things that life throws at you each day.

Maybe you’re looking to reach your goals or yearning to find ways that you can improve your overall mindset. A few small changes to your lifestyle can help you feel better and promote positive thinking.

Here are 9 tips you can use to improve your quality of life.

Spend Time with Family and Friends

Your family and friends are an important piece to improving your quality of life. Spending enough time with those you care about can help you build those relationships and give you a chance to focus on the people who matter the most to you.

You should make time for your family and friends by planning fun get-togethers and activities with them. A few activity ideas include going out to eat, spending time at the park, planning a friendly competitive bowling day, or mini golfing.

To manage your time between those you care about and other obligations, have strategies such as planning a family night out once a week. You can also make a habit of always eating dinner with your family or choosing to spend time with your friends on the weekend.

Create Life Goals

Goals are an important part of life to help you get up in the morning and strive to improve. Whether your goal is to get a promotion, write a book, or learn an instrument, it will take effort and hard work to get where you want to be in the future.

Your goals don’t necessarily have to be career or talent driven, either. You can make simple goals such as spending more time with your family or walking for 30 minutes each day. Finding small ways to improve yourself can have a positive impact on your quality of life over time.

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep impacts your quality of life, with studies showing that sleep affects your learning processes, memory creation and retention, reaction times, focus, immunity, and appetite. Experts recommend adults 18-64 get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, but 35.2% of adults reported in a sleep survey that they consistently get less than 7 hours.¹

You’ll want to get enough sleep to have the energy to tackle what life throws at you each day. Some ways you can improve your sleep quality include:

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time
• Sleep in a quiet, comfortable environment
• Don’t eat or drink before bedtime
• Exercise daily
• Relax before bed

Eat Healthier

Did you know that food and your mood are directly connected? A diet consisting of fruits and vegetables will help you think more positively than one filled with fast foods and sweets.

Food affects our serotonin levels, a chemical that influences our feelings as well as our fine motor skills. Eating the right foods can also keep your gut healthy, which can prevent you from coming down with illnesses. Sicknesses can oftentimes impact how you feel and affect your overall mood.²

You’ll want to start incorporating healthier foods into your diet to promote positive thinking. A few ways you can improve the quality of food you eat include:

• Eating at home instead of at restaurants or takeout
• Filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits
• Avoiding sugary drinks
• Eating more whole grains

Learn to Deal with Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are a natural part of life, but you might feel weighed down by constantly feeling stressed each day. Oftentimes, the causes of stress and anxiety can make you feel like you don’t have control over your life.

It’s important to learn how to deal with stress and anxiety in order to feel like you’re able to tackle life’s challenges. Some tips to manage your stress and anxiety include:³

• Daily meditation
• Make time for hobbies
• Avoid using alcohol to cope
• Learn time management
• Talk about the source of stress or anxiety

Stay Active

Staying active is a necessity for maintaining your quality of life. Exercise can help you feel better during the day, with many people using exercise as a form of stress relief.

Many health professionals recommend to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. As you exercise, your quality of life will improve as you feel motivated to reach your fitness goals.

Exercising is also a great way to socialize with like-minded people. For example, if you enjoy hiking, join a local hiking group where you can walk a trail with others who share your passion.

Organize Your Home

Another way to improve your quality of life is to organize your home. A cluttered home where items are scattered around the house can cause stress because you will spend more time looking for what you need.

It’s easy to get started organizing your home. A few tips include:

• Organize one area at a time
• Focus on the small things, such as putting dirty clothes in the hamper or making the bed
• Declutter items that you no longer use
• Keep your dishes clean and put away
• Practice limiting the number of new items you bring into the home

Practice Personal Hygiene

The way you look each day can have an impact on your mindset and overall quality of life. You’ll want to spend time maintaining your personal hygiene, from caring for your hair each day to regularly brushing your teeth.

Sometimes it might be tempting to skip part of your personal hygiene routine, but you should make an effort to keep up with it each day. After all, looking good can boost your confidence and help you feel ready for what the day throws at you.

Learn to be Thankful

Another way your quality of life is impacted is the way you think about what you currently have. It’s important to learn to be thankful for the family, friends, and joys currently happening in your life.

You can spend time being thankful for what you have by writing down one thing you’re thankful for in a journal every day. This is a time when you should think about the blessings you do have rather than ruminating on what you wish you might have.

Improve Your Quality of Life Today!

It’s necessary that you take care of yourself and make time for others around you. Every choice you make can impact your quality of life, and learning to live life to the fullest can help you build good habits and form better relationships.

Saber Healthcare is an organization that provides services to more than 115 buildings across the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Delaware, and Florida. To learn more about our company and services, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long-term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

1. “7 Reasons Why Getting Enough Sleep is Important.” Saber Healthcare Group. 16 August 2021. Accessed 15 July 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/why-sleep-is-important
2. “How Healthy Food Affects the Brain.” Saber Healthcare Group. 10 August 2010. Accessed 15 July 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/how-healthy-food-affects-the-brain
3. “10 Ways You Can Relieve Stress Today.” Saber Healthcare Group. 4 June 2022. Accessed 7 July 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/how-to-relieve-stress