You’re reading How to Change Your Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
There are many things that can make us happy: reading, healthy food, listening to good music, running and taking walks every single day, coffee with a friend… Why aren’t we doing all these things? The usual answer is: “there’s not enough time.” Well, time is a factor we can’t change. There’s no way to make a day last for 26 hours, so we’ll use that extra time for extra pleasure. We have to work with what we have, so the question is: how do we squeeze in some happiness in 24 hours?
The problem is in the approach. There are people who work really hard, have a great connection with their families, and still find time to prepare their meals and exercise in the morning. Their days are not longer; they just use the time more wisely. Can you find 5 minutes of your time for an activity you like? Those 5 minutes can really change your life. Think of it as an investment in your personal growth.
5 minutes a day. Everyone has them!
Changing Your Life in 5 Minutes a Day
During these 5 minutes, you’ll be doing something important: building a daily habit of appreciation. It will be like a daily meditation that will push you forward through life… hopefully, with a smile on your face. You can’t meet all friends, read a book, watch a movie, or exercise in 5 minutes.
However, this habit will teach you to appreciate the time and make a wiser decision. You won’t even notice how you’re finding more time for those pleasures in future. Let’s see how it’s done. These are all things you can do in 5 minutes:
Take a Regenerative Shower
Have you ever felt the healing effects of water? You’re feeling exhausted after work. You don’t have a single atom of energy left in your body. After a shower, you feel much better. Water does have such an effect on us, but we have to be aware of it if we want to experience it in its full glory.
Take that shower. Use a luxurious soap that makes you feel special. Relax. You have these 5 minutes to yourself. You’re important. You deserve to have a special moment in the day. Feel how the water washes the stress away. When you’re focused on the process of relaxing, you realize that this routine is more powerful than you assumed.
Be Grateful
Tomorrow, get up 5 minutes earlier than usual. Those 5 minutes don’t make a difference in sleep, but they make a huge difference when you’re awake. Before you get the cup of coffee and before you do anything else, just sit in quiet. Close your eyes and think of something you’re grateful for. You have your friends, your family, your home… the list can go on and on. Focus; don’t let your brain be drawn towards negativity. At the end of those 5 minutes, take a long, deep breath and be grateful for the air you breathe.
Do that every single day! When you start the day with positive thoughts, you have more strength to face any challenge that comes your way.
Set Priorities
Here is another thing you can do in five minutes: think of the most important things you need to do in order to live a happy life. Maybe you already have a schedule and your priorities are listed there, but this is a difference. Set long-term goals that would make you happier than you currently are. Do you want to start a family? Write that down. Think of everything you need to do in order to make that happen.
This practice will keep you focused on the big picture, which can get blurred under all daily errands.
Call a Friend
How long can a simple conversation take? Call a friend, every single day. Just ask how they are doing. Listen to them. Share your worries and happy moments. Texting is overestimated! When you’re actually talking to each other, you’re sharing real emotions and special moments.
Start Doing Something!
You have 5 minutes on your hands and you’re wondering what to do? Start a book. Even if you have only 5 minutes, you’ll read a page. Sign up for an online course! There are tons of learning opportunities you can explore, and the best part is that they are free. You think you don’t have time, but sign up anyway. Tomorrow, you’ll explore the course for 5 minutes, and it won’t take long before you make a strong commitment. Use that little time to take any action.
When you do something you enjoy, you suddenly realize that every moment of the day is precious. Instead of spending 5 minutes stressing over tomorrow’s assignments, you can use that time to relax. Instead of taking a shower just for the sake of being clean, you can really enjoy those moments and be alone with yourself. Even if you decide to do every single one of the practices above, it will take 25 minutes of the day. You have that time. Repeat your favorite thing every day!
Eva Wislow is a writer and career advisor at CareersBooster.com. She is on a mission to help people find their true calling. When she is not working, you can find her reading with a cup of coffee.
You’ve read How to Change Your Life in Just 5 Minutes a Day, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement