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When life feels overwhelming, think about things you can do or things that make you feel grounded. They're the things that should be prioritised in your diary.
Here are 20 easy instant life detoxes
1 MAKE AN EFFORT TO RECONNECT
Contact your cousins, that friend from Facebook you haven’t seen since university, those former colleagues you’ve been meaning to call.
2 BOOK THOSE APPOINTMENTS
You know the ones – the dental check-up and all the others you’ve been putting off. Often they don’t seem like a big priority, but even small things like this can take up mental space. And once you’ve made the appointment you’ll have freed up space and your life will feel more structured.
3 UNSUBSCRIBE
You know all those e-newsletters and spam you just delete? Take half an hour to unsubscribe to the ones you don’t need and feel the weight lift from your mental inbox.
4 GIVE YOUR LOVED ONE A HUG
A recent study showed that couples who cuddled had higher levels of oxytocin, the “happy hormone” that reduces stress.
5 TURN YOUR PHONE OFF
Just for an hour. Instead, spend that time outdoors in nature or connecting with someone special in your life.
6 LOOK BACK
If you’re in a relationship, think back to your happiest memories from the past few months. Then carve out some time in your diary to do them again.
7 MAKE A CRITICAL LIST
When life feels overwhelming, think about things you can do or things you need that make you feel grounded and in control. These are the things that help you to live life optimally, that ensure you are taking care of yourself, so they’re the things that should be prioritised in your diary.
8 DON'T CHECK EMAIL FOR THE FIRST HOUR OF THE DAY
Scrolling through those endless emails can make you feel bogged down before the day has even begun. Rather do critical tasks first, as this will promote a sense of accomplishment that sets a better tone for your day.
9 HAVE A NO-SPEND DAY
Challenge yourself to not spend any money for a day. Try homemade lunch and pot-luck dinner with pals.
10 FILE, BUT SET A TIME
Take 20 minutes each week to make sure your paper work and admin doesn't get out of control. File, organise or bin, pat yourself on the back and forget about it.
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11 UN-FRIEND
Go online and unfriend all those people you don't really care about. Don't feel guilty about doing it either.
12 APPLY THE 10/10 RULE
Go through your wardrobe and ask, do I feel 10 out of 10 in this? If not, bag it to donate.
13 STOP MULTI-TASKING
A recent study showed it takes about 15 minutes to recover from a distraction such as new email or text. So hide your email notifications, put your phone on silent and only check it at set times.
14 BUY A PLANT
A bit of greenery does you good. One study showed pot plants can help reduce stress and fatigue, plus they look pretty!
15 TEND YOUR LAWN
Not literally. This is about telling yourself "the grass is green enough here" when you catch yourself envying someone else's life, work, house, partner, whatever. Recongise the thought as unhelpful and remind yourself to tend your own lawn.
16 DO A DIGITAL CLEAN-UP
A cluttered inbox is just as bad for your mental health as a cluttered desk. Start deleting and filing. You can also go through the apps on your phone and delete all the ones that seemed like a good idea at the time but that you never use.
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17 STOP THE NEGATIVE SELF-TALK
Say goodbye to the phrase "I can't," "I won't" and "I quit."
18 SMILE AT STRANGERS
Call it good vibes, call it karma - being nice and expecting nothing on return makes you feel good.
19 DECLUTTER YOUR CORDS
All those untidy cables? Try blinding them together into one central cable with a cable tie or go one step further and tack up bundled cables to the wall, desks or furniture.
20 MAKE OVER YOUR MAKEUP
When was the last time you cleaned out your makeup bag? Remember that anything with an applicator should be replaced every three months, foundation and cleanser generally last for six to 12 months, lipstick and concealer are fine for about a year and powders need replacing every two years.
