Think about something that you do every single day? Is it eating a certain food? Making your bed? Or how about brushing your teeth or exercising? There’s likely even more smaller tasks you do each day without realizing it. You have habits and routines that subconsciously bring you comfort and probably make you feel good. So what if you could consciously add more of these feel-good habits into your everyday life? Wouldn’t that make you feel even better overall?
While I have a lot of daily habits and things I do to feel good, these 5 things are on the top of my list. These are simple (even mundane) tasks that are a major part of boosting my mood while also bringing comfort into my life. I’ve been doing each of these everyday for 3-4 years and love how such small practices can make me feel my best, even on the worst days!
1. Drink Water
I.drink.so.much.water. Drinking water keeps me energized, helps keep my skin clear & my muscles loose, and honestly just makes me feel healthy. I probably drink anywhere from 80-120 ounces of water everyday. (1 gallon = 128 ounces for reference). Focusing on my water intake helps my digestion, helps to regulate my blood pressure and hunger, and so much more!
I’ve always been an advocate for drinking a lot of water. It’s no secret that the health benefits of drinking water are endless. Not only do we need water to survive, but our bodies actually perform better with proper hydration. And while we can stay hydrated with other drink options, I firmly believe water is the best choice!
For me, living with a sulfite allergy means water is one of my only preservative free drink options. It was eye-opening to learn just how many preservatives are in drinks other than water! Even seemingly healthy drinks such as coffee, teas, and milks have many preservatives added to them. Learning to eat preservative-free also meant I had to focus on drinking preservative-free.
So drinking water might sound a little too easy to be on this list right? I mean everyone drinks water. But you’d be surprised by how many people don’t get enough water everyday! Upping your water intake by 1-2 glasses alone can make you feel significantly better. If you’re struggling to drink water, here are some tips to drink more everyday:
- Buy a hydroflask or re-usable water bottle. My boyfriend and I both love, love, love our hydroflasks. So do many of our friends!
- Start AND end your day with water. Try to drink water first thing in the morning (yes before coffee) and as the last thing before you sleep at night.
- Put some lemon in your water. Lemon water sounds typical, but don’t underestimate the benefits of adding a little flavor!
2. Clean/Organize Personal Spaces
I love to clean and organize. It brings me a lot of peace of mind, mental clarity, and is a great way to relieve stress. I’ve learned over time that something as simple as making my bed in the morning can make my day 10x better. Having a clean room or desk helps me feel at ease and safe/comfortable in my surroundings.
This doesn’t mean you should go and clean/organize your entire life everyday. There are days that there’s little or no time to get it all together. On these days, I focus on small tasks like cleaning off my work desk or organizing a drawer in my bedroom. Even taking 5 minutes out of the day to wipe off the counter top in the kitchen can change up my mood!
If you haven’t tried cleaning as a way to relieve stress, I’d highly recommend it. The act of moving my body combined with focusing on a task helps me control my anxiety/stress. It’s why I often find myself cleaning when overwhelmed. There have even been studies that say doing the dishes can be relaxing! So maybe the next time you’ve got a lot going on, try to go wipe down the sink or vacuum your room. Worst case scenario is cleaning won’t work for you, but at least you’ll have a clean room!
3. Eat Chocolate
I really love chocolate. As someone with a major sweet tooth who also loves salty foods, chocolate is one of my lifelines. I actually can’t remember the last time I went 24 hours without eating chocolate (either on it’s own or something with chocolate in it). After being diagnosed with my sulfite allergy, one of my first goals was to figure out a safe chocolate I can eat. From there, I was focused on finding safe cookies, brownies, and any other snack that involved chocolate. So if there’s one thing that really makes me feel good, it’s eating chocolate everyday.
It’s hard to think that I once saw chocolate as a “bad” food or something that should be saved for a “treat.” I’m forever thankful I’ve moved far past this mindset because enjoying chocolate as an everyday staple in my diet is FUN. I put chocolate in my oat bowls, protein balls, sunbutter granola bars, and a lot of other foods I eat for breakfast! Most of my snacks throughout the day have chocolate and my favorite on-the-go option is the dark chocolate and almond gomacro bar.
Chocolate is also a must for me after dinner. Many of my dessert recipes are made with chocolate chips or cacao powder. My soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, but I also love these healthy baked chocolate donuts and 5 minute mug cake. Here’s some of my favorite preservative free chocolate brands:
Eat the food that makes you feel good. Food is meant to be enjoyed! Having a bit of chocolate everyday helps my body & mind so I think this is one practice I’ll keep around.
4. Floss
It’s only fitting I follow up my everyday chocolate eating habit with my everyday flossing habit! This might be one of the last things you expected to see on this list, but flossing every day is an important form of self care. Genetically I don’t have the best teeth and I learned the hard way that my dental health needs to be a priority. So flossing everyday makes me feel good because I know it’s one simple way I’m putting my health first.
Since we are only given a limited number of teeth, it’s really important to take care of them. You can trust me on this because I already have two fake teeth in the form of caps (fun fact: one is gold). After the perils of scary dental experiences from age 14-19, I began actively brushing my teeth 2-3 times a day and flossing each night. Aside from preventing gum disease, flossing has also been linked to preventing respiratory disease, heart disease, and much more.
There’s not much else to be said about this one, but I promise you building a habit of flossing has made me feel great everyday (it will also make your dentist happy)!
5. Take my Vitamins/Supplements/Medications
I eat a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, drink plenty of water, and exercise often. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t taking extra vitamins and supplements or the medications I need for my asthma! After many discussions with doctors and dietitians and some trial and error, I’ve found many ways I can better my health through traditional & non-traditional medicines. I personally take vitamin D, digestive enzymes, and use a prescription inhaler everyday. These have been a constant for over a year now and help me feel my best!
Since our bodies are always changing, I have my vitamin levels checked frequently and talk to my doctors about my diet and how I feel. At times I’ve felt better taking a B complex, NAC (for liver support), and activated charcoal. I also go through periods of taking magnesium and l-theanine for sleep and relaxation and medications such as pepcid, tylenol, etc. as needed for pain and ailments. Of course, before trying any supplements or vitamins, I consult my doctors!
Taking vitamins can make a big difference in the way you feel. I notice a change in my body if I am not taking my vitamin D or enzymes (specifically my digestion). I also notice my asthma is worse if I miss 1-2 days of my prescription inhaler. This is why it is so important to know what vitamins, supplements, and medications we need to feel our best! And even more important that we take them as directed. I love using the combination of western and traditional medicine everyday to feel great. The more we are aware of what our bodies need, the better we can alter our practices to provide for them in the best possible way!
What We Do Everyday Matters
As you can see, these 5 everyday things that I do are very simple. They’re also all separate from one another and the only thing they have in common is that they make me feel good! It’s taken time and patience with myself to learn about how my actions make me feel, but finding the good in things such as drinking a lot of water makes life a lot more enjoyable. It’s definitely the simple things in life that matter most!
