Why would you need to feel better?
You tell me. Why do you need to feel better?
You must get this because there are things that will make you feel better, but then make you feel worse again. Then there are things that REALLY make you feel better; in every sense.
Then it also depends on quality and quantity. A good glass of red wine shared with someone who means the world to you can make you feel better. But do this every day or have more than one, and you’ll probably end up not feeling so great.
These 11 activities will leave you feeling better. For real!
1. Good quality sleep
Thank YOU Ariana Huffington for bringing this to the world’s attention!
Our central nervous system is the main information highway of our bodies and we need sleep to keep it functioning. During sleep, the body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Our brains forge new thought connections and that’s often why we wake up feeling refreshed after a good sleep.
When we don’t sleep, it really upsets the whole apple cart. Sleep deprivation affects our health, our weight, our job performance, our relationships and our happiness. Adults with chronic sleep loss report excess mental distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and alcohol use (Baldwin and Daugherty, 2004; Strine and Chapman, 2005; Hasler et al., 2005).
I don’t know about you but after a night of little or poor sleep, I really struggle nevermind just to think but to maintain my sense of humour. The whole world just seems that much darker.
If you want to feel better, have a bath or nice warm shower (keep the cold ones for the morning) and take yourself off for an early night’s sleep. Trust me on this.
2. Read a book
I’m not just writing this because I’m an author although obviously I’d love you to read my book.
The truth is I’d love you to read ANY book! There are few other things that allow you to change your life right from the comfort of your home, or the park bench for that matter.
Reading will change your life! It’ll expand your creativity, critical thinking and wellbeing.
3. Time with your soul people
There is nothing that fixes my life like being out, or in for that matter, with my favourite people. Every single day before work, I have a coffee with a friend.
Why?
Because it sets up my day with a sparkle of joy!
Imagine I told you that there was a pill that you could take to make and keep you happy? There is. It’s called friendship.
And I don’t mean the friends to go drinking with. No I mean friendship in the truest sense of the word; where you just ‘get’ them and they get you. Sometimes you talk. Sometimes you laugh. And sometimes you’re just in silence appreciating each other.
I still think that the only reason I came out of the pandemic relatively unscathed was because I stayed with my best friend and every morning we used to work out and then have coffee before starting the day.
4. Time out in nature
Okay back to another magic pill.
I dare you to take yourself off to your favourite landscape (beach, mountains, forest, dessert, bush) and come back depressed.
It’s impossible! Impossible.
Nature lets you breathe. She eases your mind. And if you let her, she will give you a whole new lease on life.
Got marriage troubles? Get out into nature. Got work challenges? Go out into nature. Feeling low? Sit by a stream.
It works EVERY time!
5. Exercise
Well obviously by now you know how much I love my bicycle, and going to gym and yoga… I’m lucky like that.
Or am I?
I don’t know.
When I was 14 years old, my PE teacher Mrs Gosling took me running. I thought I was going to die. It was SO hard!
But she would not let me quit.
I was no good at it but you know what, I kept on. And I was lucky to be surrounded by incredible women.
My mother was the first South African woman to climb the highest peak in Antartica. She’s super cool like that.
In my teens she used to take me hiking. It was more like drag me up peaks. And when I passed school she took me up Kilimmanjaro. I used to think “why do I have to do this?” but now exercise, and nature, is such a part of my life that I don’t know how I’d live without it.
Sometimes people say that they’re just not exercise people but I don’t think that’s true. I think that they just haven’t practiced.
Find an exercise you like, grab a friend and go religiously for 12 weeks. Then come back and tell me how you feel afterwards.
6. Sex
I debated on having this here. Sex is such a loaded subject. Sex with the wrong person for the wrong reason will leave you feeling like the worst person on earth! But sex or making love to the right person will leave you feeling on top of the world.
Sex;
- Improves your heart rate,
- Clears up your complexion
- Boosts your mood
- Cuts your risk of cancer
- Lowers stress
- Improves sleep and sleep quality
- Boost your immunity
- Boosts brain cognition
And more! Frequent sex improves your sexual desire and appetite. More leaves you wanting more which generally leaves you feeling better about yourself.
7. Rest
This is a tough one for me. I generally love to be living! I love to travel. I like to write. I love to explore new places on my motorbike. I love to exercise. I love to see friends. I love great food.
But every now and then I’ve learnt I have to rest. And just rest. Not sit on the couch and write but just rest by watching TV or reading a book or even just having a siesta.
Apart from the physical act of resting, I’ve had to learn deep rest.
Non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR, is a term for a variety of practices that guide your brain and body into a state of deep relaxation without falling asleep.
I feel like this is an art. Because you can be stressed out to the max and lying on the couch. Or you can be feeling deeply rested and at peace whilst at work.
I have been at deep rest going 140kms/hour on my motorbike and completely agitated lying in my bed.
Once you realize that you can feel rested while doing your life’s activity, your life will change Kungfu Panda style.
This I feel is a lifelong practice for all of us.
8. A walk
There’s far too little credit given to the activity of walking. A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories but that’s NOT why I recommend walking.
Nothing clears the mind like a walk.
One Stanford University study found that walking increased creative output by an average of 60%. Researchers labelled this type of creativity “divergent thinking,” which they define as a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.
9. A great cup of coffee
Well I’ve already told you I start my day having a cup of coffee with a friend.
But there are different types of coffee just as there are different ways to drink it.
Grabbing a takeaway coffee on the way to the office and drinking it while catching up on your morning podcast, is NOT what I mean.
A great cup of coffee is as much about the experience as it is about the coffee.
Sit. Drink it. Taste it. And let it shape you.
Now that’s a way to feel better.
10. Trying something new
If you keep doing what you do, you keep getting what you get.
Go and try something new. You’ll most likely get out of your head.
Learn something.
Try a new language.
Sign up to a club.
Go on a date. (If you’re single obviously!)
Read a new book.
Cook a new recipe.
Try a new food.
Go play a new game at the arcade.
We humans tend to do the same things over and over again. Go and try something new and see what happens.
11. Cleaning up
There is literally no feeling like walking into a freshly cleaned house.
“Organization is a form of untapped power.” Mari Kondoe
“We all know that chaotic feeling when our lives have become too disorganized, whether because of a messy home, too much travel or one too many work meetings. Disorganization brings on feelings of irritation, anxiety and even panic. It hangs like a cloud over us, affecting everything from our mood to our ability to focus.””
Even just making your bed will leave you feeling calmer but also with a sense of achievement.
And will likely give you the confidence you need to achieve other tasks. Not a word of a lie.
Try it out for a week and let me know what happens!
PS Dance!
One of the things I love to do is dance or sing while I’m cleaning. Or showering. Or getting ready for work.
Trust me it works!
Some days I wake up feeling terrible. Then I put on my playlist and 5 minutes later I feel top of the world!
Check out the playlist to my book on Spotify.
Bottom line?
In a world that often bombards us with stress and challenges, finding genuine ways to feel better is a pursuit worth embracing.
The 11 activities we’ve explored here aren’t just quick fixes; they’re pathways to true well-being. Remember that feeling better isn’t just a momentary escape; it’s a commitment to our holistic happiness.
Whether it’s the simple joy of a heartfelt conversation, the rejuvenating effects of a brisk walk, or the comfort found in a well-loved book, these activities offer a lasting refuge.
So, as you embark on your journey to embrace positivity and upliftment, let these experiences be your guide. They will not only make you feel better but contribute to a life rich in genuine happiness and wellbeing.
Cheers to a brighter, better-feeling future!
