If you’re looking for ways to live your best life right now, these tips will help you embrace love and happiness. There’s no time like the present to start living your life to the fullest! Don’t settle for less. You deserve the very best. Life is an experience that you can create. Do you feel like you aren’t living every day excited and motivated? Do you get in a negative rut? If you’re looking for a change, these life tips will help you move forward in a positive direction.

Give yourself an hour in the morning, an hour at night.

Everyone needs a little “me time.” Do whatever you like best an hour in the morning and an hour at night. Set aside that time—set up an alarm on your phone if you need the reminder. People often get the most done early in the morning. Get up a little earlier and accomplish something for YOU: meditate, work out, journal, listen to music, sip coffee while watching an episode of your favorite TV show. In the evening, do the same but switch up the activity: read a book, listen to a podcast, clean a bedroom or bathroom, cook a favorite meal, chat with a friend, play a computer game, enjoy an at-home mud mask facial. Whatever you want! It’s important to spend time on yourself—you deserve it!

Take social media breaks.

Social media can be a fun, creative outlet to connect with friends. But it’s also the source of mean comments, tragic news stories, and brag posts. Take a break from social media each week, and spend time connecting with family and friends in person. While it’s important to stay in tune with news and events, it’s equally important to have some “breathing time.” Disconnect from your devices for a while. Get outside and engage with nature. Research has shown that spending time in nature helps relieve stress and anxiety. Ditch the tech for a bit and escape the social media “noise” with a relaxing nature walk.

Go on a bucket list adventure.

If you want to start living your best life, go on that crazy travel adventure you’ve always wanted! We get it—life gets in the way. It’s so easy to put off that big trip and stick it in the “someday” folder. But travel is often the ultimate “reset,” giving you time to unwind and re-energize. Visiting a new place can be the exciting change you need. Cross a long-awaited trip off your bucket list and live to your fullest right now!

Make someone else happy.

Nothing gives you a bigger boost of joy and love than making someone else happy—without expecting anything in return. Think of small things you can do to brighten the day of those around you. Send a video message to a friend. Compliment a neighbor. Pay for the person’s coffee behind you in line. Create a personalized book for a loved one, with loving messages, photos, and personalized characters that resemble you both! The Book of Us™ is a special keepsake that delivers joyful smiles. These small acts of kindness will put you on a path to living your best life right now!

Start or resume hobbies that you love.

Begin fun activities that you’ll love doing on a regular basis! People often mock the phrase “I can’t adult today” but #adulting is hard! Responsibilities mount, and we often abandon hobbies or activities in order to multitask everything else. Oh for the college days with a cafeteria full of prepared meals, a two-day class schedule, and a dorm bathroom that someone else cleans! But now is the time to pick up your violin and start playing again; take up crocheting or cross-stitching; resume your favorite college sport (maybe join a community team); or set aside time to read every week. Living your best life means doing things that you love!

Stop worrying what everyone thinks about you.

It’s hard not to get in our own heads. But part of living your best life is focusing on you, loving yourself, and concentrating on what matters most. Nobody else is living your life. Only YOU can know what is best for you. When you start overthinking or focusing on others’ opinions, do something to jolt yourself into the present—take a walk, listen to music, sketch in a journal. A therapist once told me that when negative thoughts start flowing, tap your wrist or bounce in your work chair to redirect your brain’s attention. Stimulation and activity, however small, can refocus your mind. Meditation is also a great tool for centering yourself, shutting out negative thoughts, and finding peace.

Practice positive self-talk.

Loving yourself takes time and practice. The more you treat yourself as a best friend, the more you’ll welcome love and joy into your life. Beating yourself up all the time can be wearing. Try to repeat positive affirmations about yourself each morning in the mirror. Give yourself a hug—this one can be kind of embarrassing, but sometimes we need the physical act to really feel self-love. Your journey toward living life to the fullest begins with fully loving and accepting your whole self.

Forget resolutions. Make self-care life goals.

Resolutions can feel restrictive and demanding. But self-care goals are positive objectives with a focus on bettering yourself. Set goals you would like to achieve each year, but don’t put pressure on yourself to fulfill them. These life goals might include working out more, eating healthy / changing your lifestyle habits (take the word “diet” out of your vocabulary!), getting one-hour extra sleep a week, making an effort to chat with friends regularly, traveling—or something as broad as wanting to bring more happiness and joy into your life. By setting positive, flexible goals you can achieve, you’ll feel motivated and confident to make positive changes.

Release whatever (or whoever) is weighing you down.

Take the time to organize your life. It feels so good to clean and declutter your living space, getting rid of junk and useless items that are weighing you down. Donate clothes and shoes you never wear. Sell or donate that furniture you inherited when those items no longer fit your living situation or match your style. The same goes with people. Purge those toxic relationships that fill your life with negative energy—a relative that always makes snide comments or a friend that asks you for endless support without giving in return. Time to let it all go. Once you get rid of that dead weight, you can move forward with a free, clear mindset. ​

Resources:

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/spend-time-in-nature-to-reduce-stress-and-anxiety