Things That Have Improved My Life

thirteen things - abstract and physical - that have improved my life, especially the newer ones that are at the bottom of this list and the cover photo of this post.

Why hello! In the spirit of trying to be more positive & recognizing the good things, here are things that have improved my life. I complain a lot more than I’d like, and I think it tricks my brain into thinking things are worse than they are. So this is a double cross I guess. Anyway, let me know what improves your life!

• Journaling

  • I journal every single morning. I think I’ve done this for about three years now? Either way, you don’t have to have prompts or anything. A lot of the time, I simply write about my day and how I’m feeling. It offers me the chance to be able to think through my thoughts and feelings, which is very helpful for my anxious brain.

  • Note: would you like a Journaling 101 post?

• Video Journaling

  • A subplot, but something that has helped me more in the long term. For the days and moments where everything feels like too much, where I can’t even write it all out, I take videos. These are long, and I always put them in my hidden folder. I feel all my emotions fully, which is something I never do. And then, a few months later, a year later, I look back and everything is okay. What a reminder.

• Diversifying My Reading

  • In high school and the first bit of college, I really only read romance and fantasy. There is nothing wrong with that! It was a great brain break from school. However, it got to a point where I needed more books to read while simultaneously getting depressed (lol). I leaned into memoirs and self help books, found many literary fiction books that speak to life lessons that have touched my heart, and I absolutely adore historical fiction. These have all helped me understand myself and our world better. And I like to think it makes me a mature 23 year old.